Germany jails Syrian pro-Assad fighter over war crimes – DW – 06/03/2025
A German court has handed a life sentence to a Syrian man for crimes against humanity, including murder and torture. The man committed the atrocities while fighting for dictator Bashar Assad in Syria's civil war.
A court in the southern German city of Stuttgart on Tuesday sentenced a Syrian man to life in prison for war crimes it said he committed during Syria's civil war while fighting for the country's former dictator, Bashar Assad.
The trial, which began last October, involved testimony from 30 witnesses, most of them Syrian nationals now living around the world.
The court said the verdict could be appealed.
What was the man accused of?
The 33-year-old was found guilty of leading a Hezbollah-backed militia that committed atrocities against Sunni Muslim civilians in his home town of Busra al-Sham in southern Syria.
The Lebanese Iranian-backed Shiite group Hezbollah gave its support to Assad during the civil war.
Among other things, the court found that in 2012, the militia raided and plundered the house of an unarmed 21-year-old student, shooting him dead. The victim's mother and brother were among the witnesses for the prosecution.
The court also said that in 2013, the militia beat three people with Kalashnikovs before handing them over to Assad's military intelligence, which tortured them and held them captive under inhumane conditions.
The court verdict also said the group in 2014 forced a 40-year-old man and his family from their home, after which the man was tortured to such extent that he was unable to walk owing to his injuries.
The man was arrested in December 2023 in the southern state of Baden-Württemberg, of which Stuttgart is the capital.
Trials under universal jurisdiction
German prosecutors have made use of universal jurisdiction laws to seek trials for several suspects believed to have committed atrocities during Syria's civil war.
In 2022, a German court handed a life sentence to ex-intelligence officer Anwar Raslan for murder, rape and crimes against humanity committed at the notorious Al-Khatib jail in 2011 and 2012, the first conviction for state-backed torture committed during Syria's civil war.
Several other cases relating to crimes committed during the Syrian civil war are being heard by German courts, as well as in France and Sweden.
Syria's civil war, which began after a crackdown by Assad's regime on peaceful pro-democracy protests in 2011, ended only in late 2024 when the autocratic leader was ousted in an Islamist-led rebel offensive.
Edited by: Wesley Rahn
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
DW
an hour ago
- DW
Germany's Merz in Washington for talks with Trump – DW – 06/05/2025
Skip next section Merz says he is ready to discuss German domestic politics with Trump 06/05/2025 June 5, 2025 Merz says he is ready to discuss German domestic politics with Trump Germany's new Chancellor Friedrich Merz has said he is ready to discuss German domestic issues with US President Donald Trump during their first meeting at the White House. "If we also talk about German domestic policy, we are welcome to do so," he said ahead of the meeting. "However, I will also be very clear about my opinion, if necessary," Merz added. But he also stressed that Germany does not interfere or comment when it comes to American domestic politics. Meanwhile, the Associated Press news agency quoted a White House official as saying that Trump would likely raise issues such as German defense spending, trade, Ukraine, and what an official called "democratic backsliding" at the meeting. The anonymous source explained that the Trump administration believes freedom of expression has deteriorated in Germany. This position was made clear during a speech by Vice President JD Vance during his address at the Munich Security Conference in February. According to a press statement from the chancellor's office, Merz said that he wants to thank Trump first for the invitation and then present him with a small gift. The German chancellor is prepared to talk about the war in Ukraine and ways Berlin and Washington can work together to end it. Merz also said that he and Trump will also have to discuss trade policy. "Germany is one of America's largest investors. Few countries invest more in the US than Germany does," he added. The statement also outlined NATO as another topic of discussion. "We've amended the German Basic Law. Now, we can truly make the necessary expenditures to strengthen the Bundeswehr," he said in the statement, adding that Germany's goal is to have the strongest conventional army in Europe. "However, I still don't expect any breakthroughs on the three major issues mentioned," the German chancellor said.
Local Germany
2 hours ago
- Local Germany
German word of the day: Freimütig
Why do I need to know freimütig ? Arguably, there isn't another word in German with the same ability to go straight to the heart of why German speakers and English speakers occasionally rub each other up the wrong way. So this is a good term to understand when you're discussing cultural differences, or even while navigating them yourself. What does it mean? The literal translation for freimütig – pronounced like this – is frank, candid, or unreserved. The word fr eimütig (from der Freimut ) is comprised of the German words for 'free' and 'courageous'. The Duden German language dictionary defines it as follows: Adjective: expressing one's opinion without fear or false consideration; open . Superficially, the meaning of freimütig and 'frank' may be identical, but the respective images they conjure could hardly be more different – and these differences are crucial to understanding why conversations between German speakers and English speakers can end with both participants lost in a maze of baffled frustration. In Germany, freimütig conjures an image of selfless, disinterested heroism. 'Frank', on the other hand, carries connotations of overstepping in English. The word is really only used when a person wants to invite someone to 'be frank' – with the implication that this is something which should never be attempted without prior encouragement. Anyone who has spent time in both Germany and Britain will know that most Germans are f reimütig as a matter of course, whereas most Brits are only ever reluctantly and cautiously frank. Which is why a conversation with a German can feel like being kicked in the balls to someone from Britain. And why a conversation with a Brit can feel like being stroked to death with an overpriced and soft toy to someone from Germany. It's also why I've been told – frankly und mit Freimut – that I'm a terrible person for failing to attend a party I said I would attend. Whereas, for my part, I was left confused and mortified, because I was certain I had declined the invitation. After all, any self-respecting Englishman would have understood the phrase: 'I hope to be there, but I'm not 100% sure I'll make it,' as a clear and unequivocal 'No!' Advertisement Interestingly, the English word 'frank' actually derives from the name of the Germanic tribe, the Franks, who lived around the lower Rhine from the 3rd century CE and later conquered much of what is now France and western Germany. While the origin of the tribal name is debated, one theory suggests it came from frankon , the Germanic name for their weapon of choice, a javelin or lance – which seems perfectly on point. Use it like this: Sie hat sich sehr freimütig geäußert. She expressed herself very frankly. Er antwortete freimütig auf meine Fragen, ohne etwas zu verheimlichen. He answered my questions frankly, without hiding anything. Advertisement Die freimütige Diskussion über die politischen Probleme führte zu einem besseren Verständnis. The frank discussion about the political problems led to a better understanding. Warum reden die Engländer immer um den heißen Brei herum? Warum können sie nicht freimütiger sein? Why do the English always beat around the bush? Why can't they be franker?
