Syrian Man Denies War Crimes Charges in The Hague

0:00It's April 8th. From your city to your ears, this is Canada News Today, powered by AI. A 58-year-old Syrian man faced dozens of torture and sexual violence charges at the start of his trial in the Hague this week. Known only as Rafik Al-Q under Dutch privacy rules, he flat out denied everything, calling it a big conspiracy cooked up against him. Prosecutors say he led interrogations for a pro-Assad militia during Syria's Civil War. And he insists he was just a civil servant in Salamiya and never touched that stuff. He even accused the nine victims, witnesses, and Dutch cops of straight up lying through their teeth. This case hits under universal jurisdiction, letting courts hear nail war crimes from anywhere. The Netherlands has already convicted a few other Syrians for similar horrors, like illegal detention and executions tied to the Assad era. He sought asylum here in 2021, settled in a quiet eastern town, then got nabbed in 2023. Meanwhile, Syria's war kicked off with protests in March 2011, raged for nearly 14 years,

1:06and sought Assad booted last year by insurgents. Now running things, hearings roll on for two more weeks, with a verdict due June 9th, as global eyes they locked on accountability for those dark years.