Dutch court sentences Syrian interrogator to 26 years

A Dutch court has sentenced a former Syrian militia interrogator to 26 years in prison for crimes against humanity, including torture and rape, marking the first such conviction in the Netherlands for atrocities committed by forces loyal to former President Bashar al-Assad. The District Court of The Hague delivered the sentence on Monday, June 15, 2026, after finding the defendant, identified as Rafik A., guilty of grave abuses against eight victims in 2013 and 2014.

The 58-year-old defendant was an interrogator for the pro-Assad National Defense Forces militia in the Syrian city of Salamiyah. The court established that he either personally committed or ordered the torture and sexual abuse of detainees. Specific acts cited in the ruling included beating victims with various objects, suspending them upside down, administering electric shocks, and rape. Presiding Judge Wim van Hattum stated the defendant repeatedly subjected victims to conditions of extreme fear, pain, and powerlessness.

During the trial, the defendant denied all charges, dismissing them as a conspiracy and accusing witnesses of lying. His defense lawyers argued he himself had been tortured by militias and suffers...