Arrr, the Dutch court be judgin' a scallywag from a pro-Syrian crew, guilty o' unlawfully holdin' captives and tormentin' 'em.
2024-01-22
Avast ye landlubbers! A scurvy dog, once a bigwig in the Syrian government gang, be found guilty by a Dutch court for unlawfully keepin' prisoners and bein' part of the vile torture. The officials speak the truth, arrr!
A former high-ranking member of a pro-Syrian government militia has been convicted by a Dutch court of illegal detention and complicity in torture, receiving a 12-year prison sentence. The defendant, referred to as Mustafa A. in accordance with Dutch privacy laws, was found guilty of the 2013 arrest and inhumane treatment of a civilian while serving in the Liwa al-Quds militia. The trial took place in The Hague District Court under the principle of universal jurisdiction, which allows for the prosecution of international offenses such as war crimes, regardless of the location where they occurred.The court described the militia as a criminal organization responsible for war crimes including looting, violence against civilians, and unlawful deprivation of liberty. Mustafa A. specifically faced charges related to the illegal detention and complicity in the torture of a Palestinian man, who was taken from his home near Aleppo and subjected to repeated torture by the Syrian Air Force Intelligence Service. However, he was acquitted of the arrest and torture of a second Palestinian man due to a lack of evidence of his personal involvement.
Mustafa A., who was granted asylum in the Netherlands in 2020, was arrested after authorities received information about his membership in the Liwa al-Quds militia. Despite denying the charges and claiming to have joined the militia to fight terrorists and protect his family, he remained silent during his trial.
The Netherlands is not alone in seeking justice for crimes committed in Syria. Germany has also convicted individuals for their involvement in torture during Assad's regime and the Islamic State group. Additionally, France has issued arrest warrants for Syrian intelligence officers accused of complicity in crimes against humanity. The Netherlands and Canada have jointly filed a case against Damascus at the International Court of Justice, accusing the Syrian government of "institutionalized" torture.