A district court in The Hague, on Monday, convicted a Syrian government-affiliated fighter of war crimes and crimes against humanity due to acts of torture and unlawful detention in Syria, sentencing him to 12 years in prison. The court stated that the convicted man, identified as Mustafa A., participated in the detention of a man in Syria in 2012 before handing him over to Syrian air force intelligence officials, who operated a prison where he was tortured.
The court noted, "Mustafa, 35, was a leader in the Al-Quds Brigade, a group of fighters mainly composed of Palestinian refugees living in Syria, which was established during the early years of the ongoing 12-year Syrian war." He was found guilty of committing war crimes and crimes against humanity, which included acts of torture, inhumane treatment, unlawful detention, and joining a criminal organization. This is the first time a Dutch court has convicted someone for crimes committed while fighting on behalf of President Bashar al-Assad's government during the war in Syria. Germany has issued a few similar convictions.
