ABA decries latest violent attack aimed at Syrian judicial system
ABA President Linda A. Klein condemned suicide bombings in the capital of Syria, one of which occurred at the main courthouse, in a statement on Monday.
“We send our condolences to the families, friends and colleagues of those who were killed or injured,” Klein said. “Courthouses must be safe places, where parties can go to resolve their disputes peacefully, in accordance with the rule of law.”
At least 30 people were killed at the Palace of Justice in Damascus on March 15, when a suicide bomber detonated himself and a second suicide bomber wounded dozens at a nearby restaurant, the Guardian and the BBC News reported.
“This is a dirty action, as people who enter the palace are innocent,” Ahmad al-Sayed, Syria’s attorney general, told the New York Times.
The attacks came on the sixth anniversary of the uprising against President Bashar al-Assad. More than 400,000 people have been killed in the civil war, according to the Times.
Klein’s statement echoes one released earlier in the month, urging that violence against legal institutions in Afghanistan and Pakistan be halted, so that the rule of law may be protected.
