| answer text |
<p>Our Embassy in Damascus closed in 2012 and except for specific consular cases the
UK does not have routine official contact with the Syrian government. However, the
UK has consistently called in public for the release of human rights defenders detained
by the Assad regime.</p><p>On 10 August the UK Special Representative for Syria, Gareth
Bayley, welcomed the release of Mazen Darwish from prison. However, security forces
arbitrarily arrest or continue to detain thousands which include peaceful activists,
human rights defenders, media and humanitarian workers, women and children, subjecting
some to enforced disappearance and others to prolonged detention or unfair trials.
In addition the security forces systematically torture and mistreat detainees with
impunity; thousands of detainees reportedly die due to torture or harsh conditions.</p><p>The
UK, along with international partners, remains committed to ensuring the perpetrators
are held to account. We are working with a range of non-governmental organisation’s
to ensure that evidence of torture and mistreatment is effectively collected to accurately
record crimes that are being committed so that perpetrators can be prosecuted in the
future.</p>
|
|
