A German court issues a ruling against a former Damascus government officer

In the first trial against the violations of the Damascus government in Syria, the German judiciary, Wednesday, sentenced the former officer in the Damascus government forces, Iyad al-Gharib, 44, accused of complicity in crimes against humanity, as well as participation in the arrest of at least 30 protesters were detained in Douma, Eastern Ghouta, Damascus, in a secret government detention facility called "Branch 251" or "Al-Khatib" between September and October 2011.

A second defendant is being tried, Anwar Raslan, 58, who is considered more important in the vast Syrian security apparatus and is being prosecuted for committing crimes against humanity in killing 58 people and torturing 4,000 detainees.

Observers considered that this ruling is "historic" against a former military intelligence of the Damascus government forces, and comes within the first case related to violations attributed to the Damascus government, according to "Al-Arabiya" network.

In prosecuting the accused, Germany applies the principle of universal jurisdiction, which allows the perpetrators of the most serious crimes to be tried regardless of their nationality and where the crimes occurred.

The prosecution demanded a prison sentence of 5 and a half years against Iyad al-Gharib, who was in charge at the lowest levels of intelligence before he defected in 2012 and eventually fled Syria in February 2013, until he arrived on April 25, 2018 to Germany after a long journey. In Turkey, then in Greece, his past was never hidden.

The accused, Iyad, was under the command of Bashar al-Assad's cousin and his confidant, Hafez Makhlouf, who is known for his cruelty, and after his arrival in Germany, more than 10 Syrians gave their testimonies about the horrific violations they suffered in al-Khatib prison.

This is the first time in the world that a court in the world has issued a verdict in a case related to the repression issued by the Damascus authorities in Syria, as the tenth anniversary of the start of the Syrian revolution approaches on March 15, 2011.

T/S

ANHA