Akram A.

Facts

Akram A., a Syrian refugee, is an alleged member of the Islamic State (IS) terrorist group in command of a checkpoint in IS-controlled territory in Syria.

In early 2016, he is believed to have stopped a Syrian woman trying to escape the territory with her children. Akram A. was accused of luring the woman to a house under the pretext of getting her an exit permit and raping her.

Legal procedure

On 7 February 2017, Akram A. was arrested in Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania (Germany) and remained in custody on suspicion of belonging to the IS terrorist group. The accusation of raping a Syrian woman – constitutive of war crime – was added later.

On 12 June 2017, the German Federal Prosecutor requested that the investigating judge of the Federal Supreme Court waive the arrest warrant against Akram A. and release him from custody due to new findings questioning the validity of the original charges.