Germany arrests five for crimes related to war in Syria – JURIST

German authorities arrested five individuals on Wednesday on charges of crimes against humanity and war crimes. The suspects, four stateless Syrian Palestinians and a Syrian citizen, are accused of killing and torturing civilians during the Syrian civil war.

The Syrian civil war began in 2011 as part of the Arab Spring, with protests against the government of President Bashar al-Assad escalating into a complex conflict involving multiple factions, including the Syrian government, opposition groups, ISIS, and Kurdish forces. The war has led to immense humanitarian suffering, widespread destruction, and a refugee crisis, while efforts for peace and stability continue amid violence and geopolitical tensions.

Investigators accuse the five suspects of committing repeated abuses against civilians between mid-2012 and 2014, including at checkpoints set up by Assad's militias in the predominantly Palestinian neighborhood of Al Yarmouk in Damascus.

According to the federal attorney general, four of those arrested were members of the pro-Assad militia “Free Palestine Movement” (FPM). One of the suspects was part of the Palestine department of the Syrian military intelligence service, which collaborated with the FPM.

The prosecution is based on the German International Criminal Code (Völkerstrafgesetzbuch, VStGB), which allows suspects to be prosecuted on the basis of the principle of universal jurisdiction. This principle allows individuals to be prosecuted for serious crimes such as genocide, war crimes and crimes against humanity, regardless of where the crime was committed or the nationality of the perpetrators or victims.

The suspects will appear before the Federal Court of Justice on Wednesday and Thursday, where the investigating judge will issue arrest warrants and decide on their remand in custody. According to the prosecutor's statement, three other alleged FPM members were also arrested in Sweden on suspicion of participating in the repression of a demonstration in Al Yarmouk on July 13, 2012.