Two Syrians charged in Germany with war crimes

BERLIN - German federal prosecutors said Friday that they had charged two Syrians with "war crimes" committed in Damascus a decade ago as part of the Islamic State group.

The two men, identified as Mohammad A. and Asmael K. per German privacy rules, were arrested in March and are accused of membership of a foreign terror organisation and "hostage-taking resulting in death".

Asmael K. was also charged with murder and killing people protected under international law.

Mohammad A. is believed to have joined the Islamic State group at the latest in 2013 and served as a commander of 200 fighters.

"At the end of 2013, Mohammad A. together with the IS fighting unit in his command abducted two opponents of the organisation," prosecutors said in a statement.

The victims were held at an IS detention centre and later "executed" with 10 other prisoners.

Asmael K. is alleged to have joined IS as a fighter in 2013 and taken part in the abduction in question.

He is also accused of guarding the 12 prisoners at the site where they were killed and shooting at least one person.

A court in the western city of Duesseldorf will now decide whether the two men, who are in custody, will go to trial.

Germany let in hundreds of thousands of Syrians during the 2015-16 refugee influx and has arrested several Syrians on its soil over crimes committed in their country.

It has previously used the principle of universal jurisdiction, which allows the prosecution of certain serious crimes regardless of where they took place, to try Syrians over atrocities committed during the country's civil war.

One of the most high profile cases to be brought to trial was that of a former Syrian colonel who was found guilty in January 2022 of crimes against humanity committed in Damascus. - AFP