Germany Begins Trial of Five Accused of Committing War Crimes in Yarmouk Camp

The trial of five individuals of Syrian and Palestinian origin began on Wednesday at the Higher Regional Court in the German city of Koblenz, after the Federal Prosecutor’s Office charged them with committing war crimes and crimes against humanity during the siege of Yarmouk Camp between 2012 and 2014.

The defendants, aged between 42 and 56, face charges including murder, attempted murder, torture, deprivation of liberty, as well as participation in suppressing a peaceful demonstration on July 13, 2012, which is believed to have resulted in the death of six civilians, including a 14-year-old child.

German authorities had arrested the defendants in July 2024 in several federal states, and they have been held in pre-trial detention since then. The court indicates that the trial sessions will continue until June 2026, according to a schedule that includes more than 40 sessions held in courtrooms 120 and 128 in the Koblenz courthouse.