The Road to Koblenz:

In February 2021, for example, the Koblenz Higher Regional Court sentenced Eyad A to four and a half years in prison, followed by Anwar R’s conviction two years later in January 2022. These rulings represented an unprecedented state action against impunity for brutalities committed under the Bashar al-Assad regime. What accounts for such prosecutorial and judicial assertiveness in Germany? Under what conditions is this litigation and prosecution possible before German courts?