live from washington, this is bbc news. rights groups appeal to syria's new rulers to �*urgently�* preserve evidence of atrocities committed under former president assad. in a rare acknowledgement, israel confirms it was behind the assassination of hamas leader ismail haniyeh in iran. an ethics report into matt gaetz — who was briefly donald trump's nominee for attorney general — says there's "substantial evidence" he paid for sex with a minor and used illicit drugs. i'm helena humphrey, good to have you with us. we start with the situation in syria. rights groups are appealing to the country's new leaders to preserve evidence of atrocities commited under former president bashar al—assad's regime.

the investigators visited detention facilities and mass graves after rebels took over the capital — seeking proof of the regime's alleged extrajudicial killings and torture tactics. in a joint statement, amnesty international, human rights watch and the association of detainees and missing persons in sednaya prison, said... — sometimes burned. they say such evidence, is essential for prosecuting those who violated international laws and for the tens of thousands of people who were forcibly disappeared under assad's rule. meanwhile, the kremlin is refuting reports that the british—born wife of deposed syrian president bashar al—assad is seeking a divorce, saying the reports "do not correspond to reality". it comes as several eu countries pause applications from syrians seeking asylum — following the overthrow of the assad regime. international human rights groups have criticised the move as premature.

let's bring in the former us ambassador at large for war crime issues in the office of global criminal justice, stephen rapp. thank you so much for being with us on bbc news. you havejust returned from syria, working with a number of groups who were looking into and for evidence of mass graves, torture, other atrocities. just to begin with, give us an impression of what you saw on the ground?— you saw on the ground? certainly with these _ you saw on the ground? certainly with these rights _ you saw on the ground? certainly with these rights groups - you saw on the ground? certainly with these rights groups whom i l you saw on the ground? certainly . with these rights groups whom i met with these rights groups whom i met with as well, reported on is accurate — there were families in these facilities looking desperately for any information on their loved ones, often tearing through logbooks, trying to find the names, etc. there were some instances of sabotage, the unit to 35, so called palestine branch, the evidence room was entirely burned up. —— 235. the

government put security around each of these centres, they began to do the right things in terms of preventing documents from walking off. that said, this government was document mad, very bureaucratic with various organisations participating in what i call the machinery of death. even in the early conflict, when there were certain conflicts abandoned when areas fell to the opposition, one group i'm a chair of product 1.3 million documents, all sorts of minutes in damascus, we found in aleppo. there are no tens of millions of documents and it's extremely important that they be preserved, analysed and digitised, because that's when we will know what happened to the individuals —— now tens of millions of documents. we need to find the mass graves and returned there remains to the families, but a key part of what

whatever kind ofjustice process will be put into effect is truth for the survivors.— will be put into effect is truth for the survivors. , , ., , , the survivors. used the phrase they are machinery _ the survivors. used the phrase they are machinery of _ the survivors. used the phrase they are machinery of death, _ the survivors. used the phrase they are machinery of death, and - the survivors. used the phrase they are machinery of death, and of- are machinery of death, and of course you had a long career prosecuting international war crimes. what you are seeing and hearing about there in syria with the phrase machinery of death, have you seen anything like it before? i've not, i've prosecuting leaders in the rwanda genocide in east africa, 100,000 people died in 100 days, in church yards, viciously with machetes and traditional weapons, men women and children. this however was something quite different, a state which organised itself to really terrorise the civilian population, and to allow this self instrument —— self—interested minority, this click to retain power for 5h years. self—interested minority, this click to retain powerfor 5a years. and even the hint of any kind of dissent or a joke about the leading family

code land one's family members in these dungeons. intense brutality where people were starved and burned, and electrocuted, and eyes couched, all sorts of horrendous things — we saw that in the seas photos, the photographer who was tasked with photographing bodies that came out in 2012—13, bringing out thousands of photos representing 11,000 individuals tortured to death at that time. we now have 100,000 missing and 29,000 coming out of the jails, so we sadly have to conclude that 120,000 or more are no longer with us and are in these mass graves, which i also had an opportunity to visit. find graves, which i also had an opportunity to visit. and you talked about that importance _ opportunity to visit. and you talked about that importance of _ opportunity to visit. and you talked about that importance of collecting | about that importance of collecting the evidence for people who will be accused — where do you think those

