Key facts
- Salem al-Salem, a former Syrian air force colonel, has been deemed unfit to stand trial in the UK.
- He faces charges of murder and torture as crimes against humanity related to events in Damascus in 2011.
- Al-Salem's condition, advanced motor neurone disease, prevents him from entering a plea or facing trial.
- A trial of the facts will be held to determine if he committed the alleged acts, without requiring his presence.
- This is the first UK case charging murder as a crime against humanity under the International Criminal Court Act 2001.
A former Syrian air force colonel, Salem al-Salem, 58, has been deemed unfit to stand trial in a landmark British case charging him with murder as crimes against humanity. Justice Bobbie Cheema-Grubb accepted medical findings that al-Salem's advanced motor neurone disease prevents him from entering a plea or facing trial. Not guilty pleas were entered on his behalf.
Al-Salem faces charges of three counts of murder, three counts of torture, and one count of conduct ancillary to murder, stemming from alleged attacks on civilians in Damascus in 2011. Prosecutors stated he was part of a Syrian Air Force Intelligence group that suppressed demonstrations and that he ordered officers to shoot protesters, and personally fired on them.
His condition has left him paralyzed in all four limbs with cognitive impairment and limited ability to communicate. A trial of the facts will be held next year to determine if he committed the acts, but it cannot result in a conviction due to his medical state. Al-Salem is the first person in the UK to be charged with murder as a crime against humanity under the International Criminal Court Act of 2001.