a historic conviction for a former officer of the regime of Bashar al-Assad

In the dock of the High Regional Court of Cablence, Anwar Raslan remained silent. This former colonel in the Syrian intelligence services received a life sentence on Thursday, January 13, 2022 after magistrates found him guilty of crimes against humanity for the murder of 27 people in the detention center of Al-Khatib (Syria). He was arrested in 2015 in Berlin while pretending to be a Syrian refugee. Very quickly, he is confused by images that show prisoners murdered in regime jails.

The verdict was synonymous with relief for the relatives of the victims. “I think that’s what he deserves. I wish my brother had the same fair trial as him. He might still be alive today“, explains Yasmen Almasha, sister of one of the victims. Similar trials could take place in France because since 2018, three men have been under international arrest warrants issued by France for abuses committed against Mazen. and Patrick Dabbagh In ten years, the war in Syria has cost the lives of 500,000 people.