A Syrian court in Damascus sentenced Abdul Jabbar Ghazi Arziq, a member of the Iran-backed Liwa al-Quds militia linked to Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC), to life in prison after convicting him of crimes classified as war crimes and crimes against humanity, SANA reported.
Arziq was convicted of forming an armed group intended to incite civil war and sectarian fighting and seize towns and villages. The court connected his actions to systematic and widespread crimes committed under the deposed Bashar al-Assad regime.
Liwa al-Quds received extensive funding and support from Iran’s IRGC and fought alongside Assad’s forces during the Syrian civil war. Arziq was a prominent member of the militia.
The Damascus court denied Arziq mitigating circumstances and determined that he would not qualify for either a general or special amnesty under the judgment.
The ruling represents one of the first major post-Assad transitional justice measures by Syria’s new legal authorities involving a member of a foreign-backed militia.
The case also places the militia’s activities within the legal framework covering war crimes and crimes against humanity. According to the ruling, the offenses met those classifications because they were connected to systematic and widespread crimes carried out under the former government.
As part of the broader accountability process, the department called on people possessing relevant evidence or information to provide it through the commission’s official channels.
Authorities said submissions would contribute to efforts to establish the truth and pursue accountability. The process is intended to protect the confidentiality of information as well as the safety of witnesses and others cooperating with the commission.
