The trial of two Syrian government agents began Thursday at a court in Koblenz, Germany. The two men, Anwar R. and Eyad A., allegedly worked for the Syrian General Secret Service. The indictment against Anwar accuses him of overseeing a prison in which, from 2011 to 2012, more than 4,000 prisoners were tortured and sexually assaulted. The belief is that these torture methods were used to coerce information from prisoners about the Syrian opposition movement. Eyad, the second defendant, is accused of overseeing the systematic torture of opposition demonstrators imprisoned in 2011.

German law allows universal jurisdiction over cases involving violations of international criminal law, like crimes against humanity and genocide. The original complaint was filed by the German human rights group the European Center for Constitutional and Human Rights (ECCHR). The men were arrested over a year ago using arrest warrants supported by the testimony from survivors of Anwar and Eyad’s alleged torture. As more and more Syrians fled to Germany seeking asylum, the cases against the two men became stronger.

According to Balkees Jarrah, associate international justice director at Human rights Watch (HRW),
“[t]his trial is a watershed moment for victims determined to see justice for the crimes they suffered in Syria.” Jarrah went on to say:

“With other avenues for justice blocked, criminal prosecution in Europe offers hope for victims of crimes in Syria who have nowhere else to turn. … The trial in Koblenz shows that courts—even thousands of miles away from where the atrocities occurred—can play a critical role in combating impunity.”