Germany: Syrian torture on trial

For Syrian musicians and journalists, Wassim Mukdad and Luna Watfa, the Koblenz Higher Regional Court in Germany provides the only glimmer of hope for justice served against the people responsible for unspeakable torture in Syria. It’s a case that has been pending for over a year and involves not only holding the accused accountable but the Assad regime itself. The trial is based on the Principle of Universal Jurisdiction, which allows for punishment of crimes against humanity anywhere in the world. In the recently concluded trial, the court has already sentenced one of the accomplices to four-and-a-half years in prison. Now, the focus is on Anwar R., the former prison director who has fled to Germany and who’s accused of being the mastermind behind the torture chambers. Can justice finally be served?

As the Koblenz trial inches to its close, those who have undergone torture in these Syrian prisons continue to suffer even after being freed. In a harrowing account, they reveal their painful experiences and the traumatic aftermath. Yet, these survivors have refused to suffer in silence and have joined forces with journalists to raise their voices and keep alive the memories of the deceased. DW reporter, Victoria Kleber, brings us their struggles, their hopes, and their pursuit of justice in a documentary that exposes the brutality of Syrian state torture and the perseverance of the victims who refuse to be broken.