Judge in Spain begins investigation of Syrian war crimes
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MADRID—A judge in Spain has begun hearing testimony against potential war crimes by President Bashar al-Assad's regime in Syria.
The plaintiff, Amal Hag Hamdo Anfalis, is a Spanish national whose brother was allegedly abducted and tortured in the Syrian capital of Damascus, before being executed in 2013.
On Monday, she told National Court judge Eloy Velasco in Madrid that her brother was only a driver transporting nuts and dried fruits in his truck and that he had no involvement with the Syrian opposition.
She also explained how the family identified the victim's body among photos smuggled out of Syria by a sympathetic forensic photographer. The photographer, codenamed Caesar, could testify before the judge next month, according to the plaintiff's lawyer Maite Parejo.
Assad himself is not being investigated given his immunity under international laws, but nine of his close aids in the security and intelligence apparatus are, including long-time Vice President Farouk al-Sharaa and intelligence chief Ali Mamlouk.
