A former war crimes prosecutor is resigning from a UN commission investigating human rights abuses in Syria because it "does absolutely nothing".
Speaking at the Locarno film festival, Carla del Ponte said had prepared her letter of resignation and that she would "send it in the next few days", reports Swiss newspaper Blick.
She added: "I cannot remain on this commission that does absolutely nothing."
Subscribe to The Week
Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.
Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
Del Ponte also said there was no "good or bad" in the country anymore. "Everyone in Syria is on the bad side," she said. "The Assad government has perpetrated horrible crimes against humanity and used chemical weapons and the opposition is now made up of extremists and terrorists."
"The commission was set up in August 2011 and has regularly reported on human rights violations, but its pleas to observe international law have largely fallen on deaf ears," The Guardian reports.
Del Ponte, a Swiss lawyer, has been involved since September 2012, "chronicling incidents such as chemical weapons attacks, genocide against Iraq's Yazidi population, siege tactics and the bombing of aid convoys", says Deutsche Welle.
The commission has "released about a dozen reports", says the BBC, "but investigators have never gained access to Syria itself, instead relying on interviews, photos, medical records and other documents".
According to Euronews, "there is no sign of any court being established to try war crimes committed in the six-and-a-half year-old war, nor of any intention by the UN Security Council to refer the situation to the International Criminal Court in the Hague".
Del Ponte's resignation leaves two commissioners on the panel, Karen Koning AbuZayd from the US and Brazil's Paulo Pinheiro.
-
Florida erases rainbow crosswalk at Pulse nightclubSpeed Read The colorful crosswalk was outside the former LGBTQ nightclub where 49 people were killed in a 2016 shooting
-
New York court tosses Trump's $500M fraud fineSpeed Read A divided appeals court threw out a hefty penalty against President Trump for fraudulently inflating his wealth
-
Judge: Trump's US attorney in NJ serving unlawfullySpeed Read The appointment of Trump's former personal defense lawyer, Alina Habba, as acting US attorney in New Jersey was ruled 'unlawful'
-
How China uses 'dark fleets' to circumvent trade sanctionsThe Explainer The fleets are used to smuggle goods like oil and fish
-
Rubio says US brokered end to Syria conflictSpeed Read Syria's defense ministry was targeted in Israeli attacks on the capital
-
Syria's returning refugeesThe Explainer Thousands of Syrian refugees are going back to their homeland but conditions there remain extremely challenging
-
IAEA: Iran could enrich uranium 'within months'Speed Read The chief United Nations nuclear inspector, Rafael Grossi, says Iran could be enriching uranium again soon
-
One year after mass protests, why are Kenyans taking to the streets again?today's big question More than 60 protesters died during demonstrations in 2024
-
Why Israel is attacking Iran nowThe Explainer A weakened Tehran and a distracted Donald Trump have led Benjamin Netanyahu to finally act against long-standing foe
-
Can the world stop Israel from starving Gaza?Today's Big Question Total blockade on food and aid enters its third month, and Israel is accused of 'weaponising starvation'
-
What happens if tensions between India and Pakistan boil over?TODAY'S BIG QUESTION As the two nuclear-armed neighbors rattle their sabers in the wake of a terrorist attack on the contested Kashmir region, experts worry that the worst might be yet to come
