The Syrian government led by president Bashar al-Assad is responsible for systematic and widespread torture targeting opponents and activists not only as a reaction to the protests in 2011. There are currently only a few avenues left to prosecute international crimes committed in Syria. One of them is the principle of universal jurisdiction which allows the German judiciary to become active and initiate first steps towards the road to justice without citizenship of the victims or perpetrators being a prerequisite.
In March 2017, ECCHR together with seven Syrian torture survivors as well as the Syrian lawyers Anwar al-Bunni (Syrian Center for Legal Studies and Research) and Mazen Darwish (Syrian Center for Media and Freedom of Speech) submitted the first criminal complaint against six high-level officials of the Syrian Military Intelligence Service to the German Federal Prosecutor.
The German Federal Prosecutor responded promptly to the first criminal complaint. At the beginning of May 2017, the claimants gave witness evidence in Berlin. From the torture survivors’ perspective, this was an important for step to achieve justice.
The criminal complaint targets six officials known by name and further unknown officials of the Syrian Military Intelligence Service. The claimants were tortured or witnessed torture in the prisons of the intelligence services.
The aim of this criminal complaint – the individual cases of which are exemplary for the system of torture under the Assad regime – is the issue of international arrest warrants and the beginning of investigations by the prosecutor’s office with respect to the persons identified as responsible for the committed crimes.
Complainants' profiles: "They hit you with a cable and a kind of a pipe until you sign all of the accusations."
Mazen Darwish (43) ist ein syrischer Rechtsanwalt, Journalist und Präsident des Syrian Center for Media and Freedom of Speech (SCM), das er 2004 in Damaskus gegründet hat. Die Organisation dokumentierte zahlreiche Verletzungen der Presse- und Meinungsfreiheit sowie die Arbeitsbedingungen von Journalist*innen und unterstützte Medienschaffende bei Streitigkeiten mit den Behörden. Eine offizielle Registrierung der Organisation wurde von der Regierung untersagt, dennoch arbeitete sie weiter im Untergrund.
Aufgrund seiner Arbeit wurde Darwish mehrfach verhaftet, unter anderem im April 2008, nachdem er und sein Kolleg*innen über Aufstände in Adra, einer Stadt in der Nähe von Damaskus berichtet haben. Darwish wurde wegen "Diffamierung und Verunglimpfung der staatlichen Autorität" zu zehn Tagen Haft verurteilt. Nach Beginn der friedlichen Massenproteste gegen Präsident Baschar al-Assad im Frühjahr 2011 dokumentierte das SCM unter anderem die Namen von verhafteten, "verschwundenen" und getöteten Aktivist*innen.
2012 ehrte Reporter ohne Grenzen Darwish für seinen Einsatz als Journalist des Jahres. Im Februar 2012 wurden bei einer Geheimdienstrazzia in den Räumen des SCM in Damaskus vierzehn Menschen verhaftet, unter ihnen auch Darwish und seine Frau: "Ich wurde nach meiner Verhaftung in verschiedene geheime Militärgefängnisse gebracht, immer wieder wurde ich von einem in das nächste Foltergefängnis gebracht", sagte Darwish in einem Interview mit DIE ZEIT. Die Zustände in den Folterzentren beschreibt er als "katastrophal", neben der mangelnden Hygiene und dem Platzmangel beschreibt er die Foltermethoden: Elektroschocks, Aufhängen an den Händen, Schläge und Schlafentzug. Für die Freilassung der SCM-Mitarbeiter*innen setzten sich mehr als 70 Menschenrechtsorganisationen jahrelang ein. Auch die UN-Vollversammlung und das Europaparlament forderten ihre Freilassung.
