House Panel to Explore Assad Regime War Crimes in Upcoming Hearing

US House Subcommittee to Discuss War Crimes Committed by Assad Regime in Syria

A hearing has been scheduled by a House subcommittee to investigate allegations of war crimes in Syria. The event, which will take place on April 18, will analyze the US policies towards Syria. This comes as Syrian leader, Bashar Assad, is attempting to regain his place on the global stage by coming to neighboring countries.

The announcement on this hearing was made by the House Foreign Affairs Committee’s Subcommittee on Middle East, North Africa, and Central Asia. The event will be called “12 Years of Terror: Assad’s War Crimes and US Policy for Seeking Accountability in Syria”.

The hearing will feature several witnesses including a former Syrian official nicknamed “the Grave Digger”, Joel Rayburn, a previous special envoy to Syria and Jonathan Lord, the senior fellow and director of the Middle East Security Program at the Center for a New American Security.

Lately, United Arab Emirates has tried to normalize relations with Syria, which indicates a decline in tensions between Saudi Arabia and Iran.

Assad has had control over Syria for over 20 years. However, in 2011, a civil war started after multiple teenagers were taken into custody in connection with anti-government graffiti that was spray-painted on a high school wall. The government’s reaction to the incident spurred nationwide protests.

Various groups, including the Islamic State, al Qaeda-affiliated groups, and Kurdish groups, fought against the Assad government. The US supported some of these rebels and accused Assad of using chemical weapons against Syrians, a charge that he refutes. This brutal war has led to one of the most significant refugee crises in recent European history.

Russia backed Assad, and it is currently fighting against Ukraine, which resulted in its entanglement in the conflict in Syria.