Baladi - Media
Germany's federal prosecutor reportedly issued an international arrest warrant for Syria's Air Force Intelligence chief, Jamil Hassan, for "crimes against humanity," German weekly Der Spiegel reported on Friday.
The warrant alleges that Hassan ordered his forces to torture, murder and commit sexual crimes against hundreds of detainees in Syria between 2011 and 2014.
The charges reportedly filed by Syrian lawyer Anwar Al-Bunni and journalist Mazen Darwish. Together the pair spoke to dozens of men and women who claimed to have been tortured by Hassan's forces before successfully fleeing Syria. The warrant is also based on thousands of photographs of images of torture victims taken by a military photographer known simply as Caesar.
A spokesman for the German federal prosecutor's office refused to comment on the warrant, but judiciary officials familiar with the investigation told Spiegel that, despite the chances of detaining Hassan any time soon being slim, "we want to get this man."
Hassan is said to be a prominent member of Bashar Assad's inner circle. After being appointed head of the country's Air Force Intelligence in 2009, Hassan allegedly consolidated its reputation as the country's most brutal military arm.
According to international law, genocide, war crimes and crimes against humanity can be prosecuted anywhere, no matter where the acts were committed.
Source: DW News