Im August 2015, nach dreieinhalb Jahren Haft, wurde Darwish unter der Bedingung freigelassen, ein Monat später vor dem Anti-Terror-Gericht in Damaskus erneut zu erscheinen. Am 31. August entschied das Gericht, dass die Fälle von Darwish und seiner Mitangeklagten unter eine im Jahr 2014 verkündete Amnestie fielen. Außerdem wies der Richter den zentralen Vorwurf der Unterstützung des Terrorismus ausdrücklich ab. Darwish, der die Methoden und Zustände in syrischen Gefängnissen am eigenen Leib erlebt hatte, sagte gegenüber dem ECCHR: "Folter war kein Einzelfall in den Gefängnissen Assads, vielmehr wurde sie systematisch eingesetzt".
Als ein wichtiger Zeuge der Geschehnisse in Syrien engagiert sich Darwish weiterhin für die Gerechtigkeit in seinem Land. Er ist einer der acht Anzeigeerstatter*innen in der Strafanzeige gegen hochrangige Mitarbeiter des syrischen Geheimdiensts, die das ECCHR gemeinsamem mit Folterüberlebenden und dem Rechtsanwalt Anwar al-Bunni aus Syrien am 1. März 2017 beim Generalbundesanwalt in Karlsruhe eingereicht hat.
Anwar al-Bunni ist ein bekannter syrischer Menschenrechtsanwalt. Er ist einer der Gründer der Human Rights Association Syria (HRAS) und des Zentrums für die Verteidigung von Journalisten und politischen Gefangenen, dem Syrian Center for Legal Studies and Research (SCLSR).
Als Rechtsanwalt verteidigte Al-Bunni viele Menschenrechtsakvist*innen und Personen, die infolge der Proteste in den Jahren 2000/01 in Damaskus wegen ihrer politischen Position verfolgt und verhaftet wurden. Aufgrund seiner Arbeit wurde Al-Bunni ebenfalls Ziel repressiver Maßnahmen. Er selbst und auch Mitglieder seiner Familie wurden systematisch bedroht, verfolgt und von den Behörden diffamiert. Die Anwaltskammer in Damaskus schloss Al-Bunni mehrmals aus.
Im Mai 2006 wurden Al-Bunni und eine Reihe anderer Menschenrechtsaktivist*innen verhaftet, nachdem sie die sogenannte Beirut-Damaskus-Erklärung unterzeichnet hatten. In der Erklärung riefen 274 libanesische und syrische Intellektuelle zu einer Normalisierung der Beziehungen zwischen den beiden Staaten auf. In der Untersuchungshaft wurde er mehrfach, unter anderem von den Gefängniswärtern, gefoltert. Nach einem Verfahren, das nicht den internationalen Standards entsprach wurde, Al-Bunni im April 2007 wegen "Verbreitung staatsgefährdender Falschinformationen" zu fünf Jahren Haft verurteilt. Damals war er bereits fast ein Jahr in dem berüchtigten Adra-Gefängnis bei Damaskus.
"Es ist ein Wunder, dass ich noch lebe", sagte Al-Bunni dem ECCHR. Er sei nicht mit den anderen politischen Gefangenen, sondern mit den Nichtpolitischen eingesperrt gewesen. Regimetreue Häftlinge hätten eines Tages versucht, ihn von einem Balkon aus dem zweiten Stock zu stürzen. Er habe diesen Angriff nur durch die Hilfe anderer Mitgefangener überlebt.
Im Mai 2011 wurde Al-Bunni entlassen. Heute lebt er in Berlin. 2008 erhielt er den Front Line Defenders Award für Menschenrechtsverteidiger in Gefahr, im selben Jahr zeichnete ihn der Deutsche Richterbund mit dem Menschenrechtspreis aus.
Anwar al-Bunni ist einer der acht Anzeigeerstatter*innen in der Strafanzeige gegen hochrangige Mitarbeiter des syrischen Geheimdiensts, die das ECCHR gemeinsamem mit Folterüberlebenden und dem Rechtsanwalt Mazen Darwish aus Syrien am 1. März 2017 beim Generalbundesanwalt in Karlsruhe eingereicht hat. Er hofft auf ein klares Signal aus Karlsruhe: "Das Verfahren in Deutschland zeigt den Verantwortlichen in Syrien, dass sie nicht ungestraft davon kommen werden. Für die Opfer ist es ein deutliches Signal der Hoffnung auf Gerechtigkeit."
