Damascus, June 8 (SANA) Syria’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Expatriates on Monday held a joint workshop with government bodies and international organizations to discuss a draft national strategy for the prevention of torture, bringing together representatives from Syrian ministries, the UN Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights, and civil society groups including victims’ associations.
The workshop, held at the ministry’s headquarters in Damascus, reviewed Syria’s obligations under international human rights law, the Convention against Torture and its optional protocol, as well as national legal frameworks and best practices.
Torture; a systematic policy of deposed regime
Saad Baroud, director of international organizations and conferences at the Foreign Ministry, said torture under the deposed regime of Assad was “a systematic policy, a brutal machine designed to spread terror, break spirits and crush the humanity of Syrians.”
“Detention centers were not just places of arrest — they turned into human slaughterhouses where innocent souls disappeared and pure bodies were tortured for the sole sin of yearning for freedom,” Baroud said.
He noted that more than 170,000 people remain missing, with families still waiting for any sign of them, and that over 1.5 million survivors endured those atrocities. The brutality extended beyond prison walls, poisoning education to instill fear, silence and submission in generations, he said.
Baroud affirmed that the new Syria’s commitment to fair trials and the absolute prohibition of torture is not merely a response to international obligations but “an ethical pledge and a steadfast national vow to every drop of blood spilled and every cry of pain that echoed in a dark cell.”
Civil society input on draft strategy
Abdelaziz Abdelaziz, deputy director of the UN Human Rights Office’s local office, said the strategy comes as part of Syria’s transitional phase, addressing truth-seeking, accountability, reparations, non-recurrence guarantees, national memory and civil peace.
Shifa Junblatt, coordinator of the “Truth Tents” in Daraya, stressed the importance of including victims’ families in the discussion, noting that many still suffer from the effects of loss and marginalization and seek justice.
Hussein al-Muheimed, programs director at the Syrian Bar Association (SBA), said the workshop reflected a shift toward strengthening human rights principles, with discussions incorporating comments and proposals to ensure the strategy meets victims’ needs and societal aspirations.
The workshop marked the second such session following an initial meeting on May 12 to begin drafting the national strategy.
KhA
