ICC Prosecutor Meets Syria's New Leader Ahmed al-Sharaa in Damascus Post-Assad Ouster

Jan 17, 2025, 01:48 PM

International Criminal Court (ICC) Chief Prosecutor Karim Khan met with Syria's new leader, Ahmed al-Sharaa, in Damascus on Friday. The meeting, which also included Syria's Foreign Minister Asaad al-Shaibani, was part of Khan's visit to discuss the ICC's potential role in supporting Syrian efforts towards accountability for alleged crimes committed in the country. This visit comes in the wake of the ouster of Bashar al-Assad last month by the rebel alliance led by Sharaa's Islamist group, Hayat Tahrir al-Sham, sparking hopes for justice in Syria. The new Syrian authorities have pledged to hold accountable those responsible for atrocities committed under Assad's rule, including officials involved in the torture of detainees. The war in Syria has resulted in more than 500,000 deaths, and Assad has been accused of using chemical weapons, including sarin gas, against his own people. Khan's visit was at the invitation of the Syrian Transitional Government, aiming to foster a partnership in the pursuit of justice. The ICC had been unable to investigate Syria because Damascus never ratified the Rome Statute, the tribunal's founding treaty.