The Higher Regional Court in the German city of Koblenz continues the trial of Fahd Al-Hamid, a former Syrian security officer, on charges of committing crimes against humanity, including torture, brutal interrogations and murder of detainees in Damascus during 2011 and 2012. The first session witnessed notable tension, after the defendant and his family members threatened one of the witnesses inside the courtroom, directing threats at him and promising him various methods, which prompted the immediate intervention of the German police to provide protection for the witness and prevent any escalation.
Fahd al-Hamid is 48 years old and held the rank of non-commissioned officer when he defected from the ousted Assad regime in 2012. He was arrested in May 2015 in the German state of Rhineland-Palatinate on charges related to crimes against humanity, murder, and causing serious bodily harm, as a result of his participation in torturing detainees by electrocution, severe beatings, and immersing them in cold water, while working in Branch 251, known as the “al-Khatib Branch,” in Damascus.
The accused participated in more than 100 interrogation sessions, during which detainees were subjected to severe physical torture.
The German website “Tagesschau” reported that the Federal Criminal Police Office carried out the arrest in the city of Pirmasens, where the accused has remained in pretrial detention ever since.
According to the indictment filed by the Federal Prosecutor, the accused worked between April 2011 and mid-April 2012 at the “Al-Khatib” security branch in Damascus, and during that period participated in more than 100 interrogation sessions, during which detainees were subjected to severe physical torture, including electric shocks, beatings with wires, and being forced to remain in painful positions for long periods. The indictment also indicates that at least 70 detainees were killed as a result of the harsh detention conditions and ill-treatment.
Al-Humaid recounts details of the torture
Al-Humaid had appeared on Al Jazeera in 2015, where he gave detailed testimonies about the torture methods that were practiced inside the Al-Khatib branch, including electric shocks, suspension by the limbs, and beatings to death.
In the context of following up on the trial proceedings, lawyer Rasha Shahbaz, a member of the board of directors of the Syrian Center for Legal Studies and Research, explained to Al-Quds Al-Arabi that the accused is appearing before the court on the basis of his arrest in May 2025, within the framework of applying the principle of universal jurisdiction.
She noted that the indictment accuses him of working during 2011 and 2012 in one of the detention centers belonging to the Syrian intelligence services in Damascus, specifically in Branch 251, where he participated in the detention and interrogation of detainees, and contributed to the implementation of systematic torture practices against them.
She added that these practices included the use of electric shocks, severe beatings, and immersion in cold water, in addition to subjecting detainees to inhumane and life-threatening detention conditions. The accused also participated, according to the indictment, in more than 100 interrogations and, along with other individuals, tortured at least 115 detainees, causing serious physical harm to a large number of victims.
She indicated that the accused is also accused of causing the death of at least 70 detainees under torture inside the detention center in Damascus, stressing that these acts, according to the Public Prosecution, amount to crimes against humanity, including murder, torture and inhuman treatment, given that they were committed in the context of a widespread and systematic attack directed against the civilian population.
Regarding the legal importance of the case, Shahbaz pointed out that it represents an extension of the ongoing efforts to hold perpetrators of serious violations in Syria accountable, noting that the Syrian Center for Legal Studies and Research contributed to preparing its files as part of its work in documenting crimes and supporting justice processes in Europe.
The “Al-Khatib” branch is one of the most notorious security branches in Syria, where international human rights organizations have documented widespread patterns of physical and psychological torture practiced within it.
Lawyer Anwar al-Bunni, head of the Syrian Center for Legal Research and Studies, stated that the first session was dedicated to the German public prosecutor presenting the charges, which the defendant denied. He noted a striking incident in which the defendant and members of his family threatened a witness inside the courtroom, using explicit threats and intimidation, prompting the police to intervene immediately to protect the witness and ensure his safety.
According to the German public prosecutor's office, Al-Hamid is not merely a witness to those crimes, but is suspected of direct involvement in carrying them out, which makes him subject to full legal accountability.
The “Al-Khatib” branch is one of the most notorious security branches in Syria, where international human rights organizations, including Human Rights Watch and Amnesty International, have documented widespread patterns of physical and psychological torture that were practiced within it, and considered them to be crimes amounting to crimes against humanity.
Meanwhile, a series of trials related to war crimes and crimes against humanity are continuing in a number of European countries, as the Higher Regional Court in Koblenz, Germany, is considering the cases of five defendants facing charges of committing serious violations in the Yarmouk camp.
According to Al-Bunni, a court in Sweden is scheduled to issue its verdict on May 4 against a sixth defendant from the same group, after his trial concluded last month.
In a related development, the trial of a National Defense Forces militia leader from the city of Salamiyah, near Hama, continues before the Dutch National Court in The Hague, with a verdict expected on June 9. The trial of another member of the same militia, named Hussein (A), is also ongoing in Belgium on similar charges.
The trial of a leader in the National Defense militia in the city of Salamiyah is also continuing before the Dutch National Court in The Hague.
Al-Bunni pointed out that June 2026 will also witness the start of the trial of both the accused Khaled (H) and Musab (A) in Austria, who are two former officers in the Syrian security services, one of them with the rank of brigadier general and who was the head of the State Security branch in Raqqa, and the other with the rank of colonel in the Criminal Security in the same city, and they face charges related to the practice of torture.
In Berlin, the trial of the accused Anwar (S) continues on charges of committing crimes against humanity, as he is accused of arresting demonstrators in the city of Aleppo, assaulting them, and then handing them over to the security services who tortured and killed them.
Al-Bunni stressed that all these cases came as a result of long work that extended for years by the Syrian Center for Legal Studies and Research, which worked to document these crimes and build their legal files, noting that work is continuing on other cases whose results are expected to appear during the coming period.
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