Former Assad regime investigator faces trial in the Netherlands

A court in The Hague, the Netherlands, has sentenced Syrian national Rafiq al-Qatrib to 26 years in prison after convicting him of crimes against humanity committed while serving as an investigator with the National Defense Forces in the city of Salamiyah between 2013 and 2014, during the rule of former Syrian President Bashar al-Assad.

The court found that al-Qatrib participated in the torture of detainees and committed acts of sexual violence against them during interrogations, ruling that his actions constituted crimes against humanity.

The verdict is part of a series of prosecutions across Europe targeting individuals accused of committing serious violations during the Syrian conflict, following the fall of the Assad regime in December 2024.