Ex-Syrian vice-president Rifaat al-Assad could avoid trial in Switzerland

The case against Rifaat al-Assad, the uncle of ousted President Bashar al-Assad who is due to be tried by the Swiss Federal Criminal Court for war crimes and crimes against humanity, could be dropped, according to media reports. +Get the most important news from Switzerland in your inbox The former Syrian vice-president and former Syrian army officer is being prosecuted in Switzerland for “war crimes and crimes against humanity”. The Office of the Attorney General of Switzerland has accused him of having “in his capacity as commander of the Defence Brigades (“Saraya al Difaa”, in Arabic) and commander of operations in Hama, ordered murders, acts of torture, cruel treatment and illegal detentions” in the context of the armed conflict and the widespread attack launched in February 1982 against the population of this Syrian city. + Rifaat al-Assad to face trial in Switzerland The massacre, which left between 10,000 and 40,000 dead, earned him the nickname "the Butcher of Hama". Under ...