Dutch authorities apprehended a Syrian man residing in the Netherlands on Friday, accusing him of leading a military torture center in Syria, according to the public prosecution service.
The statement disclosed that the man is believed to have overseen the interrogation department of the National Defence Force (NDF) in Syria during 2013 and 2014, although his name was not provided. The suspicion is that, in this capacity, the man committed acts of torture and sexual violence against civilians.
He arrived in the Netherlands in July 2021 and obtaining a temporary asylum permit. The man was however traced by the International Crimes Team (TIM) shortly after his arrival based on a tip.
In recent years, Dutch courts have convicted several Syrian nationals associated with opposition and Islamist militias in Syria of war crimes.
These cases fall under prosecution in the Netherlands under the principles of “universal jurisdiction,” allowing the prosecution of suspected war crimes and crimes against humanity abroad.
In a related development, last week, prosecutors sought a 17-year sentence in the trial of a 35-year-old suspected member of a pro-Assad militia, with the verdict expected early next year.
