German court jails Syrian 'torture' doctor for life
A German court on Monday sentenced a Syrian doctor to life in prison for crimes against humanity for torturing detainees at military hospitals under former ruler Bashar al-Assad.
The crimes committed by Alaa Mousa, 40, during the Syrian civil war were "part of a brutal reaction by Assad's dictatorial, unjust regime", said the presiding judge at the higher regional court in Frankfurt, Christoph Koller.
Mousa was accused of torturing patients at military hospitals in Damascus and Homs on 18 occasions between 2011 and 2012.
In one instance, Mousa was said to have set fire to the genitals of a teenage boy and in another case, to have delivered a lethal injection to a detainee who resisted a beating.
As well as crimes against humanity, the court found Mousa guilty of murder, torture and war crimes.
The defendant denied the charges in the trial, which came to a close a few months after Assad's ouster in December 2024.
Mousa arrived in Germany in 2015 on a visa for highly skilled workers at the same time as hundreds of thousands of Syrians were fleeing the civil war at home.
He continued to practise medicine in Germany, working as an orthopaedic doctor until he was arrested in June 2020.
A former employer told German media they knew nothing of his past in Syria's military hospitals, and that colleagues described him as "unremarkable".
- 'Slaughterhouse' -
According to prosecutors, Mousa worked at military hospitals in Homs and Damascus, where political opponents detained by the government were brought for treatment.
Instead of receiving medical assistance, the patients were tortured and "not infrequently killed", they said.
In one case, Mousa was accused of pouring flammable liquid on a prisoner's wounds before setting them on fire and kicking him in the face so hard that three of his teeth had to be replaced.
He also allegedly doused a teenage boy's genitals in alcohol before setting them alight.
Other inmates were kicked and beaten, sometimes with medical tools, according to prosecutors.
During the trial, the court heard testimony from colleagues and detainees, who said they recognised the accused, according to German weekly Der Spiegel.
One former inmate said he had been forced to carry the bodies of patients who died after being injected by Mousa, Der Spiegel reported.
Another witness said the military hospital where he was held in Damascus had been known as a "slaughterhouse".
At the opening of the trial in 2022, Mousa told the court he had witnessed beatings, but denied striking patients himself.
The accused however said he was too afraid of the military police "in control" at the hospital to speak out.
"I felt sorry for them, but I couldn't say anything, or it would have been me instead of the patient," he said.
Germany has tried several supporters of Assad's regime under the legal principle of "universal jurisdiction", which allows for serious crimes to be prosecuted even if they were committed in a different country.
The first global trial over state-sponsored torture in Syria under the Assad government opened in 2020 in Koblenz, in western Germany.
The accused in the trial, a former army colonel, was found guilty of crimes against humanity and sentenced to life in jail in 2022.
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News.com.au
2 days ago
- News.com.au
German court jails Syrian 'torture' doctor for life
A German court on Monday sentenced a Syrian doctor to life in prison for crimes against humanity for torturing detainees at military hospitals under former ruler Bashar al-Assad. The crimes committed by Alaa Mousa, 40, during the Syrian civil war were "part of a brutal reaction by Assad's dictatorial, unjust regime", said the presiding judge at the higher regional court in Frankfurt, Christoph Koller. Mousa was accused of torturing patients at military hospitals in Damascus and Homs on 18 occasions between 2011 and 2012. In one instance, Mousa was said to have set fire to the genitals of a teenage boy and in another case, to have delivered a lethal injection to a detainee who resisted a beating. As well as crimes against humanity, the court found Mousa guilty of murder, torture and war crimes. The defendant denied the charges in the trial, which came to a close a few months after Assad's ouster in December 2024. Mousa arrived in Germany in 2015 on a visa for highly skilled workers at the same time as hundreds of thousands of Syrians were fleeing the civil war at home. He continued to practise medicine in Germany, working as an orthopaedic doctor until he was arrested in June 2020. A former employer told German media they knew nothing of his past in Syria's military hospitals, and that colleagues described him as "unremarkable". - 'Slaughterhouse' - According to prosecutors, Mousa worked at military hospitals in Homs and Damascus, where political opponents detained by the government were brought for treatment. Instead of receiving medical assistance, the patients were tortured and "not infrequently killed", they said. In one case, Mousa was accused of pouring flammable liquid on a prisoner's wounds before setting them on fire and kicking him in the face so hard that three of his teeth had to be replaced. He also allegedly doused a teenage boy's genitals in alcohol before setting them alight. Other inmates were kicked and beaten, sometimes with medical tools, according to prosecutors. During the trial, the court heard testimony from colleagues and detainees, who said they recognised the accused, according to German weekly Der Spiegel. One former inmate said he had been forced to carry the bodies of patients who died after being injected by Mousa, Der Spiegel reported. Another witness said the military hospital where he was held in Damascus had been known as a "slaughterhouse". At the opening of the trial in 2022, Mousa told the court he had witnessed beatings, but denied striking patients himself. The accused however said he was too afraid of the military police "in control" at the hospital to speak out. "I felt sorry for them, but I couldn't say anything, or it would have been me instead of the patient," he said. Germany has tried several supporters of Assad's regime under the legal principle of "universal jurisdiction", which allows for serious crimes to be prosecuted even if they were committed in a different country. The first global trial over state-sponsored torture in Syria under the Assad government opened in 2020 in Koblenz, in western Germany. The accused in the trial, a former army colonel, was found guilty of crimes against humanity and sentenced to life in jail in 2022.
