Anwar Raslan (Arabic: أنور رسلان, romanized: ‘Anwār Raslān; born 3 February 1963) is a Syrian former colonel who led a unit within Syria's General Intelligence Directorate.

[7] Reuter noted that many Syrian exiles believe Raslan’s defection from the Assad regime, where he was a key figure, was motivated by opportunism rather than conviction.

[5] The European Center for Constitutional and Human Rights (ECCHR), the Syria Justice and Accountability Centre and the podcast 'Branch 251'[11] have documented the trial.

[12] The prosecution is part of a larger trend in universal jurisdiction to investigate and hold accountable individuals who committed crimes during the Syrian civil war.

On 2 December 2021, the German federal prosecutor's office called for the life sentence against Anwar Raslan, in the first trial in the world for abuses committed by the Bashar al-Assad government.