Ex-Syrian intelligence officer appears in UK court charged with crimes against humanity
By Michael Holden
LONDON, March 10 (Reuters) – A former member of Syrian Air Force Intelligence appeared via video link on Tuesday at a British court hearing charged with crimes against humanity and torture in connection with the suppression of pro-democracy demonstrations in Damascus in 2011.
Salem Michel Al-Salem, 58, who now lives in Britain, attended the hearing at London’s Westminster Magistrates’ Court virtually from his home. He was wearing a respirator mask and the court was told he suffered from degenerative motor neurone disease.
Al-Salem is charged with three counts of murder as crimes against humanity “as part of a widespread or systematic attack against civilian populations who knew about the attack” for the deaths in April and July 2011.
He is also charged with three charges of torture related to incidents in 2011 and 2012, and conduct accessory to murder as a crime against humanity. He did not speak during the hearing and there was no indication of how he would defend himself.
His lawyer, Sean Caulfield, told the court Al-Salem was too unwell to confirm his name.
The seven charges were brought under British law, which allows the prosecution of serious international crimes committed abroad. The Crown Prosecution Service said it was the first time it had brought murder charges as a crime against humanity.
In 2005, Afghan warlord Faryadi Zardad was convicted by a British court for torture in Afghanistan.
British prosecutors say Al-Salem, who requested indefinite leave to stay in Britain, was a colonel in the Syrian Air Force Intelligence section, which oversaw the Information Branch in the Cobar region, east of central Damascus.
He is accused of leading a group tasked with suppressing demonstrations that occurred mostly during Friday afternoon prayers. Prosecutors say he ordered his men to open fire on protesters, leading to some deaths.
Prosecutors say he also took part in or participated in the torture of men in the Information Branch building.
Al-Salem was first arrested in central England in December 2021. His lawyer had requested an order to keep his name secret, claiming it could pose a risk to his safety. The Chief Justice of England, Paul Goldspring, rejected the application but ordered that his address not be made public.
He will appear at the Old Bailey court in London next Friday.
(Reporting by Michael Holden, Editing by Gareth Jones)
