US EditionAlleged Syrian war criminal named after he appears in court
The UK’s Crown Prosecution Service charged a former Syrian Air Force Intelligence colonel with seven offences, including three murders as crimes against humanity, linked to 2011 protests.
- A 58-year-old former Syrian Air Force Intelligence colonel appeared via videolink at Westminster Magistrates' Court, charged with seven offences including three murder counts as crimes against humanity, on Tuesday.
- Prosecutors say he led a unit in Jobar and gave orders to open fire on protesters during the 2011 demonstrations, with alleged abuses linked to protests and torture incidents in 2011–2012.
- Investigators visited a Buckinghamshire address on December 1, 2021, arrested a suspect, conducted searches, and charged him after a Postal Charge Requisition following a November 2020 referral, the CTP War Crimes Team said.
- Judge Paul Goldspring rejected anonymity but ordered the defendant's address withheld, granting conditional bail with a 24-hour curfew and police checks, and set a hearing for Friday at the Old Bailey.
- The Crown Prosecution Service said this marks a legal first in the UK by bringing murder charges as crimes against humanity under the International Criminal Court Act 2001, demonstrating the UK's 'no safe haven' policy with cross-border cooperation, echoing the January 2022 Anwar Raslan case.
34 Articles
34 Articles
Syrian man becomes first person in UK charged with crimes against humanity
A Syrian man has become the first person in the UK to be charged with crimes against humanity.The man, who cannot be named due to legal reasons, is accused of leading the suppression of anti-government demonstrations during the start of the Syrian Civil War in April 2011.The crimes are said to have taken place during former Syrian President Bashar Hafez al-Assad's tumultuous tenure.The 58-year-old was on Monday charged with three counts of murde…
UK Prosecutors Charge Syrian Air Force Intelligence Officer With Torture, Murder
A former officer in Syria’s air force intelligence appeared in court in London on March 10, charged with multiple murders, crimes against humanity, and torture relating to demonstrations against the Assad regime in 2011 and 2012. Salem Michel Al-Salem—who lives in Britain—appeared on a videolink from his home for the hearing at Westminster Magistrates’ Court in London. On March 9, al-Salem, 58, was charged with three counts of murder as a crim…
UK Resident Faces Landmark Charges for 2011 Syrian Killings and Torture
A UK resident has been formally charged with crimes against humanity for actions dating back to the early days of the Syrian civil war. This highlights the UK's commitment to holding perpetrators of international atrocities accountable. The Crown Prosecution Service (CPS) confirmed that 58-year-old Salem Michel Al-Salem, a former colonel in Syria's Air Force Intelligence, faces multiple charges over killings and torture of civilians in Damascus …
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