More than eight years after an attack that killed several people in the Syrian capital Damascus, the Berlin Court of Appeal sentenced a 55-year-old to life imprisonment.
Judges found the man of Palestinian descent guilty of particularly serious war crimes on Thursday, as well as four counts of murder and two counts of attempted murder. In addition, the court determined the particular gravity of the guilt, which would almost rule out an early release from prison after 15 years.
According to the judges, the man shot an anti-tank weapon into a crowd in Damascus in 2014, killing at least four civilians. From the point of view of the court, there is much to suggest that there were significantly more victims.
The attack was an act of revenge after the man’s nephew had been killed shortly before in a shootout with Free Syrian Army (FSA) fighters.
With its judgment, the court essentially followed the request of the federal prosecutor. The defense had pleaded for acquittal. The verdict is not yet legally binding.
The stateless man was arrested in Berlin in early August 2022.
Broadcast: rbb24 Inforadio, February 23, 2023, 2 p.m