Dutch court convicts pro-Syrian government militia member of illegally detaining, torturing civilian

By MIKE CORDER
Associated Press

THE HAGUE, Netherlands (AP) — A Dutch court has convicted a former high-ranking member of a pro-Syrian government militia of illegal detention and complicity in torture, sentencing him to 12 years in prison. The defendant was found guilty Monday in the 2013 arrest and inhumane treatment of a civilian while serving in the pro-Damascus Liwa al-Quds militia. He was identified only as Mustafa A. in line with Dutch privacy laws. The 35-year-old was tried in The Hague District Court based on universal jurisdiction, a legal principle that allows suspects to be prosecuted for international offenses such as war crimes even if they are committed in another country. At an earlier hearing, A. denied the charges.