ICC chief prosecutor meets with Syria's new leader al-Sharaa

Karim Khan, chief prosecutor of the International Criminal Court, left, and Syria's de facto leader Ahmad al-Sharaa talk during their meeting on Friday, January 17, 2025.

The International Criminal Court's chief prosecutor Karim Khan met with Ahmad al-Sharaa, Syria's new leader, to discuss options for pursuing justice for victims of torture and war crimes perpetrated by the regime of ousted president Bashar al-Assad.

The International Criminal Court’s chief prosecutor Karim Khan made an unannounced visit Friday to Damascus to confer with the leader of Syria’s de facto government on how to ensure accountability for alleged crimes committed in the country.

Khan’s office said he visited at the invitation of Syria’s transitional government. He met with Ahmad al-Sharaa, the leader of Syria’s new administration who was formerly known as Mohammad al-Golani, and the foreign minister to discuss options for justice in The Hague for victims of the country’s civil war, which has left more than half a million dead and more than six million people displaced.

Al-Sharaa is a former al Qaeda militant who severed ties with the extremist group years ago and leads Hayat Tahrir al-Sham, or HTS, the group leading the new authority in Syria. The former insurgent group, considered a terrorist group in the U.S., led the lightning offensive that toppled longtime dictator Bashar Assad last month and is now the de facto ruling party in the country.

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(AP)


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