Dutch court sentences Syrian to 26 years for torturing for al-Assad
play Live Sign upShow navigation menu.css-15ru6p1{font-size:inherit;font-weight:normal;}Navigation menuNewsShow more news sectionsAfricaAsiaUS & CanadaLatin AmericaEuropeAsia PacificMiddle EastExplainedOpinionWorld CupVideoMoreShow more sectionsFeaturesEconomySportHuman RightsClimate CrisisInvestigationsInteractivesIn PicturesScience & TechnologyPodcastsTravelplay Live Click here to searchsearchSign upNavigation menucaret-leftSyria's WarLive: A year since fall of al-AssadHope and celebration in SyriaHow many Syrians have returned?Watch: The Road to DamascusThe fight for justice in SyriaWatch: One year after al-Assadcaret-rightNews|Bashar al-AssadDutch court sentences Syrian to 26 years for torturing for al-AssadThe sentence is the latest in a series of European cases against Syrians since Bashar al-Assad was overthrown in 2024. xwhatsapp-strokecopylinkgoogleAdd Al Jazeera on GoogleinfoA torn poster shows the late Syrian President Hafez al-Assad and his son, the ousted Syrian President Bashar al-Assad [File: Hussein Malla/AP]By Reuters and The Associated PressPublished On 15 Jun 202615 Jun 2026A Dutch court has sentenced a Syrian man to 26 years in prison for crimes against humanity committed during his time working for the regime of former Syrian President Bashar al-Assad. The court in The Hague handed down the sentence to Rafik A on Monday, having found that he tortured and raped prisoners while working as an interrogator. The court heard that the defendant, whose last name it withheld, used several methods against opponents in detention centres in 2013 and 2014, including suspending them upside down and subjecting them to electric shocks. “The suspect was engaged in torture, rape or other sexual abuse of eight victims in this case, either by committing the acts himself or by ordering others to do so,” presiding Judge Wim van Hattum said in a ruling summary. The sentence is the latest in a series of cases brought against Syrian nationals since longtime ruler Bashar al-Assad was overthrown in a rebel offensive in December 2024. These landmark cases have drawn attention to the gross human rights abuses committed during al-Assad’s reign, which culminated in a civil war that began in 2011 and lasted almost 14 years. European courts have used a legal principle known as universal jurisdiction that allows defendants to be prosecuted for crimes under international law, even when committed overseas. Rafik was arrested in the Netherlands in 2023 after two years in the country as an asylum seeker. Several other charges against him were dropped due to a lack of sufficient evidence. A German court sentenced a Syrian doctor to life in prison in June last year for committing crimes against humanity against al-Assad’s opponents. The court found Alaa Mousa guilty of murdering and torturing dissidents between 2011 and 2012, following a trial that lasted more than three years. Rafik A’s trial was the first in the Netherlands to see sexual violence prosecuted as a crime against humanity. During the trial, the suspect denied the charges against him, which he dismissed as a “conspiracy”. His lawyers said that the defendant himself was tortured by militias and is suffering from post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD). In May last year, a French court sentenced Majdi Nema to 10 years in prison for participating in war crimes also committed during Syria’s civil war. Nema served as a spokesman for a rebel group fighting al-Assad. He was found guilty of conscripting minors aged 15 to 18 and helping to plan war crimes. Advertisement AboutAboutShow moreAbout UsCode of EthicsTerms and ConditionsEU/EEA Regulatory NoticePrivacy PolicyCookie PolicyCookie PreferencesAccessibility StatementSitemapWork for usConnectConnectShow moreContact UsUser Accounts HelpAdvertise with usStay ConnectedNewslettersChannel FinderTV SchedulePodcastsSubmit a TipPaid Partner ContentOur ChannelsOur ChannelsShow moreAl Jazeera ArabicAl Jazeera EnglishAl Jazeera Investigative UnitAl Jazeera MubasherAl Jazeera DocumentaryAl Jazeera BalkansAJ+Our NetworkOur NetworkShow moreAl Jazeera Centre for StudiesAl Jazeera Media InstituteLearn ArabicAl Jazeera Centre for Public Liberties & Human RightsAl Jazeera ForumAl Jazeera Hotel PartnersFollow Al Jazeera English:المصدر: Al Jazeera English | Source: Al Jazeera English
ملاحظة تحريرية | Editorial Note: نُشر هذا المقال في الأصل بواسطة Al Jazeera English. خبر (Khabr) هي منصة إعلامية أردنية مرخّصة تعمل بالذكاء الاصطناعي. نضيف قيمة تحريرية من خلال: تحليل ذكي للأخبار، ملخصات تلقائية، رواية صوتية بالذكاء الاصطناعي، ترجمة متعددة اللغات، وتدقيق الحقائق. هدفنا جعل الأخبار أكثر وضوحاً وسهولةً للقارئ العربي.
This article was originally published by Al Jazeera English. Khabr is a licensed Jordanian AI-powered news platform (Registration #82086). We add editorial value through: AI-powered news analysis, automated summaries, AI audio narration, multi-language translation (Arabic, English, French, Turkish), and AI fact-checking. Our mission is to make news more accessible and understandable for Arabic-speaking audiences worldwide.