Cases Involving the Assad Regime
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Syria and Repealing Decision 2011/782/CFSP
30.11.2012 EN Official Journal of the European Union L 330/21 DECISIONS COUNCIL DECISION 2012/739/CFSP of 29 November 2012 concerning restrictive measures against Syria and repealing Decision 2011/782/CFSP THE COUNCIL OF THE EUROPEAN UNION, internal repression or for the manufacture and maintenance of products which could be used for internal repression, to Syria by nationals of Member States or from the territories of Having regard to the Treaty on European Union, and in Member States or using their flag vessels or aircraft, shall be particular Article 29 thereof, prohibited, whether originating or not in their territories. Whereas: The Union shall take the necessary measures in order to determine the relevant items to be covered by this paragraph. (1) On 1 December 2011, the Council adopted Decision 2011/782/CFSP concerning restrictive measures against Syria ( 1 ). 3. It shall be prohibited to: (2) On the basis of a review of Decision 2011/782/CFSP, the (a) provide, directly or indirectly, technical assistance, brokering Council has concluded that the restrictive measures services or other services related to the items referred to in should be renewed until 1 March 2013. paragraphs 1 and 2 or related to the provision, manu facture, maintenance and use of such items, to any natural or legal person, entity or body in, or for use in, (3) Furthermore, it is necessary to update the list of persons Syria; and entities subject to restrictive measures as set out in Annex I to Decision 2011/782/CFSP. (b) provide, directly or indirectly, financing or financial assistance related to the items referred to in paragraphs 1 (4) For the sake of clarity, the measures imposed under and 2, including in particular grants, loans and export credit Decision 2011/273/CFSP should be integrated into a insurance, as well as insurance and reinsurance, for any sale, single legal instrument. -
Access Resource
The State of Justice Syria 2020 The State of Justice Syria 2020 Syria Justice and Accountability Centre (SJAC) March 2020 About the Syria Justice and Accountability Centre The Syria Justice and Accountability Centre (SJAC) strives to prevent impunity, promote redress, and facilitate principled reform. SJAC works to ensure that human rights violations in Syria are comprehensively documented and preserved for use in transitional justice and peace-building. SJAC collects documentation of violations from all available sources, stores it in a secure database, catalogues it according to human rights standards, and analyzes it using legal expertise and big data methodologies. SJAC also supports documenters inside Syria, providing them with resources and technical guidance, and coordinates with other actors working toward similar aims: a Syria defined by justice, respect for human rights, and rule of law. Learn more at SyriaAccountability.org The State of Justice in Syria, 2020 March 2020, Washington, D.C. Material from this publication may be reproduced for teach- ing or other non-commercial purposes, with appropriate attribution. No part of it may be reproduced in any form for commercial purposes without the prior express permission of the copyright holders. Cover Photo — A family flees from ongoing violence in Idlib, Northwest Syria. (C) Lens Young Dimashqi TABLE OF CONTENTS Executive Summary 2 Introduction 4 Major Violations 7 Targeting of Hospitals and Schools 8 Detainees and Missing Persons 8 Violations in Reconciled Areas 9 Property Rights -
International Research and Documentation Center
