Former Syrian colonel unfit for trial in landmark UK crimes against humanity murder case
Summary
A former Syrian air force colonel, Salem al-Salem, is too ill to stand trial in the UK for charges of murder and torture linked to attacks on civilians in 2011. He will face a trial of facts, which will decide if he committed the crimes, but he will not appear in court and cannot be convicted due to his medical condition.Key Facts
- Salem al-Salem is charged with three counts of murder as crimes against humanity and with torturing others.
- The charges relate to actions taken in 2011 against protesters during Syria’s Arab Spring uprising.
- Al-Salem was part of the Syrian Air Force Intelligence group suppressing demonstrations in the Damascus suburb of Jobar.
- UK law allows prosecution for crimes against humanity regardless of where they happened.
- A judge accepted medical evidence that al-Salem has a severe neurological disease, leaving him paralyzed and cognitively impaired.
- Because of his condition, al-Salem cannot enter a plea or stand trial in the usual way.
- The trial of facts will determine if he committed the alleged acts but cannot lead to a conviction.
- Al-Salem is the first person in the UK charged with murder as a crime against humanity under the International Criminal Court Act of 2001.
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