Welcomed back into the mainstream of the international community, Syria, now led by Islamist militia leader Ahmed al-Sharaa, is a very different place, though the shadow of Assad’s legacy weighs heavily. Many of the bodies bear clear signs of torture, including emaciation, bruising, bloodied and swollen faces, bloodied body parts, bandaged limbs, visible lacerations and missing teeth. The files reveal the chilling meticulousness of Assad’s security bureaucrats charged with recording the workings of their killing machine and reporting on this to the courts. Assad, now reportedly living under asylum in Russia, is, unfortunately, well away from the reach of Syrian or international justice. Israeli bombing raids in the south and occupation of Golan make normalising regional relations impossible.

Source: The Irish Times December 05, 2025 09:52 UTC