International Research and Documentation Center TRIAL OF ANWAR RASLAN and EYAD AL GHARIB Higher Regional Court – Koblenz, Germany Trial Monitoring Report 17 Hearing Dates: November 3 & 4, 2020 CAUTION: Some testimony includes descriptions of torture. Summaries/Highlights:1 Trial Day 41 – November 3, 2020 Prof. Dr. Rothschild, a 58-year old forensics expert from the University of Cologne, testified on the forensic analysis of the Caesar files which he and his colleagues conducted on behalf of the German Federal Criminal Police (BKA). He provided detailed explanations on the various injuries, possible signs of torture, and starvation, one of which he and his colleagues identified on almost every corpse in the Caesar files. His testimony paid special attention to Branch 251 and provided detailed insights into torture, as well as the devastating sanitary and overall detention conditions in Syrian detention facilities. Comparing other witness’ testimonies, Dr. Rothschild shared the evidence of certain torture mechanisms based on the medical examinations he and his team could conduct through the photos. Trial Day 42 – November 4, 2020 Mr. Hörl, a 22-year old criminal inspector for the German Federal Criminal Police (BKA), provided a short testimony on an electronic copy of a CV, which was found during the search of Raslan’s flat in Germany. He identified the name and experiences listed on the CV, which was verified by the court translators. The judges also read out a report by the German Intelligence Service (BND) on the structure, tasks and hierarchy of the Syrian intelligence services. The next day’s witness was summoned but chose not to testify, due to their relation to one of the defendants. -
Commentary on the EASO Country of Origin Information Reports on Syria (December 2019 – May 2020) July 2020
Commentary on the EASO Country of Origin Information Reports on Syria (December 2019 – May 2020) July 2020 1 © ARC Foundation/Dutch Council for Refugees, June 2020 ARC Foundation and the Dutch Council for Refugees publications are covered by the Create Commons License allowing for limited use of ARC Foundation publications provided the work is properly credited to ARC Foundation and the Dutch Council for Refugees and it is for non- commercial use. ARC Foundation and the Dutch Council for Refugees do not hold the copyright to the content of third party material included in this report. ARC Foundation is extremely grateful to Paul Hamlyn Foundation for its support of ARC’s involvement in this project. Feedback and comments Please help us to improve and to measure the impact of our publications. We’d be most grateful for any comments and feedback as to how the reports have been used in refugee status determination processes, or beyond: https://asylumresearchcentre.org/feedback/. Thank you. Please direct any questions to [email protected]. 2 Contents Introductory remarks ......................................................................................................................................... 4 Key observations ................................................................................................................................................ 5 General methodological observations and recommendations ......................................................................... 9 Comments on any forthcoming -
Bogdan SZAJKOWSKI*
Alternative Politics, Vol.3, No.3, 256-419, November 2011 256 TIMELINE OF THE ARAB REVOLT: DECEMBER 2010 – JUNE 2011 Bogdan SZAJKOWSKI* December 17, 2010 Tunisia - Mohamed Bouazizi, a 26-year-old unemployed, sets fire to himself in the central Tunisian town of Sidi Bouzid, protesting at the confiscation by police of his fruit and vegetable cart. He suffers third-degree burns across his entire body and is subsequently treated in the Traumatology Centre for Severe Burns in the town of Ben Arous. His self-immolation sparks demonstrations in which protesters burned tyres and chanted slogans demanding jobs. Protests soon spread to other parts of the country including the towns of al-Ragab and Maknasi in central Tunisia, and later the capital, Tunis. Videos of the Sidi Bouzid demonstrations are online soon after the protest began and the Twitter website carries extensive commentary of the protests. December 19, 2010 Tunisia - Protests spread to Kairouan (holy city located in north-central Tunisia), Sfax (city 270 km southeast of Tunis), and Ben Guerdane (town in south-eastern Tunisia, close to the border with Libya). December 20, 2010 Tunisia - Mohamed Al Nouri Al Juwayni, the Tunisian development minister, travels to Sidi Bouzid to announce a new $10m employment programme. But protests continue unabated. December 21, 2010 Tunisia - President Ben Ali carries out limited cabinet reshuffle and warns that protesters would be punished if rioting continued in the country. December 22, 2010 Tunisia - Lahseen Naji, a 22-year-old commits suicide in the midst of another demonstration over unemployment in Sidi Bouzid by climbing an electricity pylon and electrocuting himself on the cables, after shouting out ―No to misery, no to unemployment!‖ 257 Bogdan Szajkowski Ramzi Al-Abboudi, under the burden of business debt, ironically made possible by the country‘s micro-credit solidarity programme, commits suicide. -