judicial processes should take place? do you think they can start soon? �* ., ~ ,., ., soon? it'll take some time for syria to build a process. _ soon? it'll take some time for syria to build a process. i— soon? it'll take some time for syria to build a process. i met _ soon? it'll take some time for syria to build a process. i met with - to build a process. i met with leading government officials, and certainly i share the views of others that these trials have to meet international standards. most of the serious offenders have gone to third countries, and those countries won't extradite people to syria unless it's a fair trial. and for that reason, i think it's important that syria work with the international community to develop a really strong trials, and this is clearly what the victims want. they witnessed a system in which everything was raked, in which the government put people to death on the basis of false, coerced, and tortured confessions. they want a trial that reveals the truth and that's what they are entitled to. i look for these trials to have in syria, but first, we have the business of collecting these documents, working to digitise them,

get samples of dna from the survivors and begin to work through the mass graves, then to put together the really strong cases that i believe are stronger than we frankly had at nuremberg, these are the documents we have here. and indeed, this machinery of death is most comparable frankly — though it doesn't have the sectarian or ethnic aspect to it — but we haven't really seen anything like this systematic use of state power to terrorise the population and eliminate any kind of threat since the nazis. ambassador, briefl if threat since the nazis. ambassador, briefly if you — threat since the nazis. ambassador, briefly if you don't _ threat since the nazis. ambassador, briefly if you don't mind, _ threat since the nazis. ambassador, briefly if you don't mind, with - briefly if you don't mind, with bashar al—assad, reports of him being in russia, and you mentioned that question of extradition there, do you think he will face justice? we've had other situations like taylor of liberia, the president of the republic of srpska who people thought would never come to justice,

and they came to justice. we are not talking about vladimir putin here himself, it'll be hard for the russians to give him up, but giving up russians to give him up, but giving up someone who's been a very bad client to the russians who lost this country where they had major bases, i'm sure they'll soon lose those bases, is something i can imagine russia doing. but first and foremost, we put together the cases, we track all the fugitives, we find the really responsible individuals, the really responsible individuals, the lower level people — there can be truth in processes by which they make peace with their victims, and already the government's amnesty lower—level soldiers who were essentially drafted into it. but those who made this happen and ran the machinery of death, they need to be held to account the same way we held to account the nazis, the leaders of cambodia, the genocide or as of rwanda or the butchers of the former yugoslavia.—

as of rwanda or the butchers of the former yugoslavia. many thanks for “oininu us former yugoslavia. many thanks for joining us here _ former yugoslavia. many thanks for joining us here on _ former yugoslavia. many thanks for joining us here on bbc— former yugoslavia. many thanks for joining us here on bbc news. - former yugoslavia. many thanks for joining us here on bbc news. glad. former yugoslavia. many thanks for l joining us here on bbc news. glad to be on with yon _ our special correspondent fergal keane has gone back to some of those he met fleeing the war in syria in its early days — and a warning — his report contains some distressing testimony. i never imagined that i will witness something like that in my life. and i'm so happy. very happy. they hit you and they said, "confess, confess." we first met 12 years ago. he'd just escaped syria. gay, pro—democracy, raped by assad's police. they raping me, one by one. i start to say, "please don't do this. please don't do that." then he'd asked to remain nameless, faceless, a voice.

but no longer. today, living in holland, rene shevan celebrates assad's fall by showing his face. you've decided to appear on camera today. why is that? because the fear is gone. because i'm... i'm not scared of them anymore. because assad is a refugee in moscow. watching the release of prisoners triggered traumatic memories. i witnessed this, and i saw people are free. i was so happy for them, but i saw myself there. i saw when they raped me.

