Paris court accepts Syria war crime plea

By Rahmi Gunduz

PARIS

A court in Paris has accepted a complaint against the Syrian regime, accusing it of war crimes, French media said Thursday.

France-based television channel BFM TV reported citing judiciary sources that the court had ruled to open a criminal investigation into the complaint.

The Paris Criminal Court also appointed an investigating judge to probe the charges of “torture”, “crime against humanity” and “forced disappearances”.

The International Federation for Human Rights and the International Human Rights League had applied to the Paris court on behalf of the Franco-Syrian citizens Mazen Dabbagh, aged 57, and his son Patrick, 20, who were tortured in prison in 2013 under the Damascus-based regime.

The two advocate groups said in their application the father Dabbagh was a principal at a French school in Damascus while his son was a student in the faculty of literature when they were taken into custody in November 2013 – the two have not seen since then.

Obeida Dabbagh, 64, an engineer based in France, who is Mazen’s brother, said he fears his brother and nephew might be victims of extrajudicial executions after torture.

By Rahmi Gunduz

PARIS

A court in Paris has accepted a complaint against the Syrian regime, accusing it of war crimes, French media said Thursday.

France-based television channel BFM TV reported citing judiciary sources that the court had ruled to open a criminal investigation into the complaint.

The Paris Criminal Court also appointed an investigating judge to probe the charges of “torture”, “crime against humanity” and “forced disappearances”.

Obeida Dabbagh, 64, an engineer based in France, who is Mazen’s brother, said he fears his brother and nephew might be victims of extrajudicial executions after torture.