New Syria Atrocities Trial in Germany: Daily Brief
- Second Syria wartime trial begins in Germany;
- Taliban attack Afghan women protestors;
- Belarus blocks human rights group website;
- Iraq forces relied on faulty information, killed 21 people;
- Congratulations to the 2022 Martin Ennals Award winners!
Today in Frankfurt, Germany, judges will begin hearing evidence in a case involving allegations of torture and murder by state agents during Syria’s decade-long brutal conflict. The trial will focus on the role of a military doctor in state torture. The start of this second trial in Germany for crimes against humanity committed in Syria, shows that justice efforts for crimes committed there are gaining momentum.
Women in Afghanistan have been protesting the serious abuses they face under the Taliban rule. Last weekend, Taliban members violently cracked down on women who were demonstrating in Kabul. The Taliban harassed the women, pointed firearms, and sprayed an irritating chemical at them.
Last year, Belarusian authorities shut down many civil rights groups and harassed activists. This year is starting off pretty much the same. A prosecutor in Minsk ordered that the website of a prominent rights organization, Human Constanta, be blocked. The prosecutor falsely accused the groups of inciting hatred.
In December 2021, Iraqi forces killed 21 members of one family in Jableh district, south of Baghdad. Security forces carried out the raid after reportedly receiving false information about a suspect purportedly living there. Iraq should investigate how security forces rely on questionable information to target suspects, especially alleged ISIS members.
Finally: the Martin Ennals 2022 Award laureates are Pham Doan Trang from Vietnam, Dr. Daouda Diallo from Burkina Faso, and Abdul-Hadi Al-Khawaja from Bahrain. Congratulations to the winners!