PARIS (AP) 鈥 The landmark trial of three former Syrian intelligence officials began Tuesday at a Paris court for the alleged torture and killing of a French-Syrian father and son who were arrested over a decade ago, during the height of Arab Spring-inspired anti-government protests.
International warrants have been issued for the defendants, being tried in absentia.
The father Mazen Dabbagh and his son, Patrick, were arrested in the Syrian capital, Damascus, in 2013, following a crackdown on demonstrations that later turned into , now in its 14th year. The probe into their disappearance started in 2015 when Obeida Dabbagh, Mazen鈥檚 brother, testified to investigators already examining war crimes in Syria.
The four-day hearings come as Syria's President has started to shed his longtime status as a unleashed on his opponents. Human rights groups involved in the case hope it will refocus attention on alleged atrocities.
About 50 activists gathered near the Paris Criminal Court, chanting for 鈥渇reedom鈥 and in support of the disappeared and the dead.
Arwad, a young Syrian girl who has lived in France since 2018, was not at the hearing but joined the rally. 鈥淲e are refugees, we support freedom,鈥 she said.
If the three 鈥 Ali Mamlouk, former head of the 好色tv Security Bureau, Jamil Hassan, former Air Force intelligence director, and Abdel Salam Mahmoud, former head of investigations for the service in Damascus 鈥 are convicted, they could be sentenced to life in prison in France.
The first hearing on Tuesday invited several, including Ziad Majed, a Franco-Lebanese academic specializing in Syria, for 鈥渃ontext testimonies" in front of three judges.
Majed shed light on the history of the Assad family鈥檚 rule since the early 1970s. "The three defendants are part of the Al-Assad system. I know their names; they are also famous in Lebanon,鈥 he said, meaning they are well-known for being part of the Assad government.
After his two-hour testimony, Majed joined the demonstrators, calling for justice for the disappeared.
Garance Le Caisne, author and writer, and Fran莽ois Burgat, a scholar of Islam, also testified on Tuesday. Both are experts on Syrian matters.
Le Caisne said: 鈥淭orture is not to make people talk but to silence them. The regime is very structured. Arrests are arbitrary. You disappear. You can go buy bread or meat and not return home." He added that Assad in 2011 鈥渢hought he was losing power and repressed the protesters unimaginably鈥 and that now his government had 鈥漜omplete control over the population."
Meanwhile, Fran莽ois Burgat said that 鈥渢orture in Syria existed well before the Syrian Spring鈥 and that 鈥減olitical violence鈥 has always existed in the Middle Eastern country.
"The Assad regime wants to lead a Shiite population. They do not want the predominantly Sunni refugees to return,鈥 she said.
The Dabbagh family lawyer, Clemence Bectarte, from the International Federation for Human Rights, told The Associated Press she had high hopes for the trial.
鈥淭his trial represents immense hope for all Syrian victims who cannot attain justice. Impunity continues to reign in Syria, so this trial aims to bring justice to the family and echo the stories of hundreds of thousands of Syrian victims,鈥 Bectarte said.
The brother, Obeida, and his wife, Hanane, are set to testify on Thursday, the third day of the trial. 鈥淚 hope the responsible parties will be condemned. This could set a precedent for holding Assad accountable,鈥 he told the AP. 鈥淗undreds of thousands of Syrians have died. Even today, some live in fear and terror.鈥
Obeida and Hanane, as well as non-governmental organizations, are parties to the trial.
鈥淲e are always afraid,鈥 he said. 鈥淪ince I started talking about this case, as soon as my brother and nephew disappeared, the motivation to see a trial took over. The fear disappeared. I am now relieved that this pain and suffering are leading to something.鈥
Brigitte Herremans, a senior researcher at the Human Rights Centre of Ghent University, emphasized the trial鈥檚 significance despite the defendants' absence. 鈥淚t鈥檚 very important that perpetrators from the regime side are held accountable, even if it鈥檚 mainly symbolic. It means a lot for the fight against impunity,鈥 Herremans said.
The verdict is expected on Friday.
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Oleg Cetinic in Paris contributed to this report.
