Conviction in landmark case over Syrian government torture
BERLIN—A former member of Syrian President Bashar Assad's secret police was convicted Wednesday by a German court of facilitating the torture of prisoners in a landmark ruling that human rights activists hope will set a precedent for other cases.
Eyad Al - Ghari b was convicted of accessory to crimes against humanity and sentenced by the Koblenz state court to 4 1 /2 years in prison.
It was the first time that a court outside Syria ruled in a case alleging Syrian government officials committed crimes against humanity. German prosecutors invoked the principle of universal jurisdiction for serious crimes to bring the case that involved victims and defendants who were in Germany.
The Britain-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said t he verdict represented a “historic juncture” that would send “real messages to all those who committed war crimes and crimes against humanity against the Syrian people and gives hope to the victims and their families that right will prevail.”
The group, which has documented the decadel ong war, urged Syrian refugees in Europe to come forth with any evidence and documents to courts to help more such cases.
Al-Gharib could have faced more than a decade behind bars, but judges took into account mitigating factors, including his testimony in court.
The 44- year- old was accused of being part of a unit that arrested people following anti-government protests in the Syrian city of Douma and took them to a detention center known as Al Khatib, or Branch 251, where they were tortured.
Al-G ha rib went on trial last year with Anwar Raslan, a more senior Syrian ex-official who is accused of overseeing the abuse of detainees at the same jail near Damascus.
Rasl an is accused of supervising the “systematic and brutal torture” of more than 4,000 prisoners between April 2011 and September 2012, resulting in the deaths of at least 58 people.