Belgian prosecutors probe alleged Assad-era Syrian war criminals in country

Belgium is conducting 19 criminal investigations into suspected Syrian war criminals residing in the country one year after the fall of Bashar al-Assad's regime, according to figures released Thursday by the Federal Prosecutor's Office, the Belga News Agency reported.

The data emerged as part of the Damascus Dossier, an international investigation coordinated by the International Consortium of Investigative Journalists (ICIJ) with contributions from De Tijd, a Dutch-language Belgian financial and economic daily newspaper, Le Soir, a major French-language Belgian daily newspaper, and Knack, a Dutch-language Belgian weekly news magazine.

The project examined more than 134,000 leaked documents from Syrian intelligence services, revealing extensive and systematic torture carried out under the Assad regime.

The findings also point to a possible Belgian link, with inquiries within the Syrian community suggesting that regime supporters and individuals involved in war crimes may be living in Belgium.

Belgian authorities have so far opened 27 cases related to violations of international humanitarian law, including alleged war crimes committed in Syria during the Assad regime. Eight of those files have been closed without further action, said Belgian Federal Prosecutor's Office spokesperson Yasmina Vanoverschelde.

"There are still 19 criminal investigations ongoing. Some relate to Islamic State fighters who participated in crimes in the country during the Assad regime," she said.

According to the report, four of the active cases are currently being handled by an investigating judge.

Bashar al-Assad, Syria's leader for nearly 25 years, fled to Russia in December 2024, ending the Baath Party regime, which had been in power since 1963. A new administration led by President Ahmed al-Sharaa was formed in January.

However, experts warn that Belgium may struggle to bring these cases to court. Ghent University specialist Brigitte Herremans expressed doubts about the country's capacity to follow through with prosecutions, pointing to persistent shortages in staff and resources.

"The Federal Prosecutor's Office says it has already received reinforcements but doesn't hide the fact that there has been a shortage of police investigators to conduct war crimes investigations for some time," she said.