One year ago, the United States welcomed the provisional measures order by the International Court of Justice (ICJ) calling upon the Syrian regime to immediately take all measures to prevent acts of torture and other cruel, inhuman, or degrading treatment or punishment as well as to prevent the destruction of evidence of such acts. This order by the world court is a response to the regime’s flagrant use of torture and other ill-treatment and moved us one step closer to accountability for the thousands of victims and survivors of torture and other cruel treatment in Syria.
Unfortunately, since the measures were issued, the regime has failed to comply with these directives. Human rights and legal organizations continue to document the regime’s use of arbitrary detention and torture of detainees, including most recently against Syrians fleeing the conflict in Lebanon. Victims, survivors, and their families deserve justice and accountability. As such, the Department of State is announcing the designation of Abdul Salam Fajr Mahmoud, Brigadier General in the Syrian Air Force, his wife Suhair Nader al Jundi, and his four adult children under Section 7031(c) due to his involvement in gross violations of human rights, namely torture or cruel, inhuman, or degrading treatment or punishment.
Over the course of the conflict in Syria, there have been more than 15,000 documented cases of people dying due to torture and other ill-treatment, including U.S. citizens. We call on the regime to immediately cease its brutal and systematic use of torture and comply with the ICJ’s order. The United States commends Canada and the Netherlands’ ongoing efforts to hold the Assad regime accountable, including by detailing the regime’s ongoing use of torture before the ICJ as that case moves ahead with written pleadings due early next year. We also welcome the many cases being brought in domestic courts around the world against individual perpetrators. Together with our international partners, the United States will continue to seek a durable political solution to the conflict in Syria that is grounded in justice and accountability.
This public designation is made under Section 7031(c) of the Department of State, Foreign Operations, and Related Programs Appropriations Act, 2024 (Div F, P.L. 118-47), as carried forward by the Continuing Appropriations Act, 2025 (Div. A, P.L. 118-83).
