'A step towards justice': US charges former military officials with abuses in Syria | Syrian War News
Human rights watchdogs in the United States have praised the indictment by the US Department of Justice of two military officers accused of overseeing torture and torture as part of the regime that toppled former Syrian President Bashar al-Assad.
The case, which was unsealed on Monday just a day after opposition forces entered Damascus and toppled al-Assad, accuses former Syrian Air Force intelligence chief Jamil Hassan, 72, and Abdul Salam Mahmoud, 65, of “brutal and cruel treatment of prisoners under their command.” including US citizens” at the Mezzeh airport detention center in Damascus.
The infamous facility is one of many across Syria that rights groups say are housing victims of al-Assad's crackdown on tensions amid the 13-year civil war. It appears that this is the first time that the US has demanded that people involved in al-Assad's military and intelligence operations be held accountable through the court system.
The lawsuit did not name the US citizens in question, but the Syrian Emergency Task Force (SETF), an organization based in Washington, DC that helped gather witness testimony in the case, said 26-year-old aid worker Layla Shweikani. between the victims of Hassan and Mahmoud.
“Now is our time to arrest these criminals and bring them to the United States for trial,” said the group's statement.
As we await the release of Saydnaya Prison, I am thinking of those who arrived late today.
Those whose names we don't know and those whose names we do know, like the 26-year-old Syrian-American aid worker Layla Shweikani who was killed after a trial that lasted minutes in 2016. pic.twitter.com/8ClSQooL5h
— Mai El-Sadany (@maitelsadany) December 8, 2024
Shweikani died in Syrian government custody in 2016, and the US confirmed his death two years later. However, lawyers have long criticized the government's inaction amid calls for justice.
The SETF had provided evidence to prosecutors that Shweikani was tortured while at Mezzeh Military Airport before being transferred to Sednaya Military Prison. Rights watchers say this is where he was killed following a military trial that reportedly lasted seconds.
Among the witnesses who testified for the US government was Dina Kash, the Executive Director of SETF Mouaz Moustafa.
Kash “played an important role in making these allegations happen because he was victimized by the same criminals. [Layla] it was,” said the group in a statement. “If we catch these criminals, Dina will be a powerful witness among other brave Syrians testifying in an American court about the killing of innocent civilians by the Assad regime's criminals.”
The American Coalition for Syria also called the decision “a historic step for accountability”.
The group said it “welcomes the arrest warrants and hopes that this will be a step towards achieving justice for the Shweikani family and all those who disappeared, were tortured and killed in the notorious Assad regime prison”.
Another abuse window
Syrians and rights monitors have been demanding a full count of those missing and killed by al-Assad's government in the days since opposition groups, led by Hayat Tahrir al-Sham (HTS), seized control of Damascus on Sunday following a nationwide lightning strike. the country.
The events have thrown Syria's future into doubt, raising questions about whether the regime will transform into an inclusive and peaceful state, or whether more violence will erupt between the various factions that make up the opposition.
Other actors in the country, including ISIL (ISIS), are also threatening to disrupt any attempts at a new revolution. The new government took shape on Tuesday, as an interim prime minister was appointed.
US Secretary of State Antony Blinken, said Washington will support any transition process that respects the rights of minorities, prevent the spread of “terrorism” and ensure that any chemical weapons stored by al-Assad are secured and destroyed.
White House spokesman John Kirby said on Tuesday that the administration of US President Joe Biden was able to communicate with opposition groups and will continue to do so.
He added that the US continues to seek information about Austin Tice, a US journalist who was arrested in Syria in 2012. Human Rights.
Opposition forces have freed thousands of prisoners from their raids, while families continue to search institutions for evidence of their loved ones.
The unsealed US case on Tuesday provided another opportunity for the abuse they may face. It accused Syrian intelligence officers, Hassan and Mahmoud, of beating prisoners with cables, pipes and hoses, breaking prisoners' teeth, stripping prisoners naked, electrocuting them, hanging them by the wrists and feet, and removing nails among other tortures.
The lawsuit also accused the couple of psychological abuse as part of their “atmosphere of terror”. That included showing prisoners' blood on the walls and bodies in the cells, and falsely claiming that their families had been killed or imprisoned.
The two men's whereabouts are unknown, according to the US Department of Justice.
