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Residents of Rastan Protest Arrest of Syrian Defector in Germany
Dozens of residents of the Syrian city of Rastan gathered for a protest against the arrest by German authorities of First Lieutenant Ibrahim Ayoub, a Syrian military defector accused of war crimes linked to his leadership of an armed opposition group in 2015.
According to the allegations, the group detained three members of the Assad regime’s forces and forced them to make confessions before they were shot dead. These claims could not be independently verified.
Participants attributed the arrest to what they described as “malicious reports” filed by people they called “remnants of the regime” living in Europe. They also issued threats, saying those individuals would face punishment if they returned to Syria.
Ayoub’s brother said the “malicious reports” led German authorities to raid his brother’s home at dawn and arrest him. He denied that his brother was involved in the executions, saying that a “Sharia court” had issued the ruling at the time and carried it out.
Ayoub faces serious allegations. The circumstances of the case and any determination of responsibility remain for the relevant authorities and courts to establish.
