France begins its first war crime trial of Syrian officials for alleged torture, killing of father and son

Three senior Syrian officials will be tried in absentia in a Paris court on Tuesday, accused of involvement in the disappearance and subsequent death of a French-Syrian father and his son. This is the first time a serving Syrian official will stand trial for alleged war crimes. The case centers on Mazen Dabbagh and his son Patrick, who were arrested by Syrian Airforce Intelligence agents in November 2013 and later died in custody.

The French investigation began in 2021 following a criminal complaint by attack survivors. Conducted under the principle of universal jurisdiction, the probe allows for certain crimes to be pursued outside the countries where they occur. The Syrian government and its allies have denied responsibility for the attacks.

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The French warrants, which are rare for serving world leaders, send a strong message against President Bashar al-Assad’s leadership, particularly at a time when some countries are re-engaging diplomatically with Syria. Victims’ lawyers have praised the warrants as “a crucial milestone in the battle against impunity.”

One of the officers accused of complicity in their disappearance and torture - Ali Mamlouk - is still in the Syrian security apparatus, as a security adviser to President Bashar al-Assad. The two others - Jamil Hassan and Abdel Salam Mahmoud - are a former director and director of investigation at the Airforce Intelligence unit.

None of the three accused will attend the trial in the Cour d’Assises, which is scheduled to last four days. Syria’s government, Assad and ally Russia have rejected accusations of mass killings and torture in a war that the United Nations has said claimed hundreds of thousands of lives.

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Mazen Darwish, head of the Syrian Centre for Media and Freedom of Expression, which is supporting the case, said it was the first to try a serving Syrian official.

He said it would be significant to all Syrians as it pertained to “arbitrary detentions, torture (and) extrajudicial killings”, which he described as “systemic behaviour by the regime”.

There are no efforts to prosecute members of the Syrian government at home in Syria, where critics say the courts serve the president’s interests. Previous trials in Europe have targeted former officials.

There has been no accountability yet in international tribunals either, as Syria is not a member of the International Criminal Court. However, the International Court of Justice has ordered Syria to halt torture.

With inputs from agencies.