KOBLENZ, Germany: A German court has convicted a former Syrian secret police officer of crimes against humanity for overseeing the abuse of detainees at a jail near Damascus a decade ago.
The verdict Thursday in the landmark trial has been keenly anticipated by Syrians who suffered abuse or lost relatives at the hands of President Bashar Assad’s government in the country’s long-running conflict.
The Koblenz state court concluded that Anwar Raslan was the senior officer in charge of a facility in the Syrian city of Douma known as Al Khatib, or Branch 251, where suspected opposition protesters were detained.
It sentenced him to life in prison, German broadcaster n-tv reported. His lawyers asked the court last week to acquit their client, claiming that he never personally tortured anybody and that he defected in late 2012.
German prosecutors alleged that Raslan supervised the “systematic and brutal torture” of more than 4,000 prisoners between April 2011 and September 2012, resulting in the deaths of dozens of people.
A junior officer, Eyad Al-Gharib, was convicted last year of accessory to crimes against humanity and sentenced by the Koblenz court to 4½ years in prison.
Both men were arrested in Germany in 2019, years after seeking asylum in the country.
Victims and human rights groups have said they hope the verdict will be a first step toward justice for countless people who have been unable to file criminal complaints against officials in Syria or before the International Criminal Court.
Since Russia and China have blocked efforts for the UN Security Council to refer cases to The Hague-based tribunal, countries such as Germany that apply the principle of universal jurisdiction for serious crimes will increasingly become the venue for such trials, experts say.
German court: Syrian man guilty of crimes against humanity
https://arab.news/bxbry
German court: Syrian man guilty of crimes against humanity
- Anwar Raslan supervised the “systematic and brutal torture” of more than 4,000 prisoners
- Victims and human rights groups welcomed the guilty verdict
Dutch PM-elect Jetten says not yet time to talk to Putin
- “And as long as the aggression continues, we will continue our support for the Ukrainian people,” Jetten said
- The 79-page manifesto pledged no let-up in Dutch support for Kyiv
THE HAGUE: Incoming Dutch prime minister Rob Jetten on Friday ruled out talks with Russia over the war in Ukraine, as he unveiled a new government program including firm support for Ukraine.
Speaking to AFP after publishing his governing manifesto, the 38-year-old said he would not speak to Moscow as there were currently “no indications” Russia wanted to end the war in Ukraine.
“And as long as the aggression continues, we will continue our support for the Ukrainian people,” he said.
The 79-page manifesto, hammered out after weeks of tough talks between Jetten and his two coalition partners, pledged no let-up in Dutch support for Kyiv.
“The fight in Ukraine is about the security of the whole of Europe,” said the document entitled “Getting to Work.”
“So we are continuing our own multi-year financial and military support and we will continue to argue for the use of frozen Russian assets,” the manifesto said.
The new administration also pledged to anchor in law the NATO defense spending minimum of 3.5 percent of economic output pushed by US President Donald Trump.
Asked about relations with the United States following an unseemly spat between Washington and Europe over Greenland, Jetten called for more European independence.
“I’m a little bit worried that people in Europe are mainly complaining about what’s happening in the US,” Jetten said.
“We should be having a much stronger debate about what can Europe do for itself,” he added.
Jetten, from the centrist D66 party, will now form a cabinet, aiming to be sworn in by mid-February.
He is on course to become the youngest leader of the European Union’s fifth-largest economy and the first to be openly gay.
Jetten led his party to a stunning election victory in October, narrowly defeating the far-right Freedom Party headed by firebrand anti-Islam politician Geert Wilders.
The fragmented nature of the Dutch political system means lengthy coalition haggling follows an election.
Jetten finally clinched a deal with two center-right parties but will not enjoy a majority in parliament, meaning the government will need the support of other parties to pass legislation.
