Russia 'Already Complicit' In Assad’s Crimes, U.S. Says
The United States said Monday it believes Russia had 'a lot to answer' to the Syrian people, as the toppled dictator Bashar Al-Assad fled Moscow after 13 years of civil war and more than 50 years of his family's rule, TURAN's Washington correspondent reports.
"You have seen Russia prop up a brutal regime that has murdered hundreds of thousands of innocent Syrian civilians, that has gassed its own people. You have seen the Russian Government launch strikes targeting civilians inside Syria. And now, most recently, you see Russia giving safe haven to the brutal tyrant responsible for those attacks," State Department's spokesperson Matthew Miller told a daily briefing.
The spokesperson went on to add that the russians "certainly have a lot to answer for with individuals across Syria about their history of supporting Assad and their own pattern of behavior inside Russia, and it would not surprise me at all if people in Syria are asking those questions when it comes to the Russian facilities that remain inside Syria."
Asked by TURAN whether Russia would be considered as complicit in Al-Assad's war crimes if it refused to hand over the dictator to the international justice system, Miller said: "I think Russia is already complicit in Assad’s crimes against the Syrian people. I don’t think you need any more – any further actions by Russia to prove their complicity."
Politics
-
Journalist Farid Ismayilov, who had been under police supervision in connection with the Toplum TV case, was detained on January 17 and brought to the Khatai District Court, his colleagues reported.
-
Ilham Aliyev congratulated Irakli Kobakhidze on the victory of the Georgian Dream party in the elections and wished him continued success. "The victory of your party is of particular significance for the entire South Caucasus, making it a more stable region, and we rejoice in this victory as your friends and brothers. We wish your government new successes in its work," said Aliyev during a joint briefing following talks and the signing of bilateral documents.
-
On January 17, the Khatai District Court of Baku rejected the requests for house arrest for journalists Aynur Elgünesh and Natig Djavadly, employees of Meydan TV, their lawyers, Elchin Sadigov and Zibeyda Sadigova reported to Turan news agency. According to the lawyers, there are no legal or procedural grounds for keeping the journalists in detention. The journalists themselves stated that the criminal case against them had been fabricated to punish them for their professional activities. The defense intends to appeal the court's refusal to transfer the journalists to house arrest.
-
The preliminary investigation in the case of the Toplum TV publication (journalists and activists) is coming to an end, reported Rasul Jafarov, the lawyer of the Institute for Democratic Initiatives, Ruslan Izzatli.
Leave a review