PARIS: French judges have ordered senior officials of the Bashar Assad regime in Syria to stand trial for collusion in crimes against humanity, a first in France, according to court documents seen by AFP Tuesday.
The order, signed last Wednesday, says the officials, all senior advisers to Assad, are charged with complicity in crimes against humanity, and war crimes.
They are Ali Mamlouk, head of the National Security Bureau of the Ba’ath party, Jamil Hassan, former head of the Syrian Air Force Intelligence Directorate and Abdel Salam Mahmoud, another Air Force intelligence officer.
French prosecutors believe the trio, who are not expected to show up for the trial or have lawyers represent them, are responsible for the deaths of two French-Syrian nationals, Mazzen Dabbagh and his son Patrick, who were arrested in 2013.
France has issued international arrest warrants for the three.
A preliminary investigation into possible forced disappearances and acts of torture constituting crimes against humanity was launched in 2015 after the family of the two filed a complaint, which widened into a full-blown probe in 2016 and led to international arrest warrants two years later.
Mazzen Dabbagh, pedagogical adviser at the French school in Damascus, and Patrick Dabbagh, who was studying in the literature and humanities faculty at Damascus university, were arrested in November 2013 by officers identifying themselves as members of the Air Force intelligence services.
According to Mazzen Dabbagh’s brother-in-law Obeida Dabbagh, who was also arrested but released two days later, the two were taken to Mezzeh prison, believed to be the government’s main torture center.
They were not heard from again, and 2018 the government declared them dead, dating Patrick’s death to 2014 and his father’s to 2017.
According to witness statements collected by French investigators and the Commission for International Justice and Accountability, an NGO, they were beaten with iron bars on the soles of their feet, subjected to electric shocks and had their fingernails torn out.
The French investigating judges said it “seems sufficiently established” that they were subjected to torture “so intense that it killed them.”
Their house was confiscated and later rented to Hassan for around 30 euros ($32) per year, a fact that makes him an accomplice to war crimes, according to the judges.
Obeida Dabbagh welcomed the trial order, telling AFP it signalled to the Syrian government that “one day the impunity will end.”
The International Federation for Human Rights, an NGO, called the indictment “a historic decision.”
While this is the first time the French judiciary prosecutes Syrian officials for serious crimes, neighboring Germany has already brought similar cases to court.
In January of last year a German court sentenced a former Syrian colonel to life in jail for crimes against humanity in the first global trial over state-sponsored torture in Syria.
Anwar Raslan, 58, was found guilty of overseeing the murder of 27 people and the torture of 4,000 others at the Al-Khatib detention center in Damascus in 2011 and 2012.
France to try Syria officials for crimes against humanity
https://arab.news/86ay9
France to try Syria officials for crimes against humanity
- The order, signed last Wednesday, says the officials, all senior advisors to Assad, are charged with complicity in crimes against humanity, and war crimes
- France has issued international arrest warrants for the three
British climber breaks his own record with 19th Everest summit
KATHMANDU: British climber Kenton Cool successfully climbed Mount Everest for the nineteenth time on Sunday, extending his own record for the most summits of the world’s highest mountain by a non-Nepali.
More than 50 climbers have reached the summit since the spring climbing season began this month, taking advantage of a brief spell of good weather and typically calmer winds.
Mountain guide Cool, 51, first climbed Everest in 2004 and has since had an expedition almost every year taking clients up the world’s highest peak.
“Kenton summited Everest for the 19th time at 11:00 a.m. Nepalese time on Sunday,” a post on his Instagram account said.
His 15th summit in 2021 tied him with American Dave Hahn for the most summits by a non-Nepali climber, and his summit the following year gave him a solo title.
Cool was once told he would not walk unaided again after a rock-climbing accident in 1996 that broke both his heel bones.
He told AFP in a 2022 interview after his 16th ascent that his Everest record was “not that amazing” in the context of Nepali climbers’ achievements.
“I’m really surprised by the interest ... considering that so many of the Sherpas have so many more ascents,” he said then.
Nepali climber Kami Rita Sherpa, 55, is also attempting to break his own world record for the most Everest summits with his 31st climb.
Gaza a ‘slaughterhouse,’ says British surgeon
- Dr. Tom Potokar: ‘It’s difficult to describe in words what’s happening here’
- ‘Absolutely horrific’ stories amid escalating Israeli attacks
LONDON: A British surgeon working in southern Gaza has described treating severe explosive injuries and compared the Palestinian enclave to a “slaughterhouse” amid escalating Israeli attacks.
Overnight, at least 130 people were reported killed as Israeli forces launched extensive ground operations in the northern and southern Gaza Strip, forcing the closure of some of its main medical facilities.
Dr. Tom Potokar said in a video that medical staff were treating severe explosive injuries in southern Gaza.
“It’s difficult to describe in words what’s happening here (with the) constant sound of bombardment, jets overhead,” he added.
Following the Hamas attack in October 2023 that killed nearly 1,200 people, Israeli forces launched an air, ground and sea campaign on Gaza, killing over 52,000 Palestinians and displacing and injuring hundreds of thousands.
Potokar said he treated a young woman who “is not yet aware that everyone in (her) family was killed in the onslaught.”
