Paris Court Sentences Syrian Officials for War Crimes

Facts

• The Paris Criminal Court on Friday sentenced three former senior Syrian intelligence officials in absentia to life imprisonment after finding them guilty of crimes against humanity and war crimes during a four-day trial.¹
• Ali Mamlouk, Jamil Hassan, and Abdel Salam Mahmoud have been charged with complicity in the arrest, torture, and death of Patrick Dabbagh and his father, Mazzen — two French nationals of Syrian origin — in Damascus.²
• Mamlouk is Syrian Pres. Bashar al-Assad's security adviser, while Hassan is the former head of the Syrian air force intelligence service, and Mahmoud is the former intelligence director at the Mezzeh detention center.³
• Patrick and Mazzen were detained in Syria during the 2013 anti-government protests, which later escalated into a civil war. They reportedly both died in custody, and their remains were never returned to their families.⁴
• Although the circumstances of their deaths aren't known, based on witness testimonies, the investigating judges 'sufficiently established' that the duo 'suffered torture of such intensity that they died.'⁵
• According to the UN, more than 7M people have been displaced, 16.7M people need humanitarian assistance, and over 100K people have been detained, disappeared, or missing since the beginning of Syria's civil war in 2011.⁶

Sources: ¹Voice of America, ²Associated Press, ³Guardian, ⁴The National, ⁵Middle East Monitor and ⁶Press.

Narratives

• Pro-establishment narrative, as provided by The National. The verdict highlights the West's ability to prosecute perpetrators of crimes against humanity, war crimes, and genocide regardless of their nationality. Even if it remains largely symbolic, the judgment would set a legal precedent to hold Assad accountable and refocus international attention on atrocities unleashed on his opponents.
• Establishment-critical narrative, as provided by Washington Post. Though the verdict is cathartic for plaintiffs, it will not immediately result in justice for its victims or perpetrators' arrest because accountability for atrocities committed in Syria has been fleeting. Rather than prosecute Syrian war criminals in their own courts, world leaders, including US Pres. Joe Biden, have been busy reconciling with the Syrian dictator.

Predictions