UN rights chief: Assad-era atrocities must not be repeated

The UN high commissioner for human rights called Tuesday for ensuring that the atrocities committed in Syria during the Assad regime are never repeated.

Volker Turk posted a video message on X following his first visit to Syria since the fall of Bashar Assad in December.

Speaking from Sednaya Prison in the capital Damascus, which he described as "a notorious prison complex during the Assad regime," he said "it's haunted by the memories of utmost cruelty. It's unbelievable what human beings can do to each other."

"I can only hope from the bottom of my heart that this is a lesson both for the healing of Syria and for Syrians, but also a lesson for the world that we must never allow such cruelties to happen again," he added.

The UN Human Rights Office, in a post on X, confirmed that Turk was in Damascus as part of a trip covering Syria and Lebanon.

"He is scheduled to meet senior officials as well as representatives of civil society organizations, diplomats and UN entities," the post said.

Bashar Assad, Syria's leader for nearly 25 years, fled to Russia after anti-regime groups took control of Damascus on Dec. 8, ending the Baath Party's decades-long regime.