Anyone involved in the Assad regime's war crimes and human rights violations will be arrested and prosecuted if they attempt to flee to Germany, the government said on Sunday.
Foreign Minister Annalena Baerbock told the weekly Bild am Sonntag newspaper that German authorities would not permit Assad regime operatives to seek sanctuary in Germany.
"If any of Assad's torturers are thinking about fleeing to Germany now, I can only say clearly: We will hold all of the regime's henchmen to account for their terrible crimes, with the full force of the law," she said.
"It is particularly important for the international security authorities and intelligence services to work together as closely as possible now," she added.
Interior Minister Nancy Faeser reinforced this position, highlighting Germany's stricter border controls and emphasizing the country's track record in prosecuting war crimes in Syria.
"We are extremely vigilant. If henchmen of Assad's terror regime try to flee to Germany, they must know that hardly any other country pursues their crimes as harshly as Germany. That should deter them from daring to try," she said.
Dictator Bashar Assad, who ruled Syria with an iron fist for nearly 25 years, fled to Russia on Dec. 8 after anti-regime groups seized control of Damascus.
The takeover came after Hayat Tahrir al-Sham (HTS) fighters captured key cities across the country in a swift offensive that lasted less than two weeks.
After the overthrow of the regime, most of the government officials, secret service employees, and prison guards went into hiding, some of them seeking to flee to neighboring countries or Western Europe in hopes of evading prosecution.
