Syrian authorities have on Wednesday arrested a former security officer accused of committing war crimes when former President Bashar al-Assad was in power.
The Ministry of Interior said that internal security forces in Hama province captured Rateb Fahd al-Hussein, who was described as one of "the most dangerous criminals involved in shedding the blood of civilians," after a surveillance operation in the al-Suqaylabiyah area of western Hama province.
Brigadier General Molham Mahmoud al-Shantout, head of internal security in Hama, said in a statement that al-Hussein "served as head of the Military Security detachment in the Mhardeh area during the rule of the former regime, and during that period committed numerous war crimes against residents of rebel-held areas, which claimed the lives of dozens of civilians who were killed in massacres".
Al-Shantout added that the arrest comes as part of "the ongoing efforts of the internal security forces to pursue war criminals and hold them accountable before the judiciary,” vowing that “justice will reach all those whose hands have been stained with the blood of Syrians".
Last Thursday, security forces in Latakia province announced the detention of Nasr Hani Raslan, who was accused of "serious violations against civilians" while being a member of a militia associated with the Assad regime.
These included "participating in attacks on rebel-held areas, mutilating the bodies of martyrs, and assaulting a woman and stabbing her with a sharp instrument". Raslan will be investigated while being held for trial.
Security forces across Syria have stepped up campaigns to track down remnants of Bashar al-Assad's regime, more than eight months after its fall on 8 December, 2024.
Authorities say dozens of officers and militia leaders implicated in war crimes over 14 years of conflict have been arrested.
On 7 August, the Ministry of Justice released a video showing part of the interrogations of prominent regime figures.
These included former Grand Mufti Ahmad Badr al-Din Hassoun, former Interior Minister Mohammad Ibrahim al-Shaar, former head of Air Force Intelligence Ibrahim al-Huweija and Atef Najib, cousin of Bashar al-Assad and head of Political Security in Daraa at the outbreak of protests in 2011.
The Syrian government however has faced criticism before for allowing some figures associated with the Assad regime to continue to live freely, most notably Fadi Saqr, who is widely suspected of involvement in the 2013 Tadamon massacre.