US Justice orders the arrest of two former senior Syrian Intelligence officials for war crimes

MADRID Dec. 10 (EUROPA PRESS) –

The United States Justice has issued arrest warrants against two former senior officials of the Intelligence services of the Syrian Government under the Presidency of Bashar Al Assad, accused of committing war crimes against civilians detained under their control, including American nationals, during the course of the civil war in the Arab country.

The accused are Yamil Hasan, 72, and Abdul Salam Mahmud, 65, former Syrian Air Force Intelligence officials, who “conspired to identify, intimidate, threaten, punish and kill people detained in the Mezzeh prison in Damascus.” , suspected of aiding or supporting opponents of the regime, such as those who protested, provided medical aid or publicly criticized the regime.

They allegedly “whipped, kicked, electrocuted and burned their victims; hung them by their wrists for prolonged periods of time; threatened to rape and kill them; and falsely told them that their relatives had been murdered,” the prosecutor said. American general, Merrick Garland, about events that took place, according to the accusation, between January 2012 and July 2019.

“The defendants allegedly conspired to create an atmosphere of terror in Mezzeh, forcing detainees to listen to the screams of tortured prisoners and to share cells with the corpses of other detainees. They had their toenails pulled out, they were hung from the ceiling by the wrists and were burned with acid (…) The detainees were also supposedly deprived of food, water and adequate medical care,” the letter states.

The charges have been filed before the Northern District Court of Illinois, in the east of the country, the US Department of Justice has reported. “The Assad regime may have fallen, but our commitment to accountability remains unabated. For the second time in a year, the Department of Justice has brought charges against those who committed war crimes against American citizens, deploying a federal law previously not used to hold accountable individuals who participated in cruel and inhumane atrocities during armed conflicts,” said Deputy Attorney General Lisa Monaco.

“Human rights abuses are among the most heinous crimes investigated by the United States Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) and this historic indictment commemorates our commitment to accountability and justice,” said the Special Agent in Charge Douglas DePodesta, FBI Chicago Field Office.