Page 30 - bon-dia-aruba-20220114

A30 world news
Diabierna 14 Januari 2022

UN hails landmark conviction of senior Syrian official

on other countries to follow
The trial is the first of its kind what he called the “pioneer-
worldwide and other courts ing work” performed by his
may cite the verdict and evi- country’s legal system.
dence heard in Koblenz, said
Patrick Kroker, a lawyer with “Crimes against humanity
the European Center for mustn’t remain unpunished.
Constitutional and Human No matter where they are
Rights. The group repre- committed, no matter by
sented 14 victims who under whom,” said Buschmann.
German law were able to take
part in the proceedings as co- Human rights experts said
plaintiffs. it was significant that the
Koblenz court had deemed
“The goal remains to bring the allegations of sexual vio-
senior Assad associates, such lence to be among the crimes
as former Air Force Intel- against humanity Raslan was
ligence chief Jamil Hassan, convicted for. However the
to justice for their crimes,” judges didn’t convict him
said Kroker. Germany is- over the enforced disappear-
sued an international arrest ances, meaning those will
warrant for Hassan in 2018, have to be prosecuted sepa-
but bringing him and other rately in future proceedings.
senior Syrian officials to trial
(AP) — A former Syr- “This day, this verdict is im- population” from April 2011 will be difficult, as the coun- Conservative estimates put
ian secret police officer portant for all Syrians who onward with the aim of try does not extradite its citi- the number of those detained
was convicted by a Ger- have suffered and are still quashing the popular upris- zens. or forcibly disappeared in
man court Thursday of suffering from the Assad re- ing. Syria at 149,000, more than
crimes against humanity gime’s crimes,” said Ruham Still, the European Union’s 85% of them at the hands of
for overseeing the abuse Hawash, a survivor of Branch But the court concluded that judicial cooperation organi- the Syrian government, ac-
of detainees at a jail near 251 who testified in the trial. events at Branch 251 were zation, Eurojust said the rul- cording to the Syrian Net-
Damascus a decade ago, a “significantly determined” ing “will leave a lasting mark work for Human Rights.
ruling the top United Na- “This verdict is only a begin- by the defendant, meaning on international criminal jus- Most disappeared or were
tions human rights official ning and we have a long way he bore personal responsibil- tice.” detained soon after peaceful
described as “historic.” to go – but for us affected ity for crimes that occurred protests erupted in March
people, this trial and today’s there, she said. It noted that photographs of 2011 against Assad’s govern-
Anwar Raslan is the highest- ruling are a first step towards alleged torture victims smug- ment, which responded to
ranking Syrian official so far freedom, dignity and justice,” Victims and human rights gled out of Syria by a former the rallies with a brutal crack-
convicted of the charge. The she said. groups have said they hope police officer, who goes by down.
verdict was keenly anticipated the verdict in the 19-month the alias of Caesar, were a key
by those who suffered abuse German prosecutors alleged trial will be a first step toward part of the evidence against The Syrian government de-
or lost relatives at the hands that Raslan supervised the justice for countless people Raslan. nies it is holding any political
of President Bashar Assad’s “systematic and brutal tor- who have been unable to file prisoners, labeling its opposi-
government in Syria’s long- ture” of more than 4,000 criminal complaints against “This conviction has put tion terrorists. After battle-
running conflict. prisoners between April officials in Syria or before state authorities on notice field wins, it has negotiated
2011 and September 2012, the International Criminal – no matter where you are limited prisoner exchanges
“This trial cast a much-need- resulting in the deaths of at Court. or how senior you may be, with various armed groups,
ed, renewed spotlight on the least 58 people. Judges ruled if you perpetrate torture or which families say offer par-
kinds of sickening torture, that there was evidence to Since Russia and China have other serious human rights tial solutions for a very small
cruel and truly inhuman hold him responsible for 27 blocked efforts in the U.N. violations, you will be held number of people.
treatment – including abject deaths. Security Council to refer cas- accountable sooner or later,
sexual violence – that count- es to The Hague-based tribu- at home or abroad,” Bachelet There have already been sev-
less Syrians were subjected A junior officer, Eyad al- nal, countries such as Ger- said, the U.N. rights chief. eral convictions in Europe of
to in detention facilities,” the Gharib, was convicted last many that apply the principle Syrians accused of commit-
U.N. High Commissioner year of being an accessory to of universal jurisdiction for Germany’s justice minister, ting war crimes against mem-
for Human Rights, Michelle crimes against humanity and serious crimes will increas- Marco Buschmann, called bers of Syria’s armed forces.
Bachelet, said. sentenced by the Koblenz ingly become the venue for
court to 4½ years in prison. such trials, experts say.
“It is a landmark leap forward
in the pursuit of truth, justice Both men were arrested in “We are starting to see the
and reparations for the seri- Germany in 2019, years after fruits of a determined push
ous human rights violations seeking asylum in the coun- by courageous survivors, ac-
perpetrated in Syria over try. tivists and others to achieve
more than a decade.” justice for horrific atrocities
Like al-Gharib, Raslan in Syria’s network of pris-
The Koblenz state court con- planned to appeal his convic- ons,” said Balkees Jarrah, as-
cluded that the defendant tion, his lawyers said. sociate international justice
was in charge of interroga- director at Human Rights
tions at a facility in the Syrian “Ultimately ... Mr. Raslan Watch.
city of Douma known as Al has been convicted in the
Khatib, or Branch 251, where regime’s place,” his counsel “The verdict is a break-
suspected opposition protest- Yorck Fratzky told reporters. through for Syrian victims
ers were detained. and the German justice sys-
A court spokeswoman, Anne tem in cracking the wall of
The court sentenced the Brodoefel, said judges had impunity,” she added. “Other
58-year-old to life in prison, determined as part of their countries should follow Ger-
with the possibility of parole verdict that the Syrian gov- many’s lead and actively bol-
after 15 years. ernment carried out a “pro- ster efforts to prosecute seri-
longed attack against its own ous crimes in Syria.”