Ex-Syrian colonel appears in UK court on charges of crimes against humanity

"Salem Al-Salem is charged with murder and torture, crimes allegedly committed during the Syrian government's violent crackdown on pro-democracy demonstrations in Damascus in 2011. Al-Salem, who fled to the UK, is alleged to have played a leading role in the violence at the start of the uprising against Bashar al-Assad, which led to a civil war and the eventual overthrow of Assad's regime in 2024."

"The 58-year-old faces three counts of murder as a crime against humanity, three of torture and one of conduct ancillary to murder. The crimes are alleged to have happened while Al-Salem was serving as a colonel in the Syrian air force intelligence department, leading a group that attempted to quell demonstrations in Jobar, a village on the outskirts of Damascus."

"The case marks the first time the Crown Prosecution Service (CPS) has brought charges of murder as a crime against humanity under the International Criminal Court Act 2001. A UK court convicted the Afghan warlord Faryadi Sarwar Zardad in 2005 of a heinous campaign of torture and hostage taking."

Salem Al-Salem, a 58-year-old former Syrian air force intelligence colonel, appeared in Westminster magistrates court charged with three counts of murder as a crime against humanity, three counts of torture, and one count of conduct ancillary to murder. The alleged crimes occurred in 2011 when Al-Salem led a group attempting to suppress pro-democracy demonstrations in Jobar, Damascus. The victims include Omal Al-Homsi, Nizar Fayoumi-AlKhatib, Mohammed Salim Zahrak Balik, and Talhat Dalal, killed between April and July 2011. Al-Salem, who fled to the UK and suffers from motor neurone disease, appeared via video link. This prosecution marks the first time the Crown Prosecution Service has brought murder charges as crimes against humanity under the International Criminal Court Act 2001.

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