DW
2 hours ago
- DW
Germany vows continued support of Israel as FM visits Berlin – DW – 06/05/2025
German Foreign Minister Johann Wadephul has criticized Israel's actions in the Gaza Strip, but reiterated that Germany will continue to deliver weapons to Israel during a visit to Berlin by counterpart Gideon Saar. Israeli Foreign Minister Gideon Saar met with his German counterpart, Johann Wadephul, in Berlin on Thursday. The meeting took place a day after Wadephul promised that Germany would send more arms to Israel despite growing international calls for a weapons embargo. Speaking at a press conference with his counterpart, Saar, Wadephul criticized Israel's actions in the Gaza Strip. The German minister said he had renewed his "urgent request to allow humanitarian aid to Gaza" without restrictions as required by international law. Wadephul also decried the Israeli government's announcement that it would allow 22 more settlements in the West Bank. He said that the German government "rejects" the creation of new Israeli settlements there as illegal under international law. Meanwhile, Saar appealed to Germany to give a chance to an alternative foundation to distribute humanitarian aid in the Gaza Strip. The Gaza Humanitarian Foundation (GHF) is controversial because it is supported by Israel and the United States. It circumvents United Nations aid agencies and other initiatives, and it has been accused of endangering civilians in the process. "This effort has the potential to free the Palestinian population from Hamas's stranglehold and end this war," Saar said, adding that this type of distribution could prevent Hamas from appropriating the aid. Hamas is recognized as a terrorist organization by the German government, the EU, the US and some Arab states. Wadephul reiterates Germany's support for Israel However, Wadephul stressed that Israel has a right to defend itself against Hamas and other enemies, and that "therefore Germany will of course continue to support Israel with arms deliveries, that was never in doubt." Wadephul also said that recognizing a Palestinian state now would send "the wrong signal," adding that negotiations between Israel and Palestine must conclude before a Palestinian state is recognized. He added that the European Union should maintain its pact governing political and economic ties with Israel, which was placed under review last month due to the situation in Gaza. Thursday's meeting was the second official meeting between the two ministers. The first took place on May 11 in Israel. Several human rights groups and non-governmental organizations held a rally in front of the Foreign Ministry to protest Israel's war in the Gaza Strip Image: Jens Kalaene/dpa/picture alliance During Saar's visit to Berlin, dozens of demonstrators protested Israel's actions in the Gaza Strip. The protests began in front of the German Foreign Ministry in the morning under the slogan "Red Line of International Law." Participants waved Palestinian flags and carried banners with slogans such as "No support for war crimes in Gaza," "Stop the arms deliveries," and "Stop the deliberate starvation of the people of Gaza." Ministers commemorate the victims of the Holocaust Earlier in the day, the two top diplomats laid a wreath at Berlin's Holocaust Memorial, which commemorates the 6 million Jews killed in Europe under Germany's Nazi regime from 1933 to 1945. "The fight against antisemitism, standing up for Jewish life in Germany and the commitment to the security and peaceful future of the state of Israel is and will remain our obligation," Wadephul said as he laid a wreath at the memorial in central Berlin with Saar. The memorial "reminds us Germans to remember the victims, to honour the survivors and to learn the lessons from the crimes against humanity of the Shoah," he added. Wadephul said the Holocaust memorial reminds Germans to remember the victims, honor the survivors, and learn from the crimes against humanity of the Shoah Image: Markus Schreiber/AP Photo/picture alliance For his part, Saar said that 80 years after the end of the Holocaust, "the lessons seem to have been forgotten." "In Germany, there's an antisemitic incident once every hour," the Israeli minister said, referring to a report published by a monitor on Wednesday. Wadephul said he was "deeply ashamed" that anti-Semitic offenses in Germany have reached a new high. Wadephul's apparent reversal on arms deliveries for Israel Wadephul's promise of more arms deliveries to Israel on Wednesday came as an apparent reversal of comments made to the German daily Süddeutsche Zeitung last week. There, he suggested that further arms shipments to Israel were dependent on a government review of whether Israeli actions in Gaza complied with international humanitarian law. Israel launched its offensive in the Gaza Strip in response to raids led by the Palestinian militant group Hamas in southern Israel on October 7, 2023, in which some 1,200 people, mostly civilians, were killed and some 250 hostages were taken. The country is now coming under increasing international pressure to stop its military operation in view of the desolate humanitarian situation in the Palestinian territory. Gazan health authorities estimate 54,000 people have been killed, Germany debates whether to keep supplying weapons to Israel To view this video please enable JavaScript, and consider upgrading to a web browser that supports HTML5 video Edited by: Wesley Rahn
