Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what steps his Department is taking to ensure that the people responsible for atrocities in Syria are held to account.

The UK remains steadfast in our pursuit for accountability for atrocities committed in Syria. We co-sponsored the UN General Assembly resolution which established the UN International Impartial and Independent Mechanism (IIIM), and we have contributed £1.2 million to support the mechanism so far.

We have supported the Commission for International Justice and Accountability to collect evidence and build cases for prosecution of perpetrators of war crimes and crimes against humanity. These efforts have played a critical role in achieving the first conviction of a former member of Daesh, and the first court ruling worldwide over state-sponsored torture by the Assad regime in Koblenz, convicting Eyad al-Gharib for complicity in crimes against humanity in Syria.

We have contributed over £13 million since 2012 in support of Syrian and international efforts to gather evidence and assist victims of human rights abuses and violations. The UK drafts the UN Human Rights Council resolution on Syria, which was adopted in March, at the 46th Human Rights Council session. On 15 March, the UK announced six new sanctions; sending a clear message to the Assad regime: the UK will not stand by whilst the Regime and its backers continue to commit heinous crimes against the Syrian people.