Skip next section G7 will seek to forge common approach to new Syrian government
12/13/2024December 13, 2024
G7 will seek to forge common approach to new Syrian government
Leaders of the advanced economices said that they are ready to support the transition to an “inclusive and non-sectarian” government in .
In a statement, they called for , including those of women and minorities. The statement also stressed “the importance of holding the regime accountable for its crimes.”
It said the G7 would “work with and fully support” any Syrian government that committed to upholding these principles.
The G7 leaders will meet virtually at 1430 GMT on Friday.
https://p.dw.com/p/4o5WW
Skip next section Assad’s fall ‘shows how fragile’ dictatorships are — US historian
12/13/2024December 13, 2024
Assad’s fall ‘shows how fragile’ dictatorships are — US historian
US journalist and historian Anne Applebaum has told DW that the sudden fall of Syrian dictator “shows to everybody who imagines that dictatorships are somehow stronger and more stable … how fragile they are.”
“The moment that people sense weakness, the moment they feel that it’s over, then it falls apart very fast. And I think that we should remember that when we’re dealing with, dealing with , dealing with , dealing with any of these regimes all over the world,” she said.
Applebaum also pointed out that alliances between autocratic regimes are inherently unstable.
“There is no shared ideology between Russia and Iran and Syria and . They’re rather linked by a perception of common interest, whether it’s a common interest in the narcotics trade, or common interest in disruption, or common interest in maintaining themselves in power, or common interest in laundering money — that’s why they work together,” she said.
“The moment that one of them perceives that the other is too weak or ineffective or it can’t help anymore, that’s when these bonds will break.”
Applebaum is a staff writer for The Atlantic magazine and has just released the book “Autocrats Inc.”
https://p.dw.com/p/4o5WV
Skip next section US grand jury charges Syrian ex-prison head with torture
12/13/2024December 13, 2024
US grand jury charges Syrian ex-prison head with torture
A federal grand jury in the US city of Los Angeles has filed torture charges against a former Syrian government official who headed the Damascus Central Prison from 2005 to 2008, the US Justice Department said on Thursday.
The official, Samir Ousman al-Sheikh, 72, is alleged to have ordered workers at the prison to inflict both physical and mental pain on , commonly known as Adra Prison, sometimes taking part in such incidents himself, the department said.
Al-Sheikh was detained in July at Los Angeles International Airport as he was about to board a flight to Beirut, Lebanon, on charges of immigration fraud.
Those charges relate to allegations that he denied having ever persecuted anyone in Syria while applying for a US visa and citizenship.
Al-Sheikh is believed to have worked for the Syrian police and the state security apparatus, and was appointed governor of the province of Deir ez-Zour by now ousted President Bashar Assad in 2011.
tj/zc (Reuters, AFP, AP, dpa)
https://p.dw.com/p/4o5WT
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