THE HAGUE, June 15 (Reuters) – A district court in The Hague on Monday sentenced to 26 years in prison a former pro-Assad militia member for committing crimes against humanity by torturing and raping prisoners more than a decade ago.
The judges said it was established that 58-year-old Rafik A., whose last name was withheld by the Dutch court, was an interrogator for the National Defense Forces in Salamiyah, Syria, in 2013 and 2014. The NDF was a militia group that fought on the side of the government of former President Bashar al-Assad, who was ousted in December 2024.
During his trial Rafik A. had repeatedly denied involvement in the crimes and accused witnesses against him of lying.
“The suspect was engaged in torture, rape or other sexual abuse of eight victims in this case, either by committing the acts himself or by ordering others to do so,” presiding judge Wim van Hattum said in a ruling summary.
The verdict is the first Dutch conviction for atrocities in Syria committed by pro-government forces. It is also the first time a Dutch court has convicted someone of sexual violence as a crime against humanity.
Cases against Assad-era security officials have also been brought in other European countries including Germany.
Rafik A. was arrested in 2023 in the Netherlands, where he had lived for several years as an asylum seeker.
Under the concept of universal jurisdiction, Dutch law broadly allows cases to be brought against foreign nationals for crimes committed abroad if the perpetrators or some of the victims are present in the Netherlands.
(Reporting by Stephanie van den Berg; Editing by Hugh Lawson)
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