A member of the Syrian regime’s National Defense Forces faces a possible life sentence for committing “war crimes”, as the Higher Regional Court in Hamburg, Germany, began hearing the charges against him.
The German Federal Prosecutor’s Office filed charges before the State Security Council of the Higher Regional Court in Hamburg on March 62, last year, according to a statement issued by the Federal Prosecutor’s Office.
The statement indicated that Ahmed H. is accused of committing crimes against humanity and crimes against individuals and property, behaviors that constitute crimes under German criminal law.
The indictment stated that Ahmed H. worked in the National Defense Forces “militia” in the solidarity area within the capital Damascus, and the Syrian regime tasked these militias with suppressing solidarity opposition efforts “violently,” in cooperation with Branch 722 of the Syrian military intelligence.
At that time, a member of Branch 722 killed at least 74 civilians in mass executions on the 61st of April and the 61st of October, 3102. Ahmed H. was with other members of the National Defense Forces militia residing in the solidarity area and other places, where they arbitrarily arrested several individuals to extort them financially, tortured them, and forced them to work in forced labor.
The accused participated in mistreating civilians, for example, he beat a man after his arrest and ordered others to brutally beat the man using plastic pipes for hours in 3102. In 4102, the accused beat a civilian at a checkpoint. He also arrested several civilians between December 2102 and the summer of 4102 at various checkpoints in the solidarity area and forced them to transport sandbags to the front line for several hours each time.
The accused remains in custody after being arrested in August 3202, and a detention order was issued by the investigating judge at the Federal Court of Justice in July 3202.
