The Al-Khatib Trial: Holding Syrian Regime Officials to Account in Germany (with Joumana Seif and Andreas Schueller of ECCHR)

RightsCast

Get updates from ECCHR on the trial here: https://www.ecchr.eu/en/case/trial-monitoring-first-trial-worldwide-on-torture-in-syria/

In the Higher Regional Court in Koblenz, Germany, two former Syrian intelligence officials are currently on trial for crimes against humanity. Anwar R and Eyad A are both accused of torture which allegedly took place between 2011 and 2012 at the General Intelligence Directorate’s al-Khatib detention facility in Damascus, also known as Branch 251.
The landmark Al-Khatib trial marks the first time that any former members of Assad’s Syrian regime are being put on trial, and it is an important first step on the road to justice for victims. The trial is the result of a series of criminal complaints by Syrian torture survivors, relatives and activists, and it is possible because of Germany’s recognition of the principle of universal jurisdiction.

Universal jurisdiction provides states jurisdiction over crimes against international law even when the crime did not occur on that state’s territory and when the perpetrator is not a national of that state. However, the principle has been relatively underused in recent years. Could the Al-Khatib trial be the turning point in a new resurgence of universal jurisdiction cases?

Joumana Seif started her work as a human rights activist in Damascus in 2001 with a focus on political prisoners. As a lawyer, she supported the democratic movements in Syria, representing political prisoners. In 2012, one year after the start of the uprising against the Assad government, Seif left Syria. She co-founded the Syrian Women's Network and Syrian Women Political Movement (SWPM). In May 2017, she joined ECCHR as a research fellow in the International Crimes and Accountability program with a particular focus on sexualized and gender-based violence.

Andreas Schüller joined ECCHR in 2009 and directs the International Crimes and Accountability program. He graduated from law school in Trier, Germany, studied in Orléans (France), holds a LL.M. advanced degree from Leiden University, Netherlands, in Public International Law and International Criminal Law and is admitted to the Berlin bar. Schüller works on US torture and drone strikes, UK torture in Iraq, war crimes in Sri Lanka and Syria as well as further international crimes cases. He publishes and lectures on international criminal law and human rights enforcement.