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January 13, a court in the small German town of Koblenz judgment Anwar Raslan, a former Syrian intelligence officer, has been jailed for crimes against humanity. This ruling does not bring justice to all Syrians, but it is a great victory.
For thousands of survivors like me, who were unjustly detained, interrogated and tortured at the al-Khatib state security department in Damascus, which he led between 2011 and 2012, was a day we thought we would never see again. During his tenure, more than 4,000 people were tortured there, about 58 believed to have died.
I was arrested twice – once in 2011 and then in 2012 after the collapse of the Syrian Center for Media and Freedom of Expression where I worked, promoting free speech. For the first time, I was taken to the al-Khatib state security department – known as Branch 251 – for questioning, where I was secretly detained, beaten, and tortured. The second time, I was taken to the Air Force base.
When we returned to Syria, we dreamed that one day we would see one of the government rebels in court.
Although Anwar Raslan is just one of hundreds of members of Bashar al-Assad’s defense and intelligence force responsible for human rights abuses and many other atrocities over the past 10 and a half years, his personal involvement has significant implications. It is a crime against the whole of Syria.
Under international law, the real meaning of civil war crimes is that they create widespread and systematic revolutions against civilians. These humanitarian attacks provide compelling evidence of a serious threat to government.
For any country considering renewing ties with al-Assad or forcing refugees to return to Syria, it is an important reminder of what the Syrian government can do.
Yet another part of me remains heartbroken. It is difficult to accept this story when there are thousands of people who are less fortunate than me who have disappeared by force, imprisoned in the notorious al-Assad prisons. To them, justice is elusive.
Nothing can explain the dangers looming in Syria. Wise Syrian officials call it “the end of the sun”. The word means to dwell in darkness; banishment to life. It is a living death.
After a few days of confinement in small dark places, you no longer know whether it is night or day. Light and darkness are meaningless. It seems like it is gone. You forget the little things of life – what the trees look like or how the flowers smell.
Upon my release in 2015, I fled Syria mainly because of the fears I encountered with the police and the police, including Raslan. I left Syria because I was afraid I would be caught again and I did not want my family to be disturbed by the uncertainty of what was going to happen to me, and I wondered: Is he dead or alive? Is he torturing her right away? Is her body hanging on a rope somewhere?
I could have forgiven Raslan for my crimes if he had shown so much remorse. But instead, in court, I saw that she had acted rudely and that she was being looked down on. He denied that there had been a systematic persecution in the al-Khatib branch, despite ample evidence to the contrary.
Real justice in Syria can only be achieved when al-Assad, its members of security and all military personnel and members of the Syrian armed forces are on trial.
When I decided to testify in court, I had no idea what he would do with justice. But I know that if the opportunity arises for me to report to a court of law for my experience, I can jump. We can only hope that such tests will further strengthen the indictment of Syrian militants and bring us one step closer to the future of Syria.
I have had the opportunity to witness my torture at trial – an opportunity that many other Syrians have been brutally denied. I hope that this ruling will pave the way for greater justice for all Syrians.
The views expressed in this article are those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the views of Al Jazeera.
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