The sentencing of Anwar Raslan, allegedly the chief of a "torture unit" in Syria's General Intelligence Directorate, is a watershed moment in the effort to achieve justice for crimes against humanity committed in Syria, the European Union said on Friday
MOSCOW (Pakistan Point News / Sputnik - 14th January, 2022) The sentencing of Anwar Raslan, allegedly the chief of a "torture unit" in Syria's General Intelligence Directorate, is a watershed moment in the effort to achieve justice for crimes against humanity committed in Syria, the European Union said on Friday.
On Thursday, the higher regional court in the German city of Koblenz sentenced Raslan to life in prison for multiple counts of murder, torture, imprisonment and sexual violence.
"Thursday's verdict of the higher regional court of Koblenz, Germany, whereby a Syrian former colonel, Anwar Raslan, was found guilty of crimes against humanity in 2011 and 2012 in Syria, constitutes a landmark decision," European Commission spokesman Peter Stano said in a statement.
The official went on to state that the court's decision is "an important step towards the fight against impunity and to secure justice and accountability in Syria."
"The EU has supported and will continue to support efforts to gather evidence with a view to future legal action, including by the International, Impartial and Independent Mechanism (IIIM) and the Independent International Commission of Inquiry," Stano added.
The German authorities accused Raslan of being part of a special "torture unit," called Branch 251, near Damascus, claiming that 4,000 people went through it from 2011-2012 alone.
In 2019, Syrian President Bashar Assad, in an interview with the RT broadcaster, firmly dismissed claims about the government running "torture units" applying violent methods against dissidents.
