German authorities on Wednesday arrested five individuals on charges of crimes against humanity and war crimes. The suspects, four stateless Syrian Palestinians and one Syrian citizen, are accused of killing and torturing civilians during the Syrian civil war.

The Syrian Civil War began in 2011 as part of the Arab Spring, with protests against President Bashar al-Assad’s government escalating into a complex, multi-sided conflict involving various factions, including the Syrian government, opposition groups, ISIS, and Kurdish forces. The war has resulted in immense humanitarian suffering, widespread destruction, and a refugee crisis, while efforts for peace and stability continue amid ongoing violence and geopolitical tensions.

Investigators accused the five suspects of repeatedly abusing civilians between mid-2012 and 2014, particularly at checkpoints set up by Assad’s militias in the predominantly Palestinian district of Al Yarmouk in Damascus.

According to the Federal Prosecutor General, four of the detainees were members of the pro-Assad militia “Free Palestine Movement” (FPM). One suspect was part of the Syrian Military Intelligence Service’s Palestine Department, which collaborated with the FPM.

The prosecution is based on Germany’s Völkerstrafgesetzbuch (VStGB), or International Criminal Law Code, which allows for the prosecution of suspects based on the principle of universal jurisdiction. This principle enables the prosecution of individuals for serious crimes like genocide, war crimes, and crimes against humanity, regardless of where the crime was committed or the nationality of the perpetrators or victims.

The suspects will be presented to the Federal Court of Justice on Wednesday and Thursday, where the investigating judge will issue the arrest warrants and decide on pre-trial detention. According to the Prosecutor’s statement, three other suspected FPM members were also arrested in Sweden, believed to have been involved in suppressing a demonstration in Al Yarmouk on July 13, 2012.