Syrian activists have called for a ban on a “war criminal” from attending the French Olympics, coming from areas controlled by the Syrian regime.
Syrian human rights activists and journalists have launched a petition addressed to the Olympic Committee to prevent Omar Al-Aroub from participating in the Paris Olympics, which is set to commence on July 24 and continue until August 11, 2024.
Omar Al-Aroub is involved in managing the Syrian Olympic delegation, while his name is linked to war crimes committed by the Syrian regime against its people.
In August 2023, the Olympic Committee stated that it was unaware of Al-Aroub’s past, coinciding with his attendance at a meeting in France. Since then, Syrian activists have been working to gather evidence of crimes implicating Al-Aroub.
The International Paralympic Committee (IPC) explained that international organizations and institutions, such as the International Criminal Court, are the best places to investigate these allegations. According to a statement to DW, the International Olympic Committee (IOC) and the IPC do not feel that this issue falls within their responsibilities.
Al-Aroub committed numerous war crimes “directly” against Syrians. At the beginning of the Syrian protests, Al-Aroub was a member of the executive office of the National Union of Syrian Students, which is considered an intelligence branch of the regime in various Syrian universities, where he participated in brutally suppressing student protests.
In Aleppo, Al-Aroub ordered members of the National Union of Syrian Students to throw students opposing the regime out of the fourth-floor windows of the university dormitory, according to Yasmin Nahhas, the lead investigator at the Syrian British Consortium (SBC).
In 2014, Al-Aroub became the deputy commander of the Baath Brigades militia, which participated in the horrific attack on Aleppo that same year.
Al-Aroub had previously posted pictures of himself wearing military attire alongside members of the Baath militia, and France 24 confirmed the authenticity of these photos.
Al-Aroub managed to attend the Tokyo 2020 Olympics because there were no arrest warrants issued against him, and his name was not on any sanctions lists, according to DW.
Same Justice organization demands that all officials accused of committing crimes against humanity be prosecuted and brought to justice for the victims and their families. The organization also pointed out that the Syrian regime seeks to improve its image through international sports activities and cover up war crimes and extensive violations of international law that have occurred and continue to occur systematically in Syria.
