Switzerland to try Syrian president’s uncle for war crimes

Swiss prosecutors have handed over Rifaat Assad, the uncle of Syrian President Bashar Assad, to stand trial on charges he committed war crimes and crimes against humanity as a military commander in 1982.

The Swiss Attorney General’s Office said in a statement on Tuesday that former Syrian Vice President Rifaat Assad was accused of “ordering killings, torture, brutal treatment and illegal detention”.

Assad has been dubbed the “Butcher of Hama” by critics for his role in suppressing the city’s Islamist uprising, a conflict that Swiss federal prosecutors say killed between 3,000 and 60,000 people, most of them Some are civilians.

Assad has previously denied responsibility for Hama’s death.

If Assad is convicted by the Swiss Federal Criminal Court, it is unclear whether he will serve his sentence in Switzerland. In 2021, he was sentenced to four years in prison by France for illegally using Syrian state funds, and then fled to Syria.

Assad had been in exile in France for more than 30 years on suspicion of overthrowing his brother, but Rifaat’s nephew, then-Syrian President Hafez Assad, allowed him to re-enter the country.

Swiss prosecutors say there is no statute of limitations on charges of war crimes and crimes against humanity. They believe Assad can be held accountable for his alleged crimes as long as he is alive.

Swiss authorities said Assad was in Switzerland when investigators launched a preliminary investigation.

Ribal Assad, one of Rifaat Assad’s 16 children, told The Associated Press that he did not know whether his father would travel to Switzerland to face trial and that he had not had time with his father since returning to Syria in 2021 Have spoken.

Benoit Mestre, legal counsel for the International Trial Group, said the chances of Assad attending the trial were slim, but that the indictment was “in itself a victory for all the victims of the Assad regime.”

War crimes proceedings were launched by the Swiss Attorney General’s Office in 2013 based on the principles of universal jurisdiction and the non-application of war crimes statutes of limitations.

The case will be submitted to the Federal Criminal Court by prosecutors from the Swiss city of Bellinzona, according to the Attorney General’s Office. No date specified.

This report contains information from The Associated Press and Reuters.