Col. Raslan has been charged with crimes against humanity (incl. the torture of 4000 detainees), rape and 59 murders during his time in al-Khatib Branch (Apr. 2011 – Sep. 2012). Raslan will be the first (and hopefully not the last) #Syria-n regime official to be tried in court.
In 2013, Raslan has officially defected from the #Syria-n intelligence and escaped to Jordan, where he was praised by some opposition figures. In summer 2014, after he attended a UN meeting in Geneva, he and his family went to Germany, where they were granted an asylum.
It was only till Feb. 2019, after relentless campaigns by diaspora-based #Syria-n CSOs and legal entities, Col. Raslan was finally apprehended by German police.
Anawar Raslan’s story raises four points: 1) “defection” doesn’t mean “impunity” from previous crimes, 2) some opposition figures are willing to trade justice for some narrow political gains, 3) Syrian CSOs are the true seekers of justice and accountability, and …
… my grandmother was always right when she used to tell me “your right cannot be lost as long as you keep demanding it” – a Syrian proverb: "ما بيضيع حق وراه مطالب"
before the trial of Raslan in front of the Higher Regional Court of Koblenz, #Germany for crimes against humanity in #Syria. Please take a look at Yasser Karmi's testimony about his time in the al-Khatib branch (from @VDC_Syria): shorturl.at/anK46
Look, you can be cynical or even dismissive as much as you want. but the fact is, for us Syrians, this is the first time we see a regime official in court, behind bars, looking small and undignified. it brought tears to my eyes. A small step towards justice and accountability. 
perhaps my only regret during these lockdowns, that I wasn't able to travel to Germany to attend the public trial of Raslan, while holding a picture of my wonderful friend, and photojournalist Osama al-Habaliy, who was executed in Assad's detention dungeons in Homs in 2015.
I just like to point out that, in addition to the unprecedented milestone in intl' justice established by #Germany today (incl. the importance of Universal Jurisdiction in prosecution of war criminals), 4 out 5 judges of Raslan trial are women. Good day for justice everywhere!
The proposed charges submitted by the prosecutor against Anwar R. and Eyad A. highlights many of the brutal practices of the Syrian regime against detainees, especially in the intelligence branches' informal prisons. Some of the important points of the statement of charges are:
-The systematic starvation of detainees and the prevention of medical care for them
-The use of sexual violence against detainees (men and women) using various metal and plastic tools
-The army handed over a lot detainees to al-Khatib branch, to be tortured and/or executed
-The use of sexual violence against detainees (men and women) using various metal and plastic tools
-The army handed over a lot detainees to al-Khatib branch, to be tortured and/or executed
