UN demands accountability for 'crimes committed in Syria'

HAMILTON, Canada

The UN on Thursday demanded accountability for Syrians who suffered for years during the Bashar Assad regime.

Responding to Anadolu's question on whether the UN will call for legal proceedings on Assad to hold him accountable for his crimes, spokesman Stephane Dujarric said at a news conference that "there are a number of UN mechanisms that are meant to hold people to account."

He said the UN has various courts, commissions of inquiries and mechanisms to hold people accountable for crimes.

"Accountability will be needed for the sake of the Syrian people who have suffered so long," he said.

Bashar Assad, Syria's leader for nearly 25 years, fled to Russia after anti-regime forces seized control of Damascus on Dec. 8, bringing an end to the Baath Party regime that had been in power since 1963.