Evidentiary Challenges in Universal Jurisdiction Cases
Evidentiary challenges in universal jurisdiction cases Universal Jurisdiction Annual Review 2019 #UJAR 1 Photo credit: UN Photo/Yutaka Nagata This publication benefted from the generous support of the Taiwan Foundation for Democracy, the Oak Foundation and the City of Geneva. TABLE OF CONTENTS 6 METHODOLOGY AND ACKNOWLEDGMENTS 7 FOREWORD 8 BUILDING ON SHIFTING SANDS: EVIDENTIARY CHALLENGES IN UNIVERSAL JURISDICTION CASES 11 KEY FINDINGS 12 CASES OF 2018 Argentina 13 VICTIMS DEMAND THE TRUTH ABOUT THE FRANCO DICTATORSHIP 15 ARGENTINIAN PROSECUTORS CONSIDER CHARGES AGAINST CROWN PRINCE Austria 16 SUPREME COURT OVERTURNS JUDGMENT FOR WAR CRIMES IN SYRIA 17 INVESTIGATION OPENS AGAINST OFFICIALS FROM THE AL-ASSAD REGIME Belgium 18 FIVE RWANDANS TO STAND TRIAL FOR GENOCIDE 19 AUTHORITIES ISSUE THEIR FIRST INDICTMENT ON THE 1989 LIBERIAN WAR Finland 20 WAR CRIMES TRIAL RAISES TECHNICAL CHALLENGES 22 FORMER IRAQI SOLDIER SENTENCED FOR WAR CRIMES France ONGOING INVESTIGATIONS ON SYRIA 23 THREE INTERNATIONAL ARREST WARRANTS TARGET HIGH-RANKING AL-ASSAD REGIME OFFICIALS 24 SYRIAN ARMY BOMBARDMENT TARGETING JOURNALISTS IN HOMS 25 STRUCTURAL INVESTIGATION BASED ON INSIDER PHOTOS 26 FIRST IN FRANCE: COMPANY INDICTED FOR CRIMES AGAINST HUMANITY 28 FRANCE REVOKES REFUGEE STATUS OF MASS MASSACRE SUSPECT 29 SAUDI CROWN PRINCE UNDER INVESTIGATION 30 INVESTIGATION OPENS ON BENGAZHY SIEGE 3 31 A EUROPEAN COLLABORATION: SWISS NGO SEEKS A WARLORD’S PROSECUTION IN FRANCE 32 IS SELLING SPYING DEVICE TO AL-ASSAD’S REGIME COMPLICITY IN TORTURE? RWANDAN TRIALS IN -
Syria Page 1 of 22 CONSOLIDATED LIST of FINANCIAL SANCTIONS T
CONSOLIDATED LIST OF FINANCIAL SANCTIONS TARGETS IN THE UK Page 1 of 22 CONSOLIDATED LIST OF FINANCIAL SANCTIONS TARGETS IN THE UK Last Updated:27/07/2018 Status: Asset Freeze Targets REGIME: Syria INDIVIDUALS 1. Name 6: ABBAS 1: AMJAD 2: n/a 3: n/a 4: n/a 5: n/a. a.k.a: AL-ABBAS, Amjad Position: Head of Political Security in Banyas Listed on: 10/05/2011 Last Updated: 04/07/2018 Group ID: 11912. 2. Name 6: ABBAS 1: FAYSSAL 2: n/a 3: n/a 4: n/a 5: n/a. Title: Dr DOB: --/--/1955. POB: Hama Province a.k.a: ABBAS, Faysal Other Information: Former Minister for Transport Listed on: 28/02/2012 Last Updated: 31/05/2013 Group ID: 12510. 3. Name 6: ABBAS 1: GHASSAN 2: n/a 3: n/a 4: n/a 5: n/a. Title: Brigadier General DOB: 10/03/1960. POB: Homs Address: CERS, Centre d'Etude et de Recherche Scientifique, Centre de Recherche de Kaboun Barzar Street, PO Box 4470, Damascus. Position: Manager of the branch of Syrian Scientific Studies and research Centre (SSRCC/CERS) near Jumraya/Jmraiya Other Information: CERS is also known as SSRC, Scientific Studies and Research Center. Listed on: 09/03/2015 Last Updated: 01/10/2016 Group ID: 13229. 4. Name 6: ABDALLAH 1: KHALAF 2: SOULEYMANE 3: n/a 4: n/a 5: n/a. DOB: --/--/1960. POB: Deir ez-Zor a.k.a: AL- ABDULLAH, Khalaf, Sleiman Other Information: Former Minister of Labour Listed on: 22/10/2014 Last Updated: 07/06/2017 Group ID: 13155. -
Bashar Al-Assad and the Struggle for Syria
Alone at the Top: Bashar al-Assad and the Struggle for Syria Eyal Zisser Introduction On March 18, 2011, the Arab Spring reached Syria. Overnight, the nation was engulfed in flames heralding the outbreak of the Syrian revolution destined – so it seemed at the time – to topple the Syrian regime within the next few days, or at most, weeks. But what seemed to present as a “lightning revolution” soon turned into a prolonged, blood-soaked, and above all inconclusive war. Faced with a challenge to its stability and very existence, the Baathist regime headed by Bashar al-Assad has demonstrated unity and strength that have surprised the many who thought it was in its final throes. This unity and strength are evidence of the robust nature of the regime and its pillars of support, namely, the party and the army, as well as the regime’s base of support among different segments of Syrian society, especially its minorities – Alawites, Druze, and Christians – and the Sunni middle class in the large cities. 