1. What did the Dutch court find this Syrian national guilty of?
A Dutch court convicted Rafiq al Q., a 58-year-old Syrian national, of torture, sexual abuse and rape committed against opponents of then-Syrian President Bashar Assad's government between 2013 and 2014. Judges found he worked as an interrogator for the pro-Assad National Defense Force, where he beat detainees, suspended them upside down, administered electric shocks, and sexually assaulted multiple victims, including raping one of them. He was sentenced to 26 years in prison, though he was acquitted on some charges where evidence was deemed insufficient.
2. How did a Dutch court have the authority to try someone for crimes committed in Syria?
The trial was based on universal jurisdiction, a legal principle that permits courts to prosecute suspects for serious international offenses — such as war crimes and crimes against humanity — regardless of where those crimes took place. Rafiq al Q. had claimed asylum in the Netherlands in 2021 and was living in the eastern town of Druten when he was arrested in 2023, bringing him within reach of Dutch law.
3. Why are these prosecutions happening now?
The fall of Assad in December 2024 — following a decisive rebel offensive after years of civil war — opened the door to broader accountability efforts. Assad fled to Russia, but his departure allowed courts, activists, and survivors to more freely pursue cases that had long been documented. Torture, sexual violence, mass executions and brutality were widespread across dozens of Syrian detention centers during his rule, according to rights groups and former prisoners.
4. Who else has been prosecuted for Syrian war crimes?
The Netherlands is one of several countries pursuing accountability. A German court sentenced a Syrian doctor to life in prison for killing two people and torturing nine others between 2011 and 2012. A Paris court sentenced three senior Syrian officials in absentia to life in prison for war crimes complicity in 2024. Syria itself opened its first public domestic trial in April, with a former army brigadier general appearing in a Damascus courtroom on charges related to crimes against the Syrian people.
5. Is the case now closed?
Not necessarily. Both prosecutors and the defendant have 14 days to appeal the conviction and sentence. Rafiq al Q. denied all involvement throughout the trial, saying that the victims and police had conspired against him, so an appeal from his side remains possible.
For more on this report, read “Syrian sentenced to 26 years in prison by Dutch court for crimes against humanity†from The Associated Press, published on The Washington Times.
This article was constructed with the assistance of artificial intelligence and published by a member of The Washington Times’ AI News Desk team. The contents of this report are based solely on The Washington Times’ original reporting, wire services, and/or other sources cited within the report. For more information, please read our AI policy or contact Steve Fink, Director of Artificial Intelligence, at sfink@washingtontimes.com
The Washington Times AI Ethics Newsroom Committee can be reached at aispotlight@washingtontimes.com.