Q&A: Legal background of the criminal complaint on Syrian torture cases filed in Germany.
Currently, there is absolute impunity in Syria, and the Assad regime is neither interested in investigating the cases of torture, nor in bringing the perpetrators and the responsible officials before a court.
Through adoption of the Rome Statute, and establishment of the International Criminal Court (ICC) in 2002, international criminal justice was enabled to prosecute war crimes, crimes against humanity, and genocide before the court in Den Haag. However, this option is currently not available for the crimes committed in Syria. The ICC is not authorized to start an investigation into the crimes, as Syria is not a party to the Rome Statute. At the same time, a referral to the court by the UN Security Council is currently blocked by Russia and China.
However, the Independent International Commission of Inquiry on the Syrian Arab Republic (UN CoI Syria) was established in August 2011 by the Human Rights Council through resolution S-17/1 adopted at its 17th special session with a mandate to investigate all alleged violations of international human rights law since March 2011 in the Syrian Arab Republic.
On one hand, UN CoI Syria’s investigators have been gathering evidence against all parties to the conflict for more than six years. They also work in the neighboring countries of Lebanon, Jordan, Iraq and Turkey. On the other hand, recently established International, Impartial and Independent Mechanism to Assist in the Investigation and Prosecution of those Responsible for the Most Serious Crimes under International Law Committed in the Syrian Arab Republic since March 2011 (IIIM) is tasked with collecting, preserving, and consolidating evidence, while also preparing strong evidentiary files that can be used by prosecutors for independent criminal proceedings. The information gathered by the corroboration of the UN-Commission and the UN-Mechanism is therefore essential for future legal proceedings in national, regional, or international courts. The principle of universal jurisdiction enables domestic courts to initiate judicial proceedings and to hold perpetrators of all ranks accountable. In Germany and other European Union (EU) Member States, investigations have been brought in this regard.
Serious crimes concern international society as a whole, and must be responded to. For this reason, it is a duty of the national jurisdictions of third party states, like Germany, to investigate the serious crimes committed in Syria and to prosecute the responsible officials.
The German Code against International Crimes (CCAIL), which entered into force in 2002, enables German courts to prosecute international crimes committed in Syria. By adopting the CCAIL, Germany adapted its national criminal law to the standards set by International Criminal Law, and in particular by the Rome Statute of the ICC.
The CCAIL affirms the principle of universal jurisdiction, which constitutes the legal basis for prosecution of genocide, crimes against humanity, and war crimes by German courts. According to the CCAIL, the Federal Public Prosecutor can investigate international crimes, even if they were committed outside of Germany. This means that jurisdiction of the courts is independent from the location of the crime as well as from its victim or perpetrator.
Since 2011, the Federal Public Prosecutor has been conducting several person-related investigations as well as a general investigation (Strukturverfahren), which addresses the overall situation in the country and goes beyond individual cases.
A criminal complaint presents an avenue in the German legal system to report an assessment of facts in form of a crime or multiple crimes. It is the task of the investigative authorities to determine the suspect responsible.
The criminal complaints submitted by Syrian torture survivors as well as ECCHR, SCM and SCLRS address the policy of systematic torture in prisons of the Syrian Military Intelligence Service. According to the Code of Crimes against International Law (CCAIL), systematic torture is to be qualified as a war crime and a crime against humanity.
For example, the first criminal complaint lists five officials known by name and further unknown officials of the Syrian Military Intelligence Service and the Syrian government as those who bear responsibility for the addressed crimes.
