Syrians Have Stared Down Threats To Testify Against Assad's Regime In A Landmark Trial
BERLIN and KOBLENZ, Germany — Hassan Mahmoud believed his testimony about the death of his youngest brother in a Damascus prison would help bring to justice a onetime senior member of Syria's secret police. But even though the trial is thousands of miles from Syria, in Germany, he knew his testimony carried risks.
Before he was scheduled to take the stand in October 2020, in the courtroom in the western German city of Koblenz, he feared especially for another brother, Waseem, who still lived in Syria.
As the date for Hassan's testimony approached, Syrian security officers went searching for Waseem in their home town of Salamiyah. Both brothers understood this to be a deadly threat from the authoritarian regime of President Bashar Assad.
"I cannot sacrifice another brother," Hassan, 53, says he told his German lawyers. "I will not give testimony until [Waseem] is out of Syria."
Hassan Mahmoud was in the case in February as an accessory and sentenced him to 4 1/2 years in prison. The trial of a more senior ex-officer, Anwar Raslan, continues. But witnesses in the case and their relatives say they are dealing with threats and harassment.
