Facts
In 2013 and 2014, the suspect allegedly served as the head of the interrogation department of the National Defence Force (NDF) in Salamiyah, Syria. The NDF was a paramilitary group that comprised several pro-regime militias, fighting on the side of the former Syrian government. According to the International Crimes Team of the Dutch National Police, in his position as head of the NDF, the suspect allegedly committed acts of torture and sexual violence against civilians, as crimes against humanity.
In July 2021, the suspect arrived in the Netherlands, obtained a temporary asylum permit, and settled in Druten with his family.
Procedure
On 8 December 2023, the suspect was arrested in Druten, in the province of Gelderland. Shortly after his arrival in the Netherlands, the International Crimes Team had been informed that a person with this name had worked as the chief interrogator at the NDF in Salamiyah. The suspect was charged with complicity in torture in an official capacity with specific intent, complicity in torture as a crime against humanity and complicity in various forms of sexual violence as a crime against humanity.
On 11 December 2023, he was brought before the examining magistrate for a procedural hearing.
In 2024, during pre-trial hearings, the defense requested to suspend the pre-trial detention of the suspect. The court affirmed the importance of the ongoing investigation, concluding that it should proceed despite its lengthy duration and the denfendant’s continued pre-trial detention.
A further hearing took place on 17 February 2025.
On 15 April 2025, the sixth pre-trial hearing was held. During this hearing, new materials were added to the defendant’s case file.
On 8 April 2026, his trial started before The Hague District Court.
On 15 June 2026, the Hague District Court found the defendant guilty of complicity in torture, torture as a crime against humanity, and sexual violence as a crime against humanity. He was sentenced to 26 years’ imprisonment. The Court recognised conflict-related sexual violence in Syria as a crime against humanity for the first time. The Court also ruled that all compensation claims brought by survivors were inadmissible, as the Court found that the defendant was entitled to invoke immunity from jurisdiction under customary international law.