International human rights organisations have praised as a “beacon of hope” charges for crimes against humanity brought against two Syrian security agents in Germany.
The two men, suspecting of being members of Syrian President Bashar al-Assad’s notorious secret service, will now stand trial for torture, murder, sexual assault and other crimes committed against Syrian opposition activists during the country’s bloody civil war.
The pair, charged by prosecutors in the southeastern city of Karlsruhe were arrested in Germany earlier this year under “universal jurisdiction laws”, which allow for the prosecution of crimes against humanity regardless of jurisdiction.
"The move by German prosecutors to charge two former Syrian officials for serious crimes is a critical part of the long march to justice by victims who have endured years of unchecked atrocities," senior counsel for Human Rights Watch Balkees Jarrah told The National.
“With other avenues currently blocked, criminal cases in Europe are a beacon of hope for those who have nowhere else to turn. As the one of the first countries to hold trials and convict people for atrocities in Syria, Germany is putting perpetrators on notice that they will have to pay for their crimes," she added.
The principal suspect in the case, identified as Anwar R., was charged with 58 murders and multiple sexual assaults in a Damascus prison where at least 4,000 opposition activists were tortured.
The 56-year-old, prosecutors said, oversaw interrogations at the facility and is suspected of involvement in crimes against humanity between 2011 and 2012. He left Syria in 2012 and arrived in Germany in July 2014.
Eyad A., the second suspect, was charged for his part in the torture of at least 30 members of the Syrian opposition after the brutal government crackdown on anti-Assad demonstrations in Douma near Damascus in 2011.
The pair worked in an intelligence unit led by Anwar R. Both men applied for asylum in Germany and, according to Deutsche Welle, were arrested in the regions of Berlin and Rhineland-Palatinate.
“This trial is a landmark moment and will create hope and momentum for the millions of Syrians affected by the years of barrel bombing, gas attacks, imprisonment, torture and killing,” Kristyan Benedict, Amnesty International UK’s Syria campaign manager said.
“We’d like to see other countries following Germany’s lead,” he explained. “The timing of the trial’s announcement is also important, sending a clear message to officials currently meeting in Geneva that there can be no ‘peace’ or ‘stability’ in Syria if the Syrian people are denied justice”
Victims of the atrocities carried out by the Syrian regime and their legal representatives have tried numerous times to persuade the International Criminal Court (ICC) in The Hague to take action on crimes carried out by the Assad regime from the mass murder of detainees to the use of chemical weapons.
However, The Hague has refused to accept jurisdiction to act over Syria which is not a signatory to the Rome statute that established the international war crimes tribunal. Russia and China have repeatedly blocked attempts by the United Nation’s Security Council to set up a special ICC mandate over Syria.
Human rights lawyers have increasingly looked to European jurisdictions for legal movement against members of Bashar al-Assad’s regime including the Syrian leader himself. Last year German prosecutors issued an international arrest warrant for the head of Syrian Air Force Intelligence on charges of war crimes and crimes against humanity.
Human rights lawyers in Europe have been collecting testimonies from survivors among the hundreds of thousands of Syrians who have sought refuge, mainly in Germany and Sweden, to prosecute members of the regime in Damascus.
Gothia Cup 2025
4,872 matches
1,942 teams
116 pitches
76 nations
26 UAE teams
15 Lebanese teams
2 Kuwaiti teams
WOMAN AND CHILD
Director: Saeed Roustaee
Starring: Parinaz Izadyar, Payman Maadi
Rating: 4/5
The%20specs
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Omar Yabroudi's factfile
Born: October 20, 1989, Sharjah
Education: Bachelor of Science and Football, Liverpool John Moores University
2010: Accrington Stanley FC, internship
2010-2012: Crystal Palace, performance analyst with U-18 academy
2012-2015: Barnet FC, first-team performance analyst/head of recruitment
2015-2017: Nottingham Forest, head of recruitment
2018-present: Crystal Palace, player recruitment manager
The five pillars of Islam
1. Fasting
2. Prayer
3. Hajj
4. Shahada
5. Zakat
Brief scoreline:
Liverpool 2
Keita 5', Firmino 26'
Porto 0
More on Quran memorisation:
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COMPANY PROFILE
Company name: Letstango.com
Started: June 2013
Founder: Alex Tchablakian
Based: Dubai
Industry: e-commerce
Initial investment: Dh10 million
Investors: Self-funded
Total customers: 300,000 unique customers every month
Bio
Born in Dubai in 1994
Her father is a retired Emirati police officer and her mother is originally from Kuwait
She Graduated from the American University of Sharjah in 2015 and is currently working on her Masters in Communication from the University of Sharjah.
Her favourite film is Pacific Rim, directed by Guillermo del Toro
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Cinco in numbers
Dh3.7 million
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46
The number, in kilograms, that Swarovski’s wedding gown weighed.
1,000
The hours it took to create Cinco’s vermillion petal gown, as seen in his atelier [note, is the one he’s playing with in the corner of a room]
50
How many looks Cinco has created in a new collection to celebrate Ballet Philippines’ 50th birthday
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The hours needed to create the butterfly gown worn by Aishwarya Rai to the 2018 Cannes Film Festival.
1.1 million
The number of followers that Michael Cinco’s Instagram account has garnered.
Keep it fun and engaging
Stuart Ritchie, director of wealth advice at AES International, says children cannot learn something overnight, so it helps to have a fun routine that keeps them engaged and interested.
“I explain to my daughter that the money I draw from an ATM or the money on my bank card doesn’t just magically appear – it’s money I have earned from my job. I show her how this works by giving her little chores around the house so she can earn pocket money,” says Mr Ritchie.
His daughter is allowed to spend half of her pocket money, while the other half goes into a bank account. When this money hits a certain milestone, Mr Ritchie rewards his daughter with a small lump sum.
He also recommends books that teach the importance of money management for children, such as The Squirrel Manifesto by Ric Edelman and Jean Edelman.
Squid Game season two
Director: Hwang Dong-hyuk
Stars: Lee Jung-jae, Wi Ha-joon and Lee Byung-hun
Rating: 4.5/5
Safety 'top priority' for rival hyperloop company
The chief operating officer of Hyperloop Transportation Technologies, Andres de Leon, said his company's hyperloop technology is “ready” and safe.
He said the company prioritised safety throughout its development and, last year, Munich Re, one of the world's largest reinsurance companies, announced it was ready to insure their technology.
“Our levitation, propulsion, and vacuum technology have all been developed [...] over several decades and have been deployed and tested at full scale,” he said in a statement to The National.
“Only once the system has been certified and approved will it move people,” he said.
HyperloopTT has begun designing and engineering processes for its Abu Dhabi projects and hopes to break ground soon.
With no delivery date yet announced, Mr de Leon said timelines had to be considered carefully, as government approval, permits, and regulations could create necessary delays.
The specs
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Key facilities
- Olympic-size swimming pool with a split bulkhead for multi-use configurations, including water polo and 50m/25m training lanes
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In-demand jobs and monthly salaries
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FA CUP FINAL
Chelsea 1
Hazard (22' pen)
Manchester United 0
Man of the match: Eden Hazard (Chelsea)
