Syrian rebels to name senior Assad gov’t officials wanted for torture

For half a century, the Assad family ruled over the country with an iron fist, with long-documented reports of “mass incarceration, torture, extra-judicial killings and atrocities” against their own people.

The rebels will “announce List no. 1 that includes names of the most senior officials involved in torturing the Syrian people”, according to a statement from Military Operations Command, the rebel coalition led by armed group Hayat Tahrir al-Sham (HTS).

HTS “will not hesitate to hold accountable the criminals, murderers, security and army officers involved in torturing the Syrian people”, said its leader Ahmed Al Sharaa, better known by his nom de guerre Abu Mohammed al-Jolani.

“We will pursue war criminals and demand them from the countries to which they fled so that they may receive their just punishment.”

The statement added rewards would be offered for information about senior army and security officers involved in alleged war crimes.

Sharaa also reiterated that a general amnesty for conscripted soldiers in the Syrian military remains in force. The rebels earlier urged the Assad regime’s security forces to register with what they are calling “a settlement center”. Amnesty does not apply to officers and soldiers who volunteered to serve.

Hayat Tahrir-al-Sham militants, along with other anti-government factions, seized control of Damascus on Saturday following a swift advance in several regions of Syria.