European Liberals: Geneva II talks cannot ignore Assad's crimes

The Alliance of Liberals and Democrats (ALDE) in the European Parliament Wednesday said amid low expectations of a breakthrough to end the civil war in Syria in the Geneva II talks, reports are emerging of large-scale, systematic torture and execution of prisoners by the Syrian regime. "Evidence emerging that the Assad regime has been systematically torturing and executing thousands of detainees as part of their crackdown on the opposition forces, amounts to a crime against humanity that must be prosecuted by the International Criminal Court in the Hague," said Guy Verhofstadt, ALDE group leader, in a statement. "Whatever the outcome of peace negotiations beginning today, there can be no sanctuary for Bashar Al-Assad in a post conflict scenario. There will be no peace in Syria as long as he remains in power and no justice until he and the perpetrators of such heinous crimes are brought to justice," stressed Verhofstadt, a former Belgian Prime Minister. "The tens of thousands of photographs of abuse, murder and torture, confirmed by former war-crimes prosecutors, document a regime that has no regard for either its own people or the Rule of Law," he said. "The European Parliament should also consider inviting the three ex-war crimes prosecutors to a hearing to outline the evidence of torture they have examined," he added.