(21 May 2024)
RESTRICTION SUMMARY:
ASSOCIATED PRESS
Paris – 21 May 2024
1. Various of courthouse exterior in central Paris
2. Various of courthouse interior
3. Lawyer Clemence Bectarte and Patrick and Mazen Dabbagh’s relatives arrival
4. SOUNDBITE (French) Clemence Bectarte, lawyer for Dabbagh family and the International Federation for Human Rights:
“We have great expectations of this trial, which is the first trial in France on the crimes of the Syrian regime, and we are therefore very satisfied, very happy that this trial is going to take place. We also hope it won’t be the only one, but once again, first and foremost this is for the Dabbagh family a very important and eagerly awaited outcome. And it’s also an immense, immense hope for all Syrian victims who cannot obtain justice. We know that impunity continues to reign in Syria. So this is a trial for crimes against humanity which, of course, aims to bring justice to the family, but which, beyond this, will also be able to echo the stories of hundreds of thousands of Syrian victims.”
5. Courtroom exterior
6. SOUNDBITE (English) Brigitte Herremans, senior researcher, Human Rights Centre of Ghent University:
“It’s very important to address the accountability gap, because in the Syrian case, there are no domestic remedies to bring those who have committed grave human rights violations and international crimes to justice. So therefore, mainly for victims, families also of the victims, it’s very important that perpetrators from the regime side are held accountable, even if it’s mainly symbolic, because of course, it’s a trial in absentia, it means a lot for the fight against impunity.”
7. Courtroom exterior
8. SOUNDBITE (English) Brigitte Herremans, senior researcher, Human Rights Centre of Ghent University:
“It doesn’t mean a lot if you are part of the Syrian regime, but it does mean that your attempts at erasing crimes, at invisibilising victims have failed somehow. So, the Syrian regime might be very condescending or even derogatory or more about these kinds of efforts. At the same time, it is clear that it does have an effect on them. It does somehow show that they cannot get away with their crimes in the way that they want. If there are arrest warrants, it also means that Syrian regime officials, certain Syrian regime officials can’t travel. The ways of justice are, of course, very often very slow. But the importance of justice is also not only a concrete effect, but also justice being seen to be done. And this is also what is happening here today.”
9. Courtroom exterior
10. SOUNDBITE (English) Brigitte Herremans, senior researcher, Human Rights Centre of Ghent University:
“If there are arrest warrants that are issued, then it would mean that the Syrian regime officials could not travel freely to European countries. And this, of course, we see also in other cases, such as happening at the ICC, possibly, in the future, that these arrest warrants are very important to infringe on the freedom of movement. So this would be a very concrete step, of course, to make these officials feel that there are consequences in their behaviour."
11. Courtroom entrance and security
STORYLINE:
A Paris court started a landmark trial on Tuesday seeking to determine whether top Syrian intelligence officials were responsible for the disappearance and deaths of a French-Syrian father and his son.
The four-day hearing this week is expected to air chilling allegations that President Bashar Assad’s government has widely used torture and arbitrary detentions to hold on to power during the conflict, now in its 14th year.
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