Rare piece of good news on #Syria: in a HUGELY significant moment, judges in Germany will begin hearing evidence today in the first criminal trial about torture by state agents during the country's nearly decade-long brutal armed conflict. @HRW statement: http://tiny.cc/swclnz 

This trial in Germany is a watershed moment for victims determined to see justice for the crimes they suffered in #Syria. The case should serve as an important reminder that more is needed to ensure accountability for the conflict’s horrific atrocities. http://tiny.cc/swclnz 

The two accused in the German case are Anwar R. and Eyad A., an alleged former intelligence officer and a lower ranking subordinate at Syria’s General Intelligence Directorate, one of the country’s four main intelligence agencies. http://tiny.cc/wq8knz 

The trial is possible because Germany's laws recognize universal jurisdiction over certain of the most serious crimes, allowing for their prosecution no matter where they were committed & regardless of the nationality of the suspects or victims. http://tiny.cc/kp8knz  #Syria

Universal jurisdiction cases are an increasingly important part of international efforts to provide justice to victims who have nowhere else to turn & help ensure that countries do not become safe havens for human rights abusers. See @Trial report: http://tiny.cc/lo9knz  #Syria

Both men were arrested in Germany as part of a joint probe with French officials. The investigation that led to the arrests was also a result of a series of complaints filed by @ECCHRBerlin together with Syrian lawyers, activists, and torture survivors. http://tiny.cc/jwblnz 

Anwar R. is the most senior former Syrian government official to be put on trial in Europe for serious crimes in #Syria. German prosecutors accuse him of overseeing the torture of detainees between April 2011 and September 2012. http://tiny.cc/3falnz 

Tens of thousands of people have been detained or disappeared in #Syria since 2011, the vast majority by government forces using an extensive network of detention facilities. Thousands have died in custody from torture and horrific detention conditions. http://tiny.cc/gralnz 

Comprehensive justice for torture and other unchecked atrocities in #Syria has been elusive. In 2014, Russia and China blocked efforts at the United Nations Security Council to give the International Criminal Court a mandate over serious crimes there. http://tiny.cc/4hilnz 

In 2016, UN member countries set up a team of investigators, to secure evidence of serious crimes in #Syria for future prosecutions. The team's work will be critical to future domestic accountability processes in Germany and elsewhere. http://tiny.cc/rijlnz 

With other justice avenues blocked, criminal cases in Europe offer hope for victims in #Syria who have nowhere else to turn. Today's landmark trial in Germany shows that courts – even thousands of miles away – can play a key role combating impunity. http://tiny.cc/8wklnz