1 But above and beyond this, the fact that the Syrian regime has managed to stay on its feet for the last two and a half years testifies to the personal strength of Bashar al-Assad, who stands alone at the apex of the regime. Bashar’s conduct in August 2013 vis-à-vis the United States in the crisis resulting from the regime’s use of chemical weapons against the rebels is a fine example of the regime’s art of survival: using an iron fist domestically while showing restraint to the world – even a certain acknowledgement of guilt – as long as this serves the viability of the regime in Damascus. -
PDF Air Force Intelligence
PROFILES Syrian torture survivors file criminal complaint against torture by Syria’s air force intelligence “We survived Assad’s personal machinery of repression and extermination” Complainant profiles In June 2018, it was announced that the Germany Federal Court of Justice (Bundesgerichtshof – BGH) had issued an arrest warrant against Jamil Hassan, head of the Syrian Air Force Intelligence Service. This measure is a milestone towards justice and accountability for all those affected by Assad’s torture system, particularly the 24 Syrian torture survivors and activists whose testimonies contributed to the arrest warrant. On 6 November 2017 a criminal complaint was filed by the European Center for Constitutional and Human Rights (ECCHR) together with eleven Syrian women and men as well as the lawyers Anwar al-Bunni (Syrian Center for Legal Studies and Research, SCLSR), Mazen Darwish (Syrian Center for Media and Freedom of Expression, SCM). The criminal complaint, submitted to the Office of the German Federal Public Prosecutor (Generalbundesanwalt – GBA) in Karlsruhe, concerns crimes against humanity and war crimes in Syria. The crimes addressed in the submission – killing, persecution, torture and sexual violence – were committed between September 2011 and June 2014 in five Air Force Intelligence Branches in Damascus, Aleppo and Hama. The criminal complaint is directed against ten named high-ranking officials from the National Security Bureau and the Air Force Intelligence, including Ali Mamlouk and Jamil Hassan, who until July 2019 was head of Air Force Intelligence Service, as well as the heads of various regional military commands and branches. A second criminal complaint – directed against officials from the Defence Ministry and the Military Police bearing responsibility for crimes against international law at the Saydnaya military prison – was submitted on the same day. -
PDF Dossier: Human Rights Violations in Syria
DOSSIER HUMAN RIGHTS VIOLATIONS IN SYRIA: TORTURE UNDER ASSAD The fight against impunity for state torture in Syria: German authorities set international precedent The first trial worldwide on state torture in Syria started at the Higher Regional Court in Koblenz, Germany, in April 2020. This follows the German Federal Prosecutor’s indictment of two former officials of President Bashar al-Assad’s Syrian General Intelligence Directorate in October 2019. Anwar R is accused of being involved in the torture of at least 4000 people between 2011 and 2012 at the General Intelligence al-Khatib Branch prison in Damascus. In February 2021, the court sentenced Anwar R’s associate, Eyad A, to four years and six months in prison for aiding and abetting 30 cases of crimes against humanity. This is the first time a former member of the Syrian intelligence services was convicted of a crime under international law. In June 2018, it became public that the German Federal Court of Justice (Bundesgerichtshof, BGH) issued an arrest warrant for Jamil Hassan, head of the Syrian Air Force Intelligence Service until July 2019. These steps were milestones towards justice and accountability for everyone affected by Assad’s torture system, particularly the Syrian torture survivors and activists whose testimony contributed to the arrest warrant, and who work closely with the European Center for Constitutional and Human Rights (ECCHR). The Syrian survivors and activists have filed four criminal complaints in Germany based on the principle of universal jurisdiction since 2017. Working with lawyers Anwar al-Bunni (Syrian Center for Legal Studies and Research, SCLSR), Mazen Darwish (Syrian Center for Media and Freedom of Expression, SCM), the Caesar Files Group and ECCHR, their goal is to hold high- ranking officials of Assad’s security apparatus to account. -
