Published by Global Banking & Finance Review®
Posted on April 22, 2026
2 min readLast updated: April 23, 2026
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Dutch prosecutors on April 22, 2026, asked for a 30‑year prison term for 58‑year‑old Rafik A., accused of torture, sexual violence and rape as crimes against humanity committed in Syria in 2013–14. The Netherlands’ first case charging sexual violence as a crime against humanity is being tried under
THE HAGUE, April 22 (Reuters) - Prosecutors in the Netherlands on Wednesday demanded a 30-year prison sentence for a Syrian man accused of torturing and raping prisoners when he was a member of a militia that backed the government of former president Bashar al-Assad.
Prosecutors have charged 58-year-old Rafik A., whose last name is withheld by the Dutch court, with 25 counts including torture, sexual violence and rape as crimes against humanity against nine people in 2013 and 2014.
Rafik A. has repeatedly denied any involvement with the alleged crimes. The case is the first in the Netherlands to deal with alleged atrocity crimes in Syria committed by pro-government forces. It is also the first time Dutch prosecutors have charged sexual violence as a crime against humanity.
Cases against Assad-era security officials have also been brought in other European countries, including Germany.
Witnesses who survived the defendant's attacks spoke of the physical and psychological torture inflicted by A. during the trial.
"Not only did he tear my body apart, but he trampled on my soul. He was the worst nightmare of my life," one witness said, recounting that he entered detention as a child and emerged as a traumatised adult.
Prosecutors say Rafik A. was the head of the interrogation unit of the National Defence Forces (NDF) in Salamiyah, Syria, in 2013 and 2014. The NDF was a militia that fought on the side of the government of Assad, who was ousted in December 2024.
Rafik A. was arrested in 2023 in the Netherlands, where he had lived for several years as an asylum seeker.
Under the concept of universal jurisdiction, Dutch law broadly allows cases to be brought against foreign nationals for crimes committed abroad if the perpetrators or some of the victims are present in the Netherlands.
Rafik A.'s lawyers and lawyers for his alleged victims will give their closing arguments on Thursday. The verdict is expected on June 9.
(Reporting by Stephanie van den Berg; additional reporting by Suban Abdulla; Editing by Aidan Lewis)
Rafik A., a 58-year-old former member of a Syrian militia, is accused of torturing and raping prisoners during 2013 and 2014.
Rafik A. faces 25 counts, including torture, sexual violence, and rape as crimes against humanity against nine people.
It is the first Dutch case addressing alleged pro-government atrocity crimes in Syria and the first charging sexual violence as a crime against humanity.
The verdict for Rafik A.'s trial is expected on June 9.
He was arrested in the Netherlands, where he lived as an asylum seeker, under Dutch universal jurisdiction laws for foreign crimes.
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