Real Talk: Syria’s state torture on trial

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This discussion was hosted by Volksbühne Berlin, The Syria Campaign, Families for Freedom and Bard College Berlin. The first trial worldwide on state torture in Syria is underway in Germany. Anwar Raslan is accused of overseeing the torture of at least 4,000 people at the detention centre of the General Intelligence Service’s Al-Khatib Branch in Damascus. Eyad al-Gharib is accused of aiding and abetting torture in at least 30 cases. Syria’s survivors of torture will testify before the German court as part of the trial, which sets an important precedent as Syrian officials have so far escaped prosecution for crimes against humanity. Two days into the latest court hearings, listen to our live webinar with a panel of human rights activists and legal experts about the significance of this trial and what it will mean in the long term for justice and accountability in Syria. Speakers: - Andreas Schüller, the director of the international crimes and accountability program at the European Center for Constitutional and Human Rights - Anwar Albunni, Syrian human rights lawyer and the director of the Center for Legal Research and Studies - Wafa Moustafa, a Syrian activist and journalist and a member of Families for Freedom Panel chair: Bente Scheller, the head of Middle East and North Africa Division, Heinrich Böll Stiftung