Canada and the Netherlands take Syria to top UN court. They accuse Damascus of widespread torture

THE HAGUE, Netherlands (AP) — The Netherlands and Canada are taking Syria's government to the United Nations' highest court on Tuesday, accusing Damascus of massive human rights violations against its own people.

“Since 2011, Syrians have been tortured, murdered, sexually assaulted, forcibly disappeared and subjected to chemical weapon attacks on a mass scale,” the Netherlands and Canada said when they launched the case at the International Court of Justice in June.

“Twelve years on, human rights violations at the hands of the Syrian regime persist,” they added.

Syria’s conflict started with peaceful protests against President Bashar Assad’s government in March 2011 but quickly morphed into a full-blown civil war after the government’s brutal crackdown on the protesters. The tide turned in Assad’s favor against rebel groups in 2015, when Russia provided key military backing to Syria, as well as Iran and the Lebanese militant group Hezbollah.