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A Syrian man accused of torturing dozens of people during his country’s civil war denied all charges at the opening of his trial in the Netherlands on Wednesday, claiming he was the victim of a conspiracy.
Rafiq al Q, 58, told judges at the District Court of The Hague that the nine victims in the case, the witnesses and Dutch police were all lying about his role as a lead interrogator for the pro-government National Defence Force.
“All of them are conspiring against me,” he said, speaking through an interpreter.
Prosecutors said the defendant committed crimes against humanity during Syria’s civil war, including dozens of acts of torture and sexual violence against civilians.
The defendant, identified only by his first name and last initial under Dutch privacy regulations, refuted accusations of being a supporter of Syria’s ousted dictator Bashar al-Assad.
He told judges that he had worked as a civil servant in the central city of Salamiyah and denied involvement in torture.
During one exchange, the man attempted to submit evidence, waving a piece of paper at the presiding judge.
His lawyer, André Seebregts, said it was not clear what the evidence was, to which the defendant replied: “I don’t tell my lawyer everything.”
The defendant claimed asylum in the Netherlands in 2021 and lived in the small town of Druten in the eastern part of the country when he was arrested in 2023.
The trial is based on universal jurisdiction, a legal principle that allows suspects to be prosecuted for international offences such as war crimes even if they are committed in another country.
Previous prosecutions
The Netherlands has prosecuted several Syrians for war crimes and crimes against humanity during the Syrian war.
In 2024, a Dutch court convicted a former high-ranking member of a pro-Syrian government militia of illegal detention and complicity in torture.
Another Syrian man was convicted in 2021 of war crimes for his role in the summary execution of a prisoner.
Syria’s conflict started with peaceful protests against al-Assad’s government in March 2011, but quickly morphed into a full-blown civil war, lasting nearly 14 years, after the regime’s brutal crackdown on protesters.
In 2024, insurgents led by now-interim President Ahmad al-Sharaa’s Hayat Tahrir al-Sham (HTS) went on a surprise offensive to Damascus and removed al-Assad from power.
Al-Assad then fled to Moscow where he still lives.
Since then, al-Sharaa, a former leader of al-Qaeda’s branch in Syria, has improved relations with Western countries and last year became the first Syrian head of state to visit Washington since Syria’s independence in 1946.
The Netherlands and Canada have brought a separate case against Syria under al-Assad at the United Nations’ top court, accusing Damascus of a yearslong campaign of torturing its own citizens.
In 2023, the International Court of Justice ordered the government to “take all measures within its powers” to prevent torture.
Hearings will continue for another two weeks and the court is expected to issue a verdict on 9 June.
Additional sources • AP