A criminal complaint is often the first step to initiate an investigation by the authorities of a third country. The complaints should make the Public Prosecutor aware of a certain situations or acts which from the perspective of the complainants meet criteria of a criminal offence.
Within the general investigation of the situation in Syria, the Federal Public Prosecutor has already gathered and secured evidence. However, this investigation mostly targeted the perpetrators of lower ranks. The criminal complaints submitted by ECCHR should persuade the Federal Public Prosecutor to target high-level officials of the Syrian Intelligence Service, to investigate their crimes and to issue international arrest warrants against them.
In June 2018, it was finally time: German authorities issued an international arrest warrant for Jamil Hassan, who was head of the Syrian Air Force Intelligence Service until July 2019.
Arrest warrants against those responsible for systematic repression and torture under Assad would be an important signal for survivors, relatives of those affected, and those still detained in the prisons of the Assad regime.
The fact that the German Federal Prosecutor opened investigations focusing on Jamil Hassan as a specific Syrian officials concerning international crimes in Syria, and the Federal Court of Justice (Bundesgerichtshof) issued an international arrest warrant, is a milestone and represents an important step towards ending impunity for torture in Syria.
Like Jamil Hassan, most of the high-ranking officials responsible for torture and other human rights violations in Syria still live in the country. But if they are subject to an international arrest warrant and were to travel outside Syria, they can be arrested and extradited to Germany. Germany could then file charges and open criminal proceedings.
The case of the Chilean dictator Augusto Pinochet shows that international arrest warrants against high-profile politicians and military figures are possible and effective. In 1998, the Spanish investigative judge Baltasar Garzón issued an international arrest warrant against Pinochet for genocide and other crimes. While Pinochet was visiting London, he was arrested by Scotland Yard and his extradition to Spain was approved by the then Home Secretary Jack Straw. The Chilean government negotiated that he be freed on humanitarian grounds, but Pinochet's arrest in London ultimately triggered a broader process of legal reckoning with the crimes of the dictatorship in Chile.
The primary goal of submitting criminal complaints is to initiate further person-related investigations, which will legally address the described crimes in a dignified way.
The investigations initiated by the Federal Public Prosecutor in 2011 were an important first step. Seven years later, however, it is time to take further steps: the German judiciary should not focus on low-rank perpetrators, but must investigate the acts of those officials who bear the actual responsibility for the crimes. Even though those officials are still in Syria, certain steps can be taken, e.g. by issuing international arrest warrants like the one for Jamil Hassan. To take these steps, the Federal Public Prosecutor and the Courts should be given additional resources by the state. There is a growing need for educated investigators and better protection for witnesses.
The criminal complaints are based on testimonies of women and men, who were imprisoned in different 'branches' (detention facilities) of the Syrian Military Intelligence Service in Damascus, and photographical evidence accompanied with metadata that was provided by the group around the former Syrian military police employee, "Caesar."
In addition to the testimonies of the victims, photographical evidence, and metadata, numerous public documents and reports have also been used as sources for the criminal complaints. Many of the crimes committed in Syria, including the crimes of torture, have been well documented through the years by international and Syrian human rights NGOs.
Testimonies of the survivors and witnesses, official documents, as well as pictures of the victims and sites of crime, considered as a whole, demonstrate that the Syrian regime is guilty of crimes against humanity and war crimes.
In order to achieve accountability for the systematic and widespread human rights violations in Syria further legal interventions have to follow – against the Assad government, against transnational corporations, against third states involved in military intervention in the conflict as well as against organizations such as IS.
Without justice for those affected by the crimes committed in Syria, there is no prospect of a political solution. Justice for human rights crimes are essential for affected individuals. However, accountability has contributed to the prevention of other conflicts and for the development of the rule of law as well as democratic principles after the end of war in Syria.
Further fields of possible legal interventions may be exports of conventional weapons, other armaments or surveillance technologies to the conflict parties, as well as targeted sexual violence against women and the use of chemical weapons in Syria.