Fighters of the ruling Syrian body inspect the site of a mass grave from the rule of Syria’s Bashar al-Assad, according to residents, after the ousting of al-Assad, in Najha, Syria, Dec. 17, 2024. Photo: REUTERS/Ammar Awad

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 traumatized adult.

Prosecutors say Rafik A. was the head of the interrogation unit of ​the National Defense ​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.