A former Syrian colonel has appeared in a London court to face charges of crimes against humanity in the first prosecution of its kind in England and Wales.

Salem Al-Salem is charged with murder and torture, crimes allegedly committed during the Syrian government’s violent crackdown on pro-democracy demonstrations in Damascus in 2011.

Al-Salem, who fled to the UK, is alleged to have played a leading role in the violence at the start of the uprising against Bashar al-Assad, which led to a civil war and the eventual overthrow of Assad’s regime in 2024.

The 58-year-old faces three counts of murder as a crime against humanity, three of torture and one of conduct ancillary to murder.

The crimes are alleged to have happened while Al-Salem was serving as a colonel in the Syrian air force intelligence department, leading a group that attempted to quell demonstrations in Jobar, a village on the outskirts of Damascus.

Al-Salem appeared at Westminster magistrates court via video link on Tuesday with a breathing tube over his mouth. The court was told he had motor neurone disease and was housebound.

The chief magistrate, Paul Goldspring, agreed he did not need to give his name because of his health condition, but refused his lawyer’s request for reporting restrictions to protect his identity.

“Naming the defendant would not lead to enhanced risk,” he said.

The case marks the first time the Crown Prosecution Service (CPS) has brought charges of murder as a crime against humanity under the International Criminal Court Act 2001. A UK court convicted the Afghan warlord Faryadi Sarwar Zardad in 2005 of a “heinous” campaign of torture and hostage taking.

The charges against Al-Salem relate to the murders of Omal Al-Homsi, Nizar Fayoumi-AlKhatib, Mohammed Salim Zahrak Balik and Talhat Dalal in April and July 2011. He is alleged to be responsible for killing three of the victims as part of a “widespread or systematic attack” against civilians. He also faces charges of torture against three people between August 2011 and March 2012.

Al-Salem, who is under a 24-hour curfew, was arrested in Buckinghamshire in 2021 and was released on bail pending further inquiries. Announcing the charges on Monday, Counter Terrorism Policing (CTP) said the investigation had been complex.

“The charges are extremely serious and show that we fully support the UK’s ‘no safe haven’ policy in relation alleged war criminals,” CTP’s London commander, Helen Flanagan, said.

“Where we are presented with allegations of war crimes and crimes against humanity that fall within our jurisdiction, then, as we have shown here, we will not hesitate to investigate those rigorously and robustly.”

The case will continue at the Old Bailey with a hearing on Friday.