when they tortured me. i saw everything. it's a flashback. several hours away, i met another refugee i'd known in the days of the war. 0ne who'd never lost hope. i was certain nothing lasts forever. darkness is followed by dawn. it's nearly ten years since nujeen fled the kurdish region of syria, and ifirst met her among hundreds of thousands of refugees heading into europe. 15 years old with big dreams. i'd love to be an astronaut, to go out and see and find an alien. nujeen is safe in germany, but berlin has paused syrian asylum claims.

assad's fall is welcome, but not the end of the struggle, she says. i knew that we would not... i would never come back to syria that has assad as the president and that we would never have the chance to be better. and now with that, with that chapter over, i think the real challenge begins. what is the big challenge? we can and will be a better nation. we are a nation of love, acceptance and peace. not one of chaos, fear and destruction. there are many good hearts in syria and beyond hoping she's right. fergal keane, bbc news, cologne. israel formally acknowledged for the first time that it was behind the killing of senior hamas leader

ismail haniyeh in iran earlier this year. it comes after months of speculation about israel's involvement. meanwhile, benjamin netanyahu says that some progress in negotiations to secure a hostage release and ceasefire deal in gaza has been made, but added that reaching a final agreement, is taking longer than expected. a major sticking point is reportedly israel's presence in the philadelphi corridor — a crucial strip of land that borders gaza and egypt. israel says it must maintain control of the area to prevent hamas from replenishing its weaponry along that route. all of this — as israel continues its military campaign in gaza, with palestinian officials saying that israeli attacks across the territory have killed more than 50 people in the past 2a hours — including in the southern "safe zone" of al—mawasi. i've been speaking to the father of an israeli—american hostage who has been held captive in gaza for over a year. jonathan dekelchen, the father of 35—year—old sagui — is calling for a ceasefire deal to be reached quickly. he says that its time

for israel and hamas, along with "well—meaning governments, to "step up, and stop the suffering". jonathan, many thanks indeed for being with us here on bbc news. i'd like to start with the proposed gaza cease—fire, both sides today saying that gaps are narrowing on a deal, but of course i know that's been said and number of times over this past year. so how do you feel about it this time around? doesn't give you hope that your son, along with other hostages, could be released soon? ~ ., , , other hostages, could be released soon? ~ , ., , ., ., , soon? well, hope is a very dangerous word, soon? well, hope is a very dangerous word. we've — soon? well, hope is a very dangerous word, we've learned _ soon? well, hope is a very dangerous word, we've learned over— soon? well, hope is a very dangerous word, we've learned over the - soon? well, hope is a very dangerous word, we've learned over the past - word, we've learned over the past year. plus, since the last round of releases — i think the main difference today, versus previous attempts to resolve this, is there is an incoming american president, president—elect trop, who's made it

clear three weeks ago exactly what his expectations of all the parties, notjust hamas, but the intermediaries and from israel, what his expectations are that they get it done, no excuses or delays, no more manufacturing of obstacles — and he put a date on it, 20 january. —— president—elect trump. so that alone is —— has clearly changed the landscape, and so i think hostage families and israelis, barring a fringe, are grateful to donald trump that he's put into motion this round with a clear deadline, and in fact, a clear threat that if his will is not done, there, as he says, will be hell to pay. 50 not done, there, as he says, will be hell to pay-— hell to pay. so do you think then that donald _ hell to pay. so do you think then that donald trump _ hell to pay. so do you think then that donald trump is _ hell to pay. so do you think then| that donald trump is responsible hell to pay. so do you think then - that donald trump is responsible for any potential momentum that we might be seeing right now? and do you

think that the biden administration has been doing enough to bring american hostages home? to has been doing enough to bring american hostages home? to be fair, the biden administration, _ american hostages home? to be fair, the biden administration, since - the biden administration, since october 2023, the biden administration, since 0ctober2023, has the biden administration, since october 2023, has done everything it can, everything in its power to bring all the hostages home, and the administration from top to bottom has been incredibly gracious and forthcoming, certainly with us citizens amongst the remaining hostages. i think president biden himself will hostages. i thi