France begins first war crimes trial of Syrian officials
Al Jazeera
Three officials are being tried in absentia over the deaths of two French Syrian men arrested in Damascus in 2013.
France has opened its first trial into officials from the Syrian government of President Bashar al-Assad with three top security officers tried in absentia for complicity in crimes against humanity and war crimes.
The Paris Criminal Court was on Tuesday hearing the cases against the officials for their alleged role in the deaths of two French Syrian men, Mazzen Dabbagh and his son Patrick, who were arrested in the Syrian capital, Damascus, in 2013.
Ali Mamlouk, former head of Syria’s National Security Bureau, Jamil Hassan, former director of the Air Force intelligence service, and Abdel Salam Mahmoud, former head of investigations for the service in Damascus, are subject to international arrest warrants and will be tried in absentia.
“For the first time, French courts will address the crimes of the Syrian authorities and will try the most senior members of the authorities to ever be prosecuted since the outbreak of the Syrian revolution in March 2011,” said the International Federation for Human Rights (FIDH).
The al-Assad government has been in conflict with armed opposition groups after it violently repressed protests calling for democratic reforms and the release of political prisoners in 2011.
Global lender says it will release about $333m to crisis-hit nation as signs of economic recovery emerge.
At least four people have been killed in the attack on the Basta neighbourhood, according to the Health Ministry.
A series of unexplained incidents causing damage to pipelines and cables in the Baltic Sea has occurred in the past two years. Could this be a new form of underwater warfare?
The hedge fund manager will be responsible for implementing president-elect’s pledges to cut taxes and raise tariffs.
Cola Gaza offers its drinkers an ‘apartheid-free’ alternative as they boycott big-name brands.
These were the key developments on the 1,003rd day of the Russia-Ukraine war.
Defectors from Myanmar’s military and police are learning skills that could put them on a new path after years of war.
World Health Organization says 226 health workers, patients killed in Lebanon since start of Israel’s war on Hezbollah.
UN health agency says its decision is ‘based on the rising number and continuing geographic spread of cases.’
In a new interview, the scandal-plagued Gaetz reaffirmed his commitment to being a member of Trump’s ‘America First army’.