Swiss court proposes postponing trial of Assad’s uncle due to illness
DAMASCUS, Syria (North Press) – A Swiss court has proposed postponing the trial of Rifaat al-Assad, the uncle of former Syrian President Bashar al-Assad, due to concerns about his health condition, a spokesperson for the Swiss judicial authorities told Reuters on Tuesday.
A spokesperson for the Federal Criminal Court said that the court suggested canceling the trial because of the defendant’s health issues and invited all parties involved to provide their opinions on the matter.
Rifaat al-Assad, aged 87, was scheduled to stand trial in Switzerland on charges related to crimes allegedly committed during his tenure as a commander in the Syrian army in 1982.
The judicial official stated, ”I can confirm to you that due to the state of health of the accused, who would be physically incapable of travelling to Switzerland and psychologically incapable of participating in debates, those responsible for the trial invited the parties to decide on whether to close the case.”
The official added that Switzerland’s highest criminal court has not yet reached a decision on whether to end the case and is awaiting feedback from all parties, expected by mid-January.
Rifaat al-Assad faces accusations of ordering murder, torture, cruel treatment, and illegal detentions during the 1982 military operations in the Syrian city of Hama.
His current whereabouts remain unclear. Rifaat has lived abroad since the mid-1980s, primarily in France, after being implicated in a failed coup attempt against his brother, the late President Hafez al-Assad.