Author: Mareike Höcker

Published: 13 April 2021 Authors: Stefan Talmon and Mareike Höcker

On 23 January 2019, the Higher Regional Court of Stuttgart sentenced Syrian national Suliman al-S., in the final instance, to four years and nine months in prison for, inter alia, war crimes against humanitarian operations by participating in the kidnapping of a UN peacekeeper. The victim, Carl Campeau, was a Canadian national who served as legal adviser with the United Nations Disengagement Observer Force (UNDOF) which had been established by the UN Security Council in May 1974 to supervise the ceasefire between Israel and Syria on the Syrian Golan Heights. UNDOF continued to be stationed in Syria despite the uprising by local groups against the Government of President Bashar al-Assad in 2011 which, according to the Court, by 2012 had developed into a full-blown civil war. On 17 February 2013, Mr. Campeau left the UNDOF headquarters at Camp Faouar, some 56 km south west of the Syrian capital Damascus, to drive on his own to Damascus on private business. After driving for some 45 minutes, he was stopped at a roadblock manned by fighters of an Islamist group linked to the terrorist organisation Jabhat Al-Nusra. Some members of the group actively participated in the armed struggle against the Government of President Assad. The members of the group also took advantage of the turmoil created by the uprising and set up the roadblock in order to search persons and vehicles for valuables and seize them; in doing so they also wanted to demonstrate their claim to power over the area. The fighters realised that Mr. Campeau belonged to the United Nations. His bulletproof vest bore a label with the letters “UN”. In addition, he carried a UN identity card and drove a white Toyota which displayed the big black letters “UN” on both sides of the vehicle and carried corresponding number plates. Mr. Campeau was abducted and held for some eight months in a villa south west of Damascus. His captors demanded – without success – a US$ 7 million ransom from the United Nations, the Canadian Government, and the hostage’s family. Campeau said he was abused and forced to convert to Islam by his captors before he managed to escape on 16 October 2013. (more…)

Published: 20 December 2019  Authors: Stefan Talmon and Mareike Höcker  DOI: 10.17176/20220127-113443-0

On 22 October 2013, the Sultan of Brunei issued the Syariah Penal Code Order, 2013. The Code provided for extreme corporal punishments such as death by stoning for extramarital sex, adultery, or gay sex; amputation of limbs for stealing; and 40 strokes with a whip for lesbian sex. The Code prescribed the death penalty for a wide range of offences including robbery and insult or defamation of the Prophet Mohammed. Those who persuaded, told or encouraged Muslim children under the age of 18 to accept the teachings of religions other than Islam could be fined or jailed. Children who had reached puberty and were convicted of serious offenses could receive the same punishments as adults, while younger children could be subjected to whipping.

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