London, March 10 (SANA) A historic legal proceeding began in the United Kingdom today as a colonel belonging to the ousted regime, from the Syrian Air Force Intelligence (AFI) appeared before Westminster Magistrates’ Court. The 58-year-old defendant, currently residing in Britain, is facing charges of murder and crimes against humanity—the first time such charges have been brought under the International Criminal Court Act 2001 on British soil.
While Scotland Yard has not officially released the defendant’s name due to legal restrictions requested by the defense, the charges relate to his tenure at the Air Force Intelligence branch in Damascus. Specifically, reports indicate he led a unit tasked with the violent suppression of pro-democracy demonstrations in the Jobar district of Damascus during the Syrian Revolution.
The prosecution’s indictment includes severe counts: Two counts of murder as crimes against humanity, three counts of torture, and one count of conduct linked to willful killing within the framework of a crime against humanity.
The trial follows a lengthy investigation by the War Crimes Unit of the Counter Terrorism Command, which began in November 2020 after receiving a tip-off. The suspect was arrested in December 2021 at his residence in Buckinghamshire.
Commander Helen Flanagan, head of London’s Counter Terrorism Policing, stated that the charges demonstrate the UK’s “no safe haven” policy for war criminals. “Where we are presented with allegations of war crimes and crimes against humanity that fall within our jurisdiction, we will not hesitate to investigate them rigorously,” she added.
This case is viewed as a major judicial milestone, signaling the first time the British Crown Prosecution Service has utilized the 2001 International Criminal Court Act to charge an individual with murder as a crime against humanity. It follows a growing international trend of using Universal Jurisdiction to hold officials from the ousted regime accountable for atrocities.
