War crimes: State security trial against suspected Hezbollah member

A suspected member of the terrorist militia Hezbollah will have to answer in state security proceedings before the Stuttgart Higher Regional Court from October 15th. The 32-year-old man is accused of committing crimes against humanity through killing, torture and deprivation of liberty as well as war crimes in Syria. The Syrian was arrested in Baden-Württemberg last December and has been in custody ever since.

The man is said to have been the leader of an armed Shiite group that joined Hezbollah, which is fighting on the side of the Syrian regime. The aim of this militia was to intimidate and expel the Sunni population in the city of Busra Al Sham, which is controlled by the Assad regime.

According to the information, between 2012 and 2014, the accused and other members violently attacked the houses of civilians, stole numerous items and, in one case, ordered a house to be set on fire. The residents of the house were mistreated during the incident and one group member shot a person. In addition, the accused and other members arrested three civilians in 2013, beat them and handed them over to the secret service. In prison, the three victims were severely mistreated by prison guards.

In Syria, as in other parts of the Arab world, there were mass protests against the government in 2011. Security forces violently suppressed the protests. This resulted in a civil war that lasted for years. In the de facto divided country, the government of President Bashar al-Assad, which counts Russia and Iran among its most important allies, controls around two thirds of the country. There are also around 900 US soldiers stationed in the country.

The 32-year-old defendant has been in custody since December 12, 2023. So far, a total of 30 negotiation dates have been set until the end of February 2025.