He added: “Another day of devastation here in Gaza ... The stories coming from the north ... absolutely horrific ... particularly around the Indonesian Hospital.”
The hospital, one of the largest partially functioning medical facilities in Beit Lahia, has ceased operations due to Israeli bombing.
In the south, the Gaza European Hospital in Khan Yunis announced that it was out of service last week, while the Kuwait Specialized Hospital in Rafah said it can no longer operate its surgical department amid the Israeli attacks.
Since March, Israel has enforced a blockade on aid, prompting a warning from UN food experts about the imminent risk of mass starvation in Gaza.
Ex-servicemen to be re-deployed as security guards in Kashmir, says Indian govt
- Around 4,000 veterans have been "identified" as non-combatant volunteers
SRINAGAR, India: Military veterans will be redeployed as security guards in Indian Kashmir, New Delhi said on Saturday.
The government of Jammu and Kashmir approved a "proposal for mobilising ex-servicemen to safeguard vital infrastructure across the union territory," according to a government press release.
Around 4,000 veterans have been "identified" as non-combatant volunteers, out of which 435 have licensed personal weapons, it said.
This will help by "significantly enhancing the capacity to respond effectively to localised security situations," the government added.
Veterans will work in "static guard" roles, focusing on "presence-based deterrence and local coordination."
India already has an estimated half a million soldiers permanently deployed in its part of Kashmir.
A similar veteran volunteer program took place with 2,500 veterans during the Covid-19 pandemic, according to the government.
Philippines records surge in tourists from Middle East
- Philippines has been recognized as an emerging Muslim-friendly destination in recent years
- Last year, it launched a beach for Muslim women travelers in top resort island Boracay
MANILA: The Philippines has recorded significant growth in tourists from the Middle East, the Department of Tourism said on Sunday, following various campaigns to attract more travelers from the region.
Tourism is a key sector for the Philippines, and its government has lately been trying to attract more visitors from the Middle East by creating Muslim-friendly destinations and ensuring that they have access to halal products and services.
Those efforts, part of the Philippines’ move to diversify its economy away from dependency in the declining Chinese market, have led to a surge in international tourism arrivals from countries in the Middle East and the Gulf Cooperation Council, Philippine Tourism Secretary Christina Frasco said.
“We are targeting markets such as the Middle East and the GCC, as well as India,” she said in a statement.
“Because of our efforts to diversify, we are seeing, for example, from the Middle East and the GCC, an average of no less than 500 to 800 percent growth rate in terms of international tourism arrivals.”
The Philippines’ tourism sector has been recovering since the COVID-19 pandemic, which forced most tourism destinations in the country to shut down and resulted in a decline of foreign arrivals by more than 80 percent compared to 2019 numbers.
As tourism started to rebound, the Middle Eastern market was among the ones showing “promising signs of recovery” last year, a Department of Tourism report said.
The UAE, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, Oman and Bahrain are among the countries showing a positive recovery rate, “signifying a steady return of visitors from the Gulf region,” according to the report.
In 2024, the Philippines was recognized as an Emerging Muslim-friendly non-Organization of Islamic Cooperation Destination by the Mastercard-CrescentRating Global Muslim Travel Index.
The index is an annual report benchmarking destinations in the Muslim travel market.
The archipelagic country known for its white-sand beaches, diving spots and rich culture, also won the award in 2023 and has since boosted efforts to attract visitors from the Middle East.
Last year, it launched a beach for Muslim women travelers in Boracay, the country’s top resort island and one of the world’s most popular.
The Department of Tourism also partnered with Emirates Airlines in April to jointly promote the Philippines, targeting the Middle Eastern, Mediterranean and European markets.
“The beauty of coming to the Philippines is that it is a very diversified destination. We are able to cater to any type of traveler, whether you are a solo traveler, a couple, (or) a family,” Frasco said.
“With the number of islands that we have and the readiness of these destinations, then we are excited to welcome people of all nationalities.”
British politician urges UK to act on Israel as Gaza faces ‘cruel destitution’
- Liberal Democrat Layla Moran, of Palestinian descent, said a critical tone had yet to translate into meaningful policy change
LONDON: A British politician of Palestinian descent has called on the UK government to back its tougher rhetoric on Israel with tangible action, warning that people in Gaza are facing “unbearably cruel levels of destitution.”
Liberal Democrat Layla Moran said that although ministers had recently adopted a more critical tone, this had yet to translate into meaningful policy change, The Guardian reported on Sunday.
“I remain frustrated that while the government’s words and tone have changed, in terms of concrete actions, not much has changed,” she said.
Her comments come amid growing international pressure over Israel’s expanded military campaign in Gaza and its restriction of humanitarian aid.
On Wednesday, Hamish Falconer, minister for the Middle East, described Israel’s aid blockade as “appalling,” “cruel,” and “indefensible.”
Foreign Secretary David Lammy also confirmed that the UK was in discussions with France and Saudi Arabia about recognizing a Palestinian state, ahead of a planned international conference in Paris in June.
Moran urged the UK to move forward with recognition, arguing it would “safeguard Palestinian interests and also send a very clear signal to Israel that there are consequences to their actions.”
She also criticized the government for continuing to allow trade from illegal Israeli settlements and for supplying arms to Israel, adding: “They’re still arming Israel when they shouldn’t be.”
