Germany: Former Syrian colonel sentenced to life in prison for crimes against humanity

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A former Syrian intelligence colonel has been sentenced by a German court to life in prison for crimes against humanity in the first trial in the world for the atrocities committed by the regime of Syrian President Bashar al-Assad.

The Koblenz High District Court found 58-year-old Anwar Raslan guilty of killing and torturing detainees at a secret al-Khatib detention center, also known as Annex 251, in Damascus from April 29, 2011 to September 7, 2012.

In the first part of this trial, which is being watched by the large Syrian refugee community, the Koblenz court in February 2021 sentenced Yad al-Garib, a former member of the intelligence services, to four years and six months in prison.

Judges today convicted Raslan of killing 27 people.

Anwar Raslan, head of the Annex 251 investigation service, remained silent throughout the trial, which began on April 23, 2020.

In May 2020, his lawyers handed over a written statement to their client, in which the former colonel denied his involvement in the killing and torture of prisoners. His lawyers have continued to claim that he has been in bankruptcy since 2012 and that he has tried to help detainees.

In the morning, the former Syrian colonel heard the verdict of the court, which was announced at the same time in Arabic, unperturbed.

Raslan, who has been in custody for three years, did not hide his past when he sought refuge in Berlin with his family in 2014. He told police about his story in February 2015, seeking police protection.

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