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
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On the 35th birthday of Igbal Abilov, a researcher imprisoned in Azerbaijan, his colleagues and supporters organized celebratory actions in various European cities, including Vilnius, Belgrade, Warsaw, and Porto, to raise awareness about his case. The participants of these actions called for the release of Abilov, who has been recognized by human rights defenders as a political prisoner.
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As a result of the preliminary investigation, the charge against Aziz Orujov, director of the internet TV channel Kanal 13, under Article 206.3.2 of the Azerbaijani Criminal Code (smuggling committed by a group of individuals in conspiracy) has been dropped. The case has been sent to court only under Article 188.2 of the Criminal Code (unauthorized construction on land without ownership rights). This was reported to Turan by Orujov's wife, journalist Lamia Orujeva.
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Today, the Baku Serious Crimes Court delivered a verdict in the case of public activist Ilhamiz Guliyev. The court reclassified the charges from Article 234.4.3 (illegal drug trafficking with intent to sell in large quantities) to a lighter charge under Article 234.1-1 (illegal acquisition, possession, manufacturing, processing, or transportation of narcotic substances or psychotropic substances in large quantities without the intent to distribute) of the Azerbaijani Criminal Code and sentenced the activist to three years in prison.
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On December 12, the Union for "Freedom for Political Prisoners in Azerbaijan" published an updated list of political prisoners, which now includes the names of 331 individuals.
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