A trial related to crimes committed by the Bashar al-Assad regime against Syrian citizens begins at the Paris Criminal Court. According to UN estimates, about half a million people died during the civil war, and millions became refugees. The case concerns the role of security chiefs in the disappearance and murder of Mazen Dabag and his son Patrick. The father was a teacher, and the son was a student of the humanities faculty. Despite being innocent of any opposition activities, they were arrested in 2013 and taken to the Air Force Intelligence Investigation Center located at one of the air bases. There, they were subjected to severe torture until their death in 2018.
Charges have been brought against former head of the National Security Service Ali Mamlouk, former head of Air Force intelligence Jamil Hasan and former head of the investigative department of Air Force intelligence Abd al-Salam Mahmoud. However, all three men are tried in absentia as they are not present in court to defend themselves. It is unclear whether their absence will affect the outcome of the trial or not.
The case is significant because it marks the first time that a foreign government official has been tried for war crimes committed against its own citizens outside of their country’s borders. The trial is expected to shed light on human rights abuses committed by Assad’s regime during Syria’s civil war and bring justice to those who suffered at its hands.
