Syrian defendant Eyad al-Gharib (centre) waits to hear the verdict in the court room on Feb 24 in Koblenz, western Germany. PHOTO: AFP
PM:04:16:13/01/2022
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SULAIMANI — Anwar Raslan, a former
Syrian colonel who was accused of being a high-ranking officer of the secret
police, was handed a life sentence for crimes against humanity in Germany, the
BBC reported.
Raslan
was accused of overseeing the torture of more than 4,000 prisoners during the
years of 2011 and 2012, which resulted in the deaths of at least 58 people,
according to the Associated Press. He sought asylum in Germany and was arrested
there in 2019.
His
lawyers say he never personally tortured anyone and that he defected in 2012,
according to Asharq al-Awsat. However, it is alleged he was a senior officer in
charge of the "systemic and brutal torture” of detainees.
The trial is the world’s first criminal
case over state-led torture in Syria, according to the BBC. Human rights
lawyers brought the case to court under the principle of universal jurisdiction.
Lawyers are working on future cases
against a number of other suspects and seek to bring to justice those who were in
positions at the top of command.
(NRT Digital Media)