By Nohad Topalian | 2026-06-29

A Dutch court in The Hague sentenced 58-year-old Rafiq al-Qatrib to 26 years in prison earlier this month for committing horrific crimes against humanity.

The tribunal determined that al-Qatrib operated as a brutal interrogator for the National Defence Forces (NDF) in Salamiyah, Syria, between 2013 and 2014.

The NDF was a militant faction aligned with former President Bashar al-Assad, whose regime was ultimately overthrown during the month of December 2024.

He faced conviction for the systematic torture and rape of political dissidents held within various government detention facilities located throughout the city of Salamiyah.

The court invoked universal jurisdiction to prosecute al-Qatrib, enabling international legal action against perpetrators of severe war crimes committed beyond the nation’s own borders.

"These trials are vital; they deliver justice for victims and carry significant political weight, such as the 2023 arrest warrant issued for Bashar al-Assad," Syrian human rights activist Mazen Darwish told Al-Fassel.

Crimes against humanity

Moreover, these trials represent a critical shift, moving from human rights documentation to establishing definitive judicial proof.

"The Rafiq conviction, detailing his role in the torture and rape of eight victims, marks the Netherlands' first ruling identifying sexual violence as a crime against humanity," Fadel Abdul Ghany, Executive Director of the Syrian Network for Human Rights said.

"While inherently selective, universal jurisdiction remains the most potent tool for ensuring accountability outside Syria," he told Al-Fassel.

In 2025, a German court sentenced Syrian doctor Alaa M., to life imprisonment for torturing political opponents in Syrian military prisons and hospitals.

In 2024, a French court issued life sentences in absentia to three senior Syrian regime officials for their direct complicity in heinous war crimes.

Furthermore, April saw the first public trial in Damascus for former Brigadier General Atef Najib regarding his alleged crimes against the Syrian people.

"These trials finally bring the justice victims have long awaited; they are essential to secure civil peace and prevent a return to a war of revenge," Darwish said.

Prosecuting ISIS for Yazidi genocide

Global efforts are escalating to prosecute "Islamic State of Iraq and Syria" (ISIS) members for genocide against Yazidis, Christians, and Shia Muslim communities.

Darwish emphasized a broad consensus on "prosecuting ISIS members for systemic crimes against humanity targeting these groups."

Abdul Ghani noted that European courts successfully leverage established legal frameworks to classify ISIS atrocities against the Yazidi people as genocide.

In 2021, a German court sentenced Taha al-Jumaili to life imprisonment, marking the first global conviction for genocide committed against the Yazidis.

These landmark verdicts dismantle the cloak of impunity, ensuring that perpetrators of atrocities eventually face the full weight of justice.