Syria's Transactional State
Research Paper Lina Khatib and Lina Sinjab Middle East and North Africa Programme | October 2018 Syria’s Transactional State How the Conflict Changed the Syrian State’s Exercise of Power Syria’s Transactional State: How the Conflict Changed the Syrian State’s Exercise of Power Contents Summary 2 1 Introduction 3 2 The Origins and Evolution of Syria’s Shadow State 6 3 The Rise of the Transactional State 17 4 External Actors: Russian–Iranian Competition in Syria 21 5 The Future Trajectory of the Transactional State 26 6 Conclusion and Recommendations 30 About the Authors 32 Acknowledgments 32 1 | Chatham House Syria’s Transactional State: How the Conflict Changed the Syrian State’s Exercise of Power Summary • The Syrian conflict has changed the functions, capacity and agency of the principal institutions through which the state exercises control, namely the security agencies and the army. This has transformed Syria from a ‘shadow state’ dominated by the security apparatus into a ‘transactional state’ dominated by regime-aligned profiteers. • President Bashar al-Assad’s rise to power weakened the system of control that had been installed by his late father, Hafez al-Assad. The system had been reliant on a network of power brokers – both inside and outside state institutions – who would compete with one another to show regime loyalty. The Syrian conflict has further weakened this system, as the regime has become increasingly reliant on profiteers and external actors – specifically, Russia and Iran – pursuing their own interests. • The conflict has caused the Syrian army to become fragmented and even more corrupt than before, and the security apparatus to lose its centralized command. -
Alternatif Politika Is Devoted to the Arab Revolts of 2011 –The Series of Dynamic Social and Political Developments Not Seen in the Arab World for Over Fifty Years
alternatif politika Cilt 3, Sayı 3, Kasım 2011 Misafir Editör: Prof. Bogdan SZAJKOWSKİ Timeline of the Arab Revolt: December 2010-June 2011 Bogdan SZAJKOWSKİ Social Media Tools and the Arab Revolts Bogdan SZAJKOWSKİ The Social Opposition Movement in Syria: The Assad Regime in the Context of Reform and Revolution Veysel AYHAN European Union’s Ineffective Middle East Policy Revealed after Revolution in Tunisia Bahar Turhan HURMİ Libyan Uprising And International Intervention: NATO’s Mission and Libya’s Gridlock Veysel AYHAN Arab Spring and Israeli Security: The New Threats Dünya BAŞOL Background of the Tunisian Revolution Nebahat TANRIVERDİ alternatif politika Cilt 3, Sayı 3, Kasım 2011 Introduction- Bogdan SZAJKOWSKİ, i-ii. Timeline of the Arab Revolt: December 2010 – June 2011- Bogdan SZAJKOWSKİ, 256-419. Social Media Tools and the Arab Revolts-Bogdan SZAJKOWSKİ, 420-432. The Social Opposition Movement in Syria: The Assad Regime in the Context of Reform and Revolution-Veysel AYHAN, 433- 454. European Union’s Ineffective Middle East Policy Revealed after Revolution in Tunisia-Bahar Turhan HURMİ, 455-489. Libyan Uprising And International Intervention: NATO’s Mission and Libya’s Gridlock-Veysel AYHAN, 490-508. Arab Spring and Israeli Security: The New Threats-Dünya BAŞOL, 509-546. Background of the Tunisian Revolution-Nebahat TANRIVERDİ, 547-570. INTRODUCTION Guest Editor: Prof. Bogdan Szajkowski This special issue of Alternatif Politika is devoted to the Arab revolts of 2011 –the series of dynamic social and political developments not seen in the Arab world for over fifty years. Throughout 2011 the Middle East, the Gulf region, Arab Peninsula and North Africa have witnessed social and political turmoil that has fundamentally impacted not only on these regions but also on the rest of the world.