Netherlands and Canada ask world court to rule on Syria torture claims

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The Netherlands and Canada have submitted a case against Syria to the International Court of Justice (ICJ) over allegations of torture.

Their application accuses the Syrian government of committing "countless violations of international law" since the country's civil war began in 2011.

They ask the court to urgently compel Syria to prevent any acts of torture.

If the ICJ finds it has jurisdiction, it would be the first international court to rule on Syrian torture claims.

"Syrian citizens have been tortured, murdered, disappeared, attacked with poison gas or forced to flee for their lives and leave behind everything they had," Dutch Foreign Minister Wopke Hoekstra said in a statement.

"Establishing accountability and combating impunity are important elements of achieving a lasting political solution to the conflict in Syria. Bringing this case before the ICJ is a major next step on the long road to that goal."