Koblenz district court has sentenced syrian interrogator Anwar Raslan to life imprisonment.
German newspaper BILD writes:
Syrian torturer Anwar Raslan sentenced to life in prison The Higher Regional Court in Koblenz (Rhineland-Palatinate) found him guilty of crimes against humanity, 27 murders and other offences.
The 58-year-old accused committed crimes against humanity as the head of interrogation in a secret service prison. Between April 2011 and September 2012 alone, he is said to have beaten, kicked and shocked at least 4,000 inmates with electric batons. Countless people were raped and sexually abused by him. At least 27 people died in the clutches of the torturer.
In February 2021, the court sentenced Raslan's accomplice Eyad al-Gharib to four and a half years in prison. He helped torture 30 people.
At that time, the court was able to prove that the former employee of the Syrian General Intelligence Service (Department 40) helped other perpetrators “in the context of a widespread and systematic attack on the civilian population” in “seriously depriving 30 people of their physical liberty and during the torture in custody".
The case got rolling because former victims who had fled to Germany recognized their alleged tormentors. They were arrested in Zweibrücken, Rhineland-Palatinate, and in Berlin. The fact that the trial is taking place in Germany is due to the so-called principle of universal jurisdiction in international criminal law. Accordingly, crimes that have no direct connection to Germany may also be negotiated.
See also reporting from newspaper WELT:
In the world's first trial of state torture in Syria, the Koblenz Higher Regional Court (OLG) sentenced the accused to life imprisonment on Thursday. The judges found 58-year-old Anwar R. guilty of crimes against humanity, 27 counts of murder, torture and other offences. According to the indictment, the accused used to work for the secret service of Syrian ruler Bashar al-Assad and is said to have run a prison.
Between April 2011 and September 2012, at least 4,000 detainees were allegedly tortured with beatings, kicks and electric shocks at the Al-Khatib detention center in the Syrian capital Damascus under the authority of the accused. Many died doing it.
The verdict largely corresponded to the demands of the federal prosecutor, who had represented the prosecution in the process, which was followed with attention around the world. The defense asked for an acquittal.
The ill-treatment served to force confessions and obtain information
According to the federal prosecutor's office, R., as military commander, had assigned the interrogators and prison guards to work in the notorious prison and determined their work processes. He also knew about the extent of the torture. The authority emphasized that the mistreatment was used to force confessions and obtain information.
In the trial, which started in April 2020, a second man was also charged, who was involved in the torture as a subordinate. Almost a year ago, in February 2021, the court sentenced him to four and a half years in prison in a separate trial for aiding and abetting crimes against humanity. The verdict is not yet legally binding.
The UN described the verdict as "a milestone in the quest for truth, justice and redress for the gross human rights abuses committed in Syria for more than a decade," said UN High Commissioner for Human Rights Michelle Bachelet. The verdict serves "as a strong deterrent and will help prevent future atrocities."
The case got rolling because former victims who had fled to Germany recognized their alleged tormentors. They were arrested in Zweibrücken, Rhineland-Palatinate, and in Berlin. The fact that the trial is taking place in Germany is due to the so-called principle of universal jurisdiction in international criminal law. Accordingly, crimes that have no direct connection to Germany may also be negotiated.
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