A slipper hangs on a vandalised poster of Syrian President Bashar al-Assad lying in a trash container in Aleppo, Syria. Photograph by KnafehAnd3ajeen
UK Prime Minister David Cameron has said that he he would back an offer of safe passage out of Syria for President Bashar al-Assad if it would end the bloodshed in the country’s ongoing civil war.
In an interview with al-Arabiya TV, Mr Cameron said the international community should consider anything “to get that man out of the country”, but continued that he should also face “the full force of international law and justice”.
In response, Amnesty International has criticised Mr Cameron for discussing “immunity deals” for Assad, claiming that he should be supporting initiatives that make sure that Assad will face justice “ideally at the International Criminal Court at The Hague”. He continued, saying that he was “certainly not offering [Mr Assad] an exit plan to Britain, but if he wants to leave, he could leave, that could be arranged.”
The civil war has resulted in more than 35,000 people being killed since the outbreak of hostilities in March last year, with the death toll rapidly increasing day by day as the Syrian military use their significant air and ground fire-power to attempt to quell the rebellion led by groups such as the Free Syrian Army (FSA). The FSA remains hugely under-equipped by comparison, as whilst some nations are sending them military support, the West continues to only supply them with aid relief.