BERLIN: A German court on Tuesday sentenced three Syrian men to prison for involvement in a foreign terrorist group during the civil war after a trial that lasted more than a year.
The three defendants, identified only partially as Amer Tarak A., Sohail A. and Basel O., received sentences ranging from four and a half to nearly 10 years from the Munich court.
All three belonged to an armed rebel group called Liwa Jund Al-Rahman, which Amer Tarak A. allegedly founded, and two were also found guilty of war crimes.
The group fought against Syrian ruler Bashar Assad and later merged with the jihadist Daesh group.
Amer Tarak A. allegedly seized control of an oil field in the eastern Syrian province of Deir Ezzor, using the profits to fund his armed group and enrich his family.
He also ordered a massacre of Shiite Muslims in the village of Hatla, which was filmed by co-defendant Sohail A.
The presiding judge in the case sought expert testimony to place the crimes in the context of the long Syrian civil war.
The armed rebel group reportedly started as a secular force aimed at fighting the regular Syrian army — but took on Islamist traits before joining the IS group in 2013.
The defendants tried to argue that they were engaged in a legitimate armed struggle for freedom against the Assad regime.
But that defense was rejected by the Munich court.
All three men fled Syria for Germany after the defeat of the IS group.
The men could still appeal against the verdict, reached after more than 14 months of proceedings.
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Germany jails three Syrians who fought for ‘terror group’
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Germany jails three Syrians who fought for ‘terror group’
- They received sentences ranging from four and a half to nearly 10 years
- All three belonged to an armed rebel group called Liwa Jund Al-Rahman
Bangladesh seeks UN help to probe killing of uprising leader
DHAKA: Bangladesh has requested assistance from the United Nations human rights office for an investigation into the killing of Sharif Osman Hadi, a popular leader in the country’s 2024 youth-led uprising, the government said Sunday.
The Bangladeshi mission in Geneva had sent a diplomatic note requesting the Office of the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR) to support a “fair, impartial and expeditious” probe into the killing, the interim government’s press wing said.
“The note requests technical and institutional assistance from the UN human rights office to support the investigation,” it added.
Hadi, 32, was shot by masked assailants in Dhaka last December and later died of his injuries at a hospital in Singapore. His death set off a wave of violent protests.
Hadi had planned to run as an independent candidate in polls taking place on Thursday to determine the country’s first elected government since the overthrow of former prime minister Sheikh Hasina.
The interim government, which is led by Nobel laureate Muhammad Yunus, also reiterated its commitment to ensuring “the highest standards of transparency and accountability” in the case and pledged to identify and prosecute those responsible.
Hadi was an outspoken critic of India, where Hasina has taken refuge since fleeing Dhaka in the wake of the July 2024 uprising that overthrew her government.
His supporters hailed him as a martyr and a symbol of the anti-establishment youth movement reshaping Bangladesh’s volatile political landscape.
The Bangladeshi mission in Geneva had sent a diplomatic note requesting the Office of the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR) to support a “fair, impartial and expeditious” probe into the killing, the interim government’s press wing said.
“The note requests technical and institutional assistance from the UN human rights office to support the investigation,” it added.
Hadi, 32, was shot by masked assailants in Dhaka last December and later died of his injuries at a hospital in Singapore. His death set off a wave of violent protests.
Hadi had planned to run as an independent candidate in polls taking place on Thursday to determine the country’s first elected government since the overthrow of former prime minister Sheikh Hasina.
The interim government, which is led by Nobel laureate Muhammad Yunus, also reiterated its commitment to ensuring “the highest standards of transparency and accountability” in the case and pledged to identify and prosecute those responsible.
Hadi was an outspoken critic of India, where Hasina has taken refuge since fleeing Dhaka in the wake of the July 2024 uprising that overthrew her government.
His supporters hailed him as a martyr and a symbol of the anti-establishment youth movement reshaping Bangladesh’s volatile political landscape.
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