{"id":178607,"date":"2017-11-08T22:30:38","date_gmt":"2017-11-08T20:30:38","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/scm.bz\/violations\/more-crime-scenes-more-suspects-survivors-of-torture-launch-new-complaints-against-syrian-officials.html"},"modified":"2017-12-16T20:47:52","modified_gmt":"2017-12-16T18:47:52","slug":"more-crime-scenes-more-suspects-survivors-of-torture-launch-new-complaints-against-syrian-officials","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/scm.bz\/en\/more-crime-scenes-more-suspects-survivors-of-torture-launch-new-complaints-against-syrian-officials\/","title":{"rendered":"More crime scenes, more suspects: Survivors of torture launch new complaints against Syrian officials"},"content":{"rendered":"

Torture in Syria: The German Public Prosecutor General must issue arrest warrants<\/strong><\/h2>\n

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On Wednesday November 8 Anwar al-Bunni (SCLSR<\/a>), Mazen Darwish (SCM<\/a>), and Wolfgang Kaleck (ECCHR<\/a>) together with Antonie Nord (Heinrich-B\u00f6ll-Stiftung<\/a>), and Ren\u00e9 Wildangel (Amnesty International<\/a>) held a press conference at Heinrich-B\u00f6ll-Stiftung in Berlin where they reflected on Germany\u2019s role in the fight against impunity in Syria.<\/p>\n

European Center for Constitutional and Human Rights (ECCHR) has compiled two new criminal complaints addressing crimes against humanity and war crimes in Syria, together with the Syrian lawyers and activists Anwar Al-Bunni (Syrian Center for Legal Research & Studies, SCLSR) and Mazen Darwish (Syrian Center for Media and Freedom of Expression, SCM) and with the support of the Heinrich B\u00f6ll Stiftung.<\/p>\n

The two new complaints by 15 Syrian claimants highlight the Syrian government\u2019s systematic policies of repression, torture, and extermination. This system is embodied by senior functionaries in the National Security Bureau, the Defence Ministry, the Military Police and Air Force Intelligence, among others. The criminal complaints name 16 suspects and are calling on the German Public Prosecutor General to issue arrest warrants.<\/p>\n

The new complaints were presented at the press conference by Anwar Al-Bunni (SCLSR), Mazen Darwish (SCM), and Wolfgang Kaleck (ECCHR). Together with Antonie Nord (Heinrich-B\u00f6ll-Stiftung), and Ren\u00e9 Wildangel (Amnesty International), they reflected on Germany\u2019s role in the fight against impunity in Syria.<\/p>\n

On 8 November 2017, SCLSR, SCM, and ECCHR in cooperation with the Heinrich B\u00f6ll Foundation and\u00a0Amnesty International Germany<\/a>, brought together stakeholders from Syria as well as from the national and international level including Catherine Marchi-Uhel,\u00a0Head of the UN International Impartial Independent Mechanism Investigating Serious Crimes in Syria<\/a>.<\/u><\/p>\n

Together, we reflected on the ongoing and possible future efforts for accountability in Syria. Syrian torture survivors and activists, who are at the heart of the criminal complaints in Germany against high-ranking officials of the Assad government led the first session. The second discussion shed light on gaps in documentation and challenges of preserving evidence in the context of judicial action addressing international crimes committed in Syria.<\/p>\n

Barbara Unm\u00fc\u00dfig<\/strong>, Heinrich-B\u00f6ll Foundation and\u00a0Wolfgang Kaleck<\/strong>, European Center for Constitutional and Human Rights (ECCHR) opened the event.<\/p>\n

The first session, moderated by Dr. Bente Scheller Heinrich-B\u00f6ll Foundation Beirut, focused on further steps towards accountability: survivors and civil society in collaboration with the participation of:<\/p>\n