French Court Sentences 3 Syrian Officials to Life in Prison for War Crimes

Lawyers Clemence Bectarte (R) and President of Human Rights League, Patrick Baudouin (L) celebrate as they leave the court after the verdict of the case against three Syrian officials for their complicity in crimes against humanity, in Paris, France, 24 May 2024. EPA/Mohammed Badra
Lawyers Clemence Bectarte (R) and President of Human Rights League, Patrick Baudouin (L) celebrate as they leave the court after the verdict of the case against three Syrian officials for their complicity in crimes against humanity, in Paris, France, 24 May 2024. EPA/Mohammed Badra
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French Court Sentences 3 Syrian Officials to Life in Prison for War Crimes

Lawyers Clemence Bectarte (R) and President of Human Rights League, Patrick Baudouin (L) celebrate as they leave the court after the verdict of the case against three Syrian officials for their complicity in crimes against humanity, in Paris, France, 24 May 2024. EPA/Mohammed Badra
Lawyers Clemence Bectarte (R) and President of Human Rights League, Patrick Baudouin (L) celebrate as they leave the court after the verdict of the case against three Syrian officials for their complicity in crimes against humanity, in Paris, France, 24 May 2024. EPA/Mohammed Badra

A Paris court sentenced three high-ranking Syrian officials, including Ali Mamlouk, in absentia to life in prison Friday for complicity in war crimes in a landmark case against the regime of Syrian President Bashar Assad and the first such case in Europe.
The trial focused on the officials’ role in the alleged 2013 arrest in Damascus of Mazen Dabbagh, a Franco-Syrian father, and his son Patrick, and their subsequent torture and killing. The four-day trial featured harrowing testimonies from survivors and searing accounts from Mazen’s brother.
Though the verdict was cathartic for plaintiffs, France and Syria do not have an extradition treaty, making the outcome largely symbolic. International arrest warrants for the three former Syrian intelligence officials —Mamlouk, Jamil Hassan, and Abdel Salam Mahmoud — have been issued since 2018 to no avail.
They are the most senior Syrian officials to go on trial in a European court over crimes allegedly committed during the country’s civil war.

Clémence Bectarte, the Dabbagh family lawyer from the International Federation for Human Rights, said the verdict was the “first recognition in France of the crimes against humanity of the Syrian regime.”
The trial began Tuesday over the alleged torture and killing of the French-Syrian father and son who were arrested at the height of Arab Spring-inspired anti-government protests. The two were arrested in Damascus following a crackdown on demonstrations that later turned into a brutal civil war, now in its 14th year.
The probe into their disappearance started in 2015 when Obeida Dabbagh, Mazen’s brother, testified to investigators already examining war crimes in Syria.
Obeida Dabbagh and his wife, Hanane, are parties to the trial along with non-governmental organizations. They testified in court on Thursday, the third day of the trial.



Israeli Army on High Alert for ‘Potential’ Iranian Attack

Israeli Chief of Staff Lt. Gen. Herzi Halevi (center) meets with senior officers, November 4, 2024. (Israel Army)
Israeli Chief of Staff Lt. Gen. Herzi Halevi (center) meets with senior officers, November 4, 2024. (Israel Army)
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Israeli Army on High Alert for ‘Potential’ Iranian Attack

Israeli Chief of Staff Lt. Gen. Herzi Halevi (center) meets with senior officers, November 4, 2024. (Israel Army)
Israeli Chief of Staff Lt. Gen. Herzi Halevi (center) meets with senior officers, November 4, 2024. (Israel Army)

Israeli Army Chief of Staff Lt. Gen. Herzi Halevi has ordered the military to be placed on high alert for a possible Iranian attack and has instructed preparations for a range of scenarios.
The security leadership in Tel Aviv affirmed that even if the likelihood of Iran taking military action against Israel remains low, Halevi ordered his forces to take precautionary measures, including raising the readiness of the air force and air defense.
Israeli analysts said the caution comes as Iran faces multiple domestic economic and political instability, including a plunging exchange rate, internal criticism and possible demonstrations.
They said such difficulties could push Tehran to take extreme actions against Israel, particularly ahead of the return of Donald Trump to the White House.
Additionally, the security sources said there is concern in Israel and the US that Iran may accelerate its pursuit of nuclear capabilities. The Iranian regime might view nuclear weapons as its only means of survival or as a deterrent against its adversaries.
Tel Aviv and Washington feel compelled to intervene forcefully to prevent this scenario, according to the sources.