Damascus - Protests have erupted in Damascus and other parts of Syria over the return of Khaled al-Fares, a man accused of war crimes under the rule of Syrian President Bashar Assad. Activists and human rights groups are calling for his prosecution, citing his alleged involvement in tracking American journalist Marie Colvin, leading to her assassination in 2012.
Al-Fares, who fled Syria after the fall of the Assad regime, arrived in Damascus from Dubai last week. His reappearance, along with the reopening of his car dealership on the Hama-Homs road, has fueled widespread anger. According to sources speaking to The Media Line, he now moves freely between Homs and Damascus, despite the accusations against him.
War crimes accusations and Marie Colvin’s assassination
Documents obtained by The Media Line suggest that al-Fares was a leading operative in a spy network for the former regime and a member of the pro-Assad National Defense Forces in Homs. Testimonies from defected regime members reportedly link him to Colvin’s death.
Colvin, a renowned foreign correspondent for The Sunday Times, was covering the Syrian conflict from Baba Amr in Homs when she was killed in an artillery strike on February 22, 2012. French photojournalist Rémi Ochlik was also killed in the attack. US court documents from a 2019 lawsuit against the Assad government confirm that Syrian forces deliberately targeted Colvin’s position after receiving intelligence from regime informants, one of whom was allegedly al-Fares.
Al-Fares is also accused of drug trafficking and leading the so-called “death squad,” which carried out massacres against civilians, including the April 18, 2011, Homs Clock Tower massacre and a brutal attack on Baba Amr in 2012.
Calls for justice and government silence
The Syrian Committee for Human Rights has urged the new government to prosecute al-Fares rather than allow him to live freely. Syrian activist Najm al-Din al-Najm criticized the lack of accountability, telling The Media Line, “A notorious criminal is being reintroduced in Syria. … It seems many criminals are working to settle their status with the new regime, under public applause and media silence.”
He added, “Al-Fares returned to Damascus after fleeing to the UAE for a month. Now he moves freely between Homs and Damascus and has opened a car showroom. He was a thug tasked with monitoring journalists in Homs and provided Marie Colvin’s coordinates to the regime, leading to her precise targeting and killing by artillery shelling. He was personally rewarded by Maher al-Assad for this.”
After al-Fares allegedly provided intelligence leading to Colvin’s death, Maher al-Assad, commander of the Fourth Division and brother of the Syrian president, reportedly gifted him a Hyundai Genesis as a reward.
Tamer Turkmani, a human rights activist, confirmed to The Media Line that al-Fares’ involvement in war crimes is well-documented. Similarly, Syrian politician Maher Sharaf al-Din accused al-Fares of drug trafficking for the Assad regime and playing a direct role in Colvin’s assassination.
Al-Fares’ return has raised broader concerns about the lack of accountability for war crimes in Syria. Since protests demanding his prosecution began, the Syrian government has remained silent. Many Syrians continue to call for transitional justice, hoping that those responsible for atrocities will eventually face trial.
Marie Colvin’s legacy and legal actions against the Assad regime
Marie Colvin was one of the most respected war correspondents of her time, known for reporting from the front lines of conflicts in Kosovo, Chechnya, and Sri Lanka. In her final dispatch, she provided firsthand accounts of the suffering of civilians in Homs under relentless bombardment by Assad’s forces.
In 2013, Stony Brook University in New York established the Marie Colvin Center for International Reporting in her memory. Her family also founded the Marie Colvin Memorial Fund, which is supported by the Long Island Community Foundation and raises donations in her name to honor her humanitarian legacy.
Colvin’s family filed a civil lawsuit against the Syrian government in 2016, arguing that senior officials had orchestrated her assassination. In 2019, a US court found the Assad regime responsible and awarded $302 million in damages to her family. The ruling confirmed that Colvin’s death was not accidental but a targeted killing meant to silence her reporting on the Syrian conflict.
Despite these international legal actions, al-Fares has not been held accountable for his alleged role in her killing. His ability to return to Syria and resume business activities has only intensified calls for justice.
The Broader Implications of al-Fares’ Return
Al-Fares’ case is a stark reminder of the broader issue of impunity in Syria. The Syrian civil war, which began in 2011, has resulted in the deaths of hundreds of thousands and the displacement of millions. While some former regime figures have been prosecuted in European courts under universal jurisdiction, many alleged war criminals continue to live freely within Syria.
The ongoing protests against al-Fares’ return reflect a deep frustration among Syrians seeking justice for war crimes committed during the conflict. Activists argue that without legal consequences for figures like al-Fares, true reconciliation and stability in Syria will remain elusive.
For now, al-Fares’ presence in Syria continues to stoke outrage, with calls growing louder for his prosecution. Whether the Syrian government will respond remains uncertain, but the demand for accountability is unlikely to fade.