The Advertiser
04-06-2025
- The Advertiser
Rockets from Syria hit Israel-occupied Golan Heights
The two projectiles have fallen on the Israeli-occupied Golan Heights over open terrain, according to the Israeli military. Rocket alarms were sounded in two localities on Tuesday. Reports of injuries were initially not available. The Israeli armed forces responded with artillery fire at the origin of the attack, according to their own statements. A local militia in the southern province of Daraa claimed responsibility for the rocket attack. The Israeli shells, in turn, hit agricultural areas without causing harm to people, according to the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, based in London. This was the first rocket attack from Syria to hit Israel or Israeli-controlled territory since May 2024, the Times of Israel wrote. At the same time, it was the first attack of this kind from Syria since the overthrow of Syrian ruler Bashar al-Assad in December. Israeli Defence Minister Israel Katz says he hold Syrian President Ahmed al-Sharaa responsible. "We consider the president of Syria directly responsible for any threat and fire toward the State of Israel, and a full response will come soon," Katz said. Syria and Israel have recently engaged in direct talks to ease tensions, a significant development in relations between states that have been on opposite sides of conflict in the Middle East for decades. The Syrian foreign ministry said in a statement that reports of the launches towards the Israeli side "have not been verified yet", reiterating that Syria has not and will not pose a threat to any party in the region, the state news agency SANA reported. However, it was not immediately clear who was responsible for the projectiles. "We believe that there are many parties that may seek to destabilise the region to achieve their own interests," the ministry added. Local residents said Israeli mortars were striking the Wadi Yarmouk area, west of Daraa province, near the border with the Israeli-occupied Golan Heights. The area has witnessed increased tensions in recent weeks, including reported Israeli military incursions into nearby villages, where residents have reportedly been barred from sowing their crops. Israel has waged a campaign of aerial bombardment that destroyed much of the country's military infrastructure that intensified under the new leadership. It also has occupied the Syrian Golan Heights since the 1967 Arab-Israeli war and taken more territory in the aftermath of Syrian President Bashar al-Assad's ouster in December, citing lingering concerns over the extremist past of the country's new rulers. with dpa The two projectiles have fallen on the Israeli-occupied Golan Heights over open terrain, according to the Israeli military. Rocket alarms were sounded in two localities on Tuesday. Reports of injuries were initially not available. The Israeli armed forces responded with artillery fire at the origin of the attack, according to their own statements. A local militia in the southern province of Daraa claimed responsibility for the rocket attack. The Israeli shells, in turn, hit agricultural areas without causing harm to people, according to the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, based in London. This was the first rocket attack from Syria to hit Israel or Israeli-controlled territory since May 2024, the Times of Israel wrote. At the same time, it was the first attack of this kind from Syria since the overthrow of Syrian ruler Bashar al-Assad in December. Israeli Defence Minister Israel Katz says he hold Syrian President Ahmed al-Sharaa responsible. "We consider the president of Syria directly responsible for any threat and fire toward the State of Israel, and a full response will come soon," Katz said. Syria and Israel have recently engaged in direct talks to ease tensions, a significant development in relations between states that have been on opposite sides of conflict in the Middle East for decades. The Syrian foreign ministry said in a statement that reports of the launches towards the Israeli side "have not been verified yet", reiterating that Syria has not and will not pose a threat to any party in the region, the state news agency SANA reported. However, it was not immediately clear who was responsible for the projectiles. "We believe that there are many parties that may seek to destabilise the region to achieve their own interests," the ministry added. Local residents said Israeli mortars were striking the Wadi Yarmouk area, west of Daraa province, near the border with the Israeli-occupied Golan Heights. The area has witnessed increased tensions in recent weeks, including reported Israeli military incursions into nearby villages, where residents have reportedly been barred from sowing their crops. Israel has waged a campaign of aerial bombardment that destroyed much of the country's military infrastructure that intensified under the new leadership. It also has occupied the Syrian Golan Heights since the 1967 Arab-Israeli war and taken more territory in the aftermath of Syrian President Bashar al-Assad's ouster in December, citing lingering concerns over the extremist past of the country's new rulers. with dpa The two projectiles have fallen on the Israeli-occupied Golan Heights over open terrain, according to the Israeli military. Rocket alarms were sounded in