Germany indicts Assad-era Syrian prison guard for crimes against humanity

BERLIN

Germany’s Federal Prosecutor’s Office said Monday it has brought charges against a former guard who served at a Syrian secret service prison during the Bashar Assad era.

“The accused is sufficiently suspected of murder, torture, and deprivation of liberty (seen) as crimes against humanity. In this context, he is also charged with murder,” it said in a statement.

The suspect, identified as Fahad A., was arrested in the southwestern city of Pirmasens in May 27 and has been in custody ever since.

He is alleged to have worked in a prison run by the Syrian secret service in the capital Damascus from April 2011 to April 2012.

According to the investigation, he was involved in well over 100 interrogations in which prisoners were severely physically abused. At least 70 prisoners died as a result of abuse and catastrophic prison conditions.

Syrian Network for Human Rights (SNHR) reported earlier that it has documented more than 6,000 regime officers involved in war crimes under the Assad regime.

Assad, Syria’s leader for 24 years, fled to Russia after anti-regime groups took control of Damascus, ending the rule of the Baath Party, which had been in power since 1963.