A German court has found Syrian colonel Anwar Raslan guilty of committing torture and crimes against humanity and sentenced him to life in prison. The landmark verdict was the first time a high-ranking Syrian official has been convicted for human rights abuses and the case is the first instance of a torture trial against Syrian President Bashar al-Assad’s regime.
Raslan, 58, was in charge of an investigation unit at a detention centre called ‘Branch 251,’ also known as “Hell on Earth,” in Douma city near Damascus. The court found him guilty of all charges against him, including 4,000 cases of torture, 27 murders and two cases of sexual assault.
The judges noted that the crimes were systematic and part of gruesome abuses perpetrated by the Assad regime since the start of the Syrian civil war in 2011. The court also said that the victims were mostly opposition activists and critics of the regime.
Raslan, who defected to the Syrian opposition in 2012 and fled to Germany in 2014 seeking asylum, has denied all charges. However, the German prosecutors, who were supported by the European Court of Human Rights (ECHR), convicted Raslan after gathering evidence from at least 50 Syrian torture survivors living across Europe.
The mother of one of the victims, who was tortured and killed in prison, said that “justice” was delivered. “It’s a small step toward the justice we hope will be achieved: accountability for all those who committed violations, including the criminals who killed my son,” she said.
“This day, this verdict is important for all Syrians who have suffered and are still suffering from the Assad regime’s crimes,” one of the survivors who testified at the trial said. She called the ruling “a first step towards freedom, dignity and justice.”
United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights Michelle Bachelet hailed the verdict and called it “a landmark leap forward” for pursuing justice for victims of human rights abuses perpetrated by the Assad regime. “Today’s verdict should serve to spur forward all efforts to widen the net of accountability for all perpetrators of the unspeakable crimes that have characterised this brutal conflict,” she added.
Bachelet also praised the court and said that its decision “is a clear example of how national courts can and should fill accountability gaps for such crimes.” She noted that the process was “fair [and] carried out in line with international human rights laws and standards.”
Moreover, she warned Syrian authorities that “no matter where you are or how senior you may be, if you perpetrate torture or other serious human rights violations, you will be held accountable sooner or later, at home or abroad.”
The brutal conflict in Syria has killed close to 400,000 people, forced more than five million to flee as refugees and displaced another six million within the nation’s borders. United Nations (UN) estimates suggest that more than 13 million people require humanitarian assistance in Syria, along with 90% of all children in the country.
Although Assad has managed to cling to power since the war began in 2011, prospects for lasting peace in the country remain dim with no progress on peace talks or UN-led efforts to draft a new constitution.