Syrian Ex-Colonel Deemed Unfit for Trial on Crimes Against Humanity Charges in the UK
A former colonel from the Syrian air force has been judged unfit for trial in the UK on charges related to crimes against humanity, including three counts of murder. This landmark case involves Salem al-Salem, 58, who is alleged to have been involved in attacks on civilians back in 2011. Due to his advanced neurological condition, medical assessments have determined he cannot enter a plea or face trial, leading to not guilty pleas being entered on his behalf at the Central Criminal Court.
Justice Bobbie Cheema-Grubb announced that while a trial of facts is scheduled for next year, al-Salem will not be required to be present in court. The proceedings will aim to determine his involvement in the alleged acts, but no conviction can be pursued because of his health condition. This case marks the first time a person in the UK has been charged with murder as a crime against humanity under the International Criminal Court Act of 2001. Under UK law, charges can be brought for certain international offenses, such as crimes against humanity and torture, regardless of the location of the crimes.
Prosecutors have accused al-Salem of being part of a Syrian Air Force Intelligence unit responsible for suppressing protests in Jobar, a suburb of Damascus, during the Arab Spring uprising against former President Bashar Assad’s regime. “The defendant ordered officers under his command to shoot protesters and he himself shot protesters,” stated prosecutor Emilie Pottle during a previous hearing. “The murders were part of a widespread and systemic attack against the civilian population.”
Al-Salem, appearing via video link and wearing an oxygen mask, suffers from a progressive motor neuron disease, which has resulted in paralysis of all four limbs, cognitive impairment, and limited communication abilities. Prosecutor Tom Little conveyed a doctor’s report indicating that the disease is in an advanced stage, accompanied by depression, apathy, and severely restricted speech. “The defendant is monosyllabic and only really understandable to close family,” Little noted.
Charges against al-Salem include the murder of Omar Al-Homsi, Nizar Fayoumi-AlKhatib, and Talhat Dalal in 2011, as well as conduct ancillary to murder in the case of Mohammed Salim Zahrak Balik. Furthermore, he faces allegations of torturing three individuals, with prosecutors asserting that he was involved in interrogations where detainees were subjected to beatings, electric shocks, and suspension by handcuffs from the ceiling.
