ERBIL, Kurdistan Region - In a landmark trial for crimes against humanity committed by a Syrian secret intelligence officer of Bashar al-Assad's regime, a German court in the city of Koblenz on Thursday delivered its ruling, finding 58-year-old Anwar Raslan guilty of torture, sexual violence, and 27 murders at the notorious Branch 251 prison in Damascus, sentencing him to life in prison.
Victims of torture in Syria and human rights activists have welcomed the verdict as a significant first step toward justice for millions of Syrians who have suffered at the hands of Assad's government in the country's decade-long conflict.
The highest-ranking former Syrian regime official to so far be tried in Europe for crimes against humanity in Syria, Raslan worked for 18 years in the Syrian intelligence services, where he rose through the ranks to become head of the domestic intelligence "investigation" service.
Raslan was charged with overseeing the abuse of detainees in the country’s detention system, complicit in the murder of 27 people - prosecutors had charged him with 58 people - and the torture of at least 4,000 others, alongside multiple counts of sexual assault and rape. The crimes took place in the General Intelligence al-Khatib Branch in Damascus between 2011 and 2012.
Germany's laws permit serious crimes, such as crimes against humanity, to be tried regardless of German association with the crimes. The al-Khatib trial in Koblenz is based on the principle of universal jurisdiction, allowing the prosecution of significant crimes such as such as genocide, war crimes, and crimes against humanity affect the international community as a whole.
Over the 107 trial days at the regional court, survivors described how they were arrested, blindfolded, beaten and taken to overcrowded cells at Branch 251.
Ruham Hawash, survivor of the al-Khatib Branch and a joint plaintiff in the case against Anwar, commented on the ruling that, “This day, this verdict is important for all Syrians who have suffered and are still suffering from the Assad regime’s crimes. It shows us: justice should and must not remain a dream for us."
"This verdict is only a beginning and we have a long way to go - but for us affected people, this trial and today’s ruling are a first step towards freedom, dignity and justice.”
Remarking on the trial, Syrian human rights activist and lawyer at the European Center for Constitutional and Human Rights (ECCHR) Joumana Seif said, "Often trials are about dealing with the past. This trial is special because it is also about the present and has an effect on the Future of the Syrians.”
“This trial is for those who were killed, tortured, sexually abused and those who forcibly disappeared. Throughout this trial, we want the whole world to know that these crimes were and are being committed during the half century of Assad‘s dictatorship and still continued,” she added. “We hope that this trial sets the basis for many more efforts to come, and to target high ranging officials."
A growing number of cases are being brought in Europe, and especially Germany, against loyalists of Syrian President Bashar al-Assad's regime on accusations of state-sponsored torture.
“These prosecutions are an increasingly important part of international efforts to provide justice to victims who have nowhere else to turn, deter future crimes, and help ensure that countries do not become safe havens for human rights abusers,” Balkees Jarrah, associate international justice director at Human Rights Watch said.
“This trial is a reminder that Germany will not shelter war criminals and that those responsible for atrocities will be held accountable.”
According to the UK-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights (SOHR), over 100,000 people are still forcibly detained, having been arrested between March 2011 and August 2021; the overwhelming majority at the hands of the Syrian government.
Over 500,000 people have been killed in Syria's war, with the Assad regime and allied militias responsible for the majority of civilian deaths.
Updated at 1:23pm
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