Dutch Court Convicts Pro-Syrian Militia Member for War Crimes

In a landmark ruling, Mustafa A. is sentenced to 12 years for illegal detention and complicity in torture, marking the first conviction of its kind in the Netherlands.

• Mustafa A., a former high-ranking member of the pro-Syrian government militia Liwa al-Quds, has been convicted by a Dutch court for illegal detention and complicity in torture, and sentenced to 12 years in prison.
• The conviction is based on the 2013 arrest and inhumane treatment of a civilian who was handed over to the Syrian Air Force Intelligence Service for repeated torture.
• The trial took place in The Hague District Court based on universal jurisdiction, a legal principle that allows suspects to be prosecuted for international offenses such as war crimes even if they are committed in another country.
• Mustafa A. was granted asylum in the Netherlands in 2020 and was arrested after authorities received tips about his involvement in the militia.
• This marks the first time a Dutch court has convicted someone for crimes committed while fighting on the side of President Bashar al-Assad’s government during the war in Syria.

3 Articles

Fox News Al Jazeera Associated Press