Syria.. Who is chasing the killers of the sons of "Khansa Mohsen"?

The tragedy of the family of Ali Saleh Al-Mashaan is one of many forgotten tragedies, where 5 members of that family were killed, and their mother was given the nickname "Khansa Muhassan" in relation to the city of "Muhassan" in which she lives, located east of Deir ez-Zor Governorate in Syria.

Yasmine Al-Mashaan, the only daughter of the family, who lives in the German city of Leipzig, tells Al Jazeera Net the story of the martyrdom of her five brothers. She says, "My father, may God have mercy on him, and my 6 brothers participated in the peaceful revolutionary movement in the city of Deir ez-Zor, and he distributed water to the demonstrators every Friday."

During the visit of the delegation of Arab League delegates to Deir ez-Zor in January 2012 - and speaking to Yasmin - my brother Zuhair, 19, was sniped by the security forces, during his participation in a peaceful demonstration in the city, and my father refused to sign a paper submitted by the regime’s security services that “the gangs Armed" - according to the regime's version - that sniped him.

And she continues, "to increase the pressure on my father, my brother Uqba was arrested on March 29, 2012, and he was working as a veterinary observer. We didn't know anything about him until we saw his picture among the pictures of the victims leaked by Caesar. He left two children behind. In May of the same year, my father was arrested, He was detained for 70 days, during which he passed through several security branches in Deir Ezzor, Aleppo and Damascus, and then Aleppo again.

Concerning the martyrdom of the three brothers, she says: My brother Obeida (26 years old) was working as a paramedic, and he was sniped while treating a wounded person on October 13, 2012, and 10 days later my other brother Tishreen was sniped in his house when the sniper’s bullet penetrated his body through the window He left behind 8 children, 7 girls and one son.

And in the middle of 2014, the liberated part of Deir ez-Zor governorate became under the control of the Islamic State, and the killing began with those who were in the peaceful movement or those who joined under the Free Army.

Yasmine says that her younger brother was newly married when ISIS killed him, and after his death his wife gave birth to a child "to join the rest of the orphans supported by my father. The organization was not satisfied with that, but followed me and my brother Qutaiba as we were peaceful activists, and kidnapped my nephew Tishreen to put pressure on the family."

She continues, "Here it was necessary to leave, and in February 2015 my older brother Oqba and his nephew Tishreen were able to reach Turkey, and then the rest of the family left there, and later my brother Oqba and I came to Germany."

Father Ali Saleh Al-Mashaan and his 5 sons who were killed by the Syrian regime forces (Al-Jazeera)

Pursuit of war criminals

Speaking to Al-Jazeera Net, Qutaiba Al-Mashaan, the big brother, who is the only survivor residing in Frankfurt, says, "The family has borne burdens that are difficult to describe and still are. My father, may God have mercy on him, died two weeks ago in the city of Urfa, leaving 11 orphans in the custody of my mother."

He added, "My father was a committed teacher, and he had two patents, one of which was a mechanical movement pump, and the second was a solar-powered water distillation device, and he was interested in manufacturing educational aids, and as a result of the harsh immigration conditions and my having to leave Syria, the decision to come to Germany was the decision to come to Germany. Legal action to prosecute war criminals in Syria.

Regarding his endeavors in this regard, he says, "The beginning was from Berlin, where 7 people representing 7 grieving families called us to establish the Kaiser Families Association in Germany, which today has become an association of an alliance of civil associations and organizations operating over a large area in the world."

He added, "We have received a lot of support and sympathy for our story, and the stories of many Syrians, from the European peoples and their governments, and we are working with them so that the perpetrators receive their punishment."

And he concluded his speech: Some might say that our path is long and difficult and may not live up to the sacrifices made by our people, in order to weaken our resolve and dwarf our experience, but we are continuing in the footsteps of our father, may God have mercy on him, and in the footsteps of our people’s peaceful revolution.

Regarding the legal methods of prosecuting war criminals, lawyer Yasser Al-Omar said, “Crimes against humanity do not fall within the statute of limitations, and the prosecution of war criminals begins first before the national judiciary, which has the original jurisdiction based on the provisions of Article 1 of the International Criminal Court system, and the judiciary of this court is complementary if justice is achieved otherwise. It will be a genuine judgment if this is not achieved."

He continues, "In the Syrian case, justice has not been achieved due to the regime's survival and dominance over the judiciary, and the Syrian regime is not a party to the agreement establishing this court, and the referral from the Security Council collided with the Russian and Chinese vetoes, and this is what prompted some human rights activists to resort to the path of universal jurisdiction, which It derives its legitimacy from international humanitarian law and human rights.

Al-Omar refers to the prosecution of some criminals who reside on the lands of some European countries, especially Germany, and the issuance of the first conviction in the world against the people of the Syrian regime from the Koblenz Court in the state of Rhineland-Waals, in which some of the international crimes of the international regime were documented in a judicial manner that can be relied upon in future trials. criminals both nationally and internationally.