On September 14, 16, 17, and 23, 2026 the substantive hearings of the criminal case against a client of ours will take place before the District Court of The Hague. The client is suspected of involvement with IS in southern Damascus between 2014 and 2018. At the time, the situation in the Yarmouk camp, Al Hajar al-Aswad, Tadamom, Yalda, Babila, and Beit Sahem was dire due to ongoing sieges and internecine fighting; horrific crimes were committed, including by IS. Our client grew up in Yarmouk, lived in the Yarmouk camp and Al Hajar al-Aswad during this period, and lost family members in the conflict. He therefore understands the complexity of the situation like no other. However, he denies having been a member of IS. In 2015, the area became divided into two factions, with disinformation and rumors circulating—often proven to be false—that linked individuals to organizations with which they had no connection. Our client maintains that his name was linked to IS in social media-posts in precisely this manner.
During the substantive hearings, the defense will highlight the lack of concrete evidence against our client, as well as the significant challenges it has encountered during this investigation. While we attach great importance to active investigations into alleged war crimes anywhere in the world, this case underscores the immense difficulties such investigations can pose for the defense. Of the 20 witnesses the defense was permitted to question, only 9 were actually heard and 3 of those were heard out of the sight of the lawyers. The evidence relies heavily on the statements of five fully anonymous witnesses, and in one instance the investigative judge realized only after a year that they had heard a different person than the witness who had originally been requested. Precisely amidst the complex chaos of wartime situations, the defense’s ability to rigorously test the evidence and gather its own evidence must be fully respected. In our view, this is something that did not happen sufficiently in this case.
On September 14, the client will answer questions from the court; the Public Prosecutor’s Office will present its closing arguments on September 16th; and lawyers Tamara Buruma and Frederieke Dölle will present the defense's closing arguments on September 17. On September 23, the parties will have the opportunity to respond to one another.
The proceedings can be followed via a livestream provided by the District Court of The Hague; registration is available at https://www.rechtspraak.nl/organisatie-en-contact/organisatie/rechtbanken/rechtbank-den-haag/nieuws/2026/08/livestream-in-strafzaak-onderzoek-lech.