New York, Aug. 14 (SANA)TheUN Independent International Commission of Inquiryon Syria on Friday stressed the importance of rulings issued by the Fourth Criminal Court in Damascus on Tuesday against a number of deposed regime figures, as part of the path toward accountability following more than a decade of repression documented by the commission.

“The convictions are only part of a process of breaking with the past,” the commission said in a statement on X, emphasizing that ensuring full respect for the human rights of victims, their families and survivors, as well as any defendant or convict, is vital to consolidating the foundations of Syria’s transitional phase.

The significance of the conviction of former President Assad, along with six others in absentia, as well as Atef Najib who is in government custody, by the Fourth Criminal Court Chamber in Damascus on Tuesday cannot be understated, following more than a decade of brutal conflict…

The commission noted the challenges facing the Syrian judiciary in the current phase and said it would follow any appeal proceedings that may be taken later, stressing thatjusticemust be achieved for all victims regardless of the perpetrator’s identity—a principle that “must be clear to everyone.”

The Fourth Criminal Court in Damascus, after completing the stages of litigation and hearing all parties according to judicial procedures, issued death sentences on Tuesday against the head of the deposed regime, the fugitive criminal Bashar al-Assad, along with Atef Najib and other fugitive defendants: Maher Hafez al-Assad, Fahd Jassem al-Freij, Mohammad Ayman Ayoush, Louay Ali al-Ali, Qusai Ibrahim Mihoub, Wafiq Saleh Nasser, and Talal Fares al-Aissami.

The court convicted them of premeditated murder, torture, deprivation of liberty, crimes against humanity and war crimes. While Najib is currently being held in Syria and was present for the trial and ruling, the other eight were sentenced in absentia.

The UN Commission of Inquiry on Syria was established on Aug. 22, 2011, by theHuman Rights Councilto investigate all violations of international human rights law since the beginning of theSyrian revolution. Its mandate has been repeatedly extended, most recently through April 2025.