Netherlands police have apprehended a Syrian refugee on suspicions of crimes against humanity. The 55-year-old man was arrested in the town of Druten in the province of Gelderland. Accusations against him include sexual violence perpetrated during the Syrian civil war and participation in torture, marking the first time Netherlands has leveled crimes against humanity charges against an individual.
The International Crimes Team (TIM) of the Dutch National Police has accused the man of serving as the head of the interrogation department of the National Defense Force (NDF), a militia organization aligned with the Syrian government. Investigations suggest his involvement with the NDF around 2013 and 2014, during which the group engaged in combat against rebelling factions. As per the Public Prosecution Service of Netherlands, the man arrived in the Netherlands in 2021 and was granted a temporary asylum permit.
The arrested man faces allegations of participation in torture and sexual violence against civilians. These crimes clearly violate the provisions of the 1949 Fourth Geneva Convention, as per Article 27 and Article 32, which strictly prohibit indecent assault on women, and actions leading to suffering or extermination of protected persons, respectively.
The Netherlands is exercising its right of universal jurisdiction to prosecute these alleged crimes. This provision enables states to claim jurisdiction over an accused person for certain crimes regardless of where the crime was committed or any cultural or geographical ties to the prosecuting entity.