Criminal complaint filed in Istanbul against the Assad administration

In the criminal complaint petition submitted to the Istanbul Chief Public Prosecutor's Office by lawyers Ömer Faruk Karagüzel and Muhammed Kerim Karadağ, it was stated that Bashar al-Assad, Asma al-Assad, Maher al-Assad, and Ali Mamlouk are responsible for the events that took place.

The petition stated that more than 500 thousand people, primarily women and children, lost their lives in attacks carried out by the Assad regime, and that millions of people were forcibly displaced and became refugees.

The petition, which reported that hospitals, schools, and civilian residential areas in Syria were intentionally bombed, stated that this situation constitutes crimes against humanity and that the judiciary of the Republic of Turkey has the authority to investigate these crimes under the jurisdiction of the Turkish Penal Code.

The petition emphasized that thousands of people were tortured, abused, and lost their lives in Sednaya Prison by the ousted Assad administration.

The petition, which included the view that Bashar al-Assad, Maher al-Assad, and other suspects organized the production and trafficking of drugs or stimulants and engaged in illegal economic activities by endangering the health of the people of Turkey, Syria, and other neighboring countries, noted that the suspects bear responsibility for these events.

The petition requested that the suspects be punished for all crimes to be determined, primarily "crimes against humanity," "intentional killing," "intentional injury," "deportation or forcible transfer of population," "imprisonment or other severe deprivation of physical liberty in violation of fundamental rules of international law," "torture, persecution, or enslavement," "deprivation of liberty," "qualified sexual assault," and "manufacturing and exporting narcotic substances."