"Salem Al-Salem, 58, has appeared in a UK court facing charges of crimes against humanity, including murder and torture. Al-Salem, who attended proceedings with a breathing tube, is accused in a landmark prosecution by British authorities. The charges stem from his alleged activities in Damascus in 2011. He faces three counts of murder, three counts of torture, and one charge of conduct ancillary to murder, marking the first prosecution of its kind in the UK."
"Salem is accused of involvement in the murders of four named people Omar Al-Homsi, Nizar Fayoumi-AlKhatib, Mohammed Salim Zahrak Balik and Talhat Dalal in April and July 2011. It is said he was responsible for killing three of the victims as part of a widespread or systematic attack against a civilian population, and he is accused of conduct ancillary to the murder of Mr Balik."
"It is said the crimes happened when Salem was serving as a colonel in the Syrian Air Force Intelligence (SAFI) while leading a group that attempted to put an end to demonstrations in the village of Jobar, near Damascus, in April 2011. It is alleged that Mr al-Salem led a group of militants tasked with quelling the demonstrations in the Jobar area which lies East of the city's centre."
Salem Al-Salem, a 58-year-old former Syrian colonel, appeared in Westminster Magistrates' Court charged with crimes against humanity stemming from his alleged activities in Damascus during 2011. He faces three counts of murder, three counts of torture, and one charge of conduct ancillary to murder. Al-Salem, who has motor neurone disease and appeared via video link with a breathing tube, is accused of involvement in the deaths of four named individuals and torture of three others. The alleged crimes occurred while he served as a colonel in Syrian Air Force Intelligence, leading a group tasked with suppressing demonstrations in the Jobar village near Damascus. This prosecution represents the first of its kind in the UK.
Read at www.independent.co.uk
Unable to calculate read time
Collection
[
|
...
]