STATEMENT OF THE INDEPENDENT INTERNATIONAL COMMISSION OF INQUIRY ON SYRIA REGARDING THE ANNOUNCEMENT OF THE RESIGNATION OF MS. CARLA DEL PONTE

(Issued as received) Geneva - In mid-June, Ms. Carla Del Ponte informed her colleagues, Mr. Paulo Pinheiro and Ms. Karen AbuZayd, of her intention to resign from the Independent International Commission of Inquiry on the Syrian Arab Republic at some point in the near future.

Mr. Pinheiro and Ms. AbuZayd thank Ms. Del Ponte for all of her contributions to the work of the Commission over more than five years of service and for her personal efforts and interventions to support the cause of justice.

As the Syrian conflict grinds on, the Commission’s work must continue in order to fulfill its mandate investigating all human rights violations committed in the armed conflict and, wherever possible, to identify alleged perpetrators in order to support efforts to bring those responsible to justice. It is our obligation to persist in its work on behalf of the countless number of Syrian victims of the worst human rights violations and international crimes known to humanity. Such efforts are needed now more than ever.

The Commission wishes Ms. Del Ponte well in all her future endeavors, particularly as a tireless advocate for the cause of accountability and bringing perpetrators of war crimes and crimes against humanity to justice.



For use of the information media; not an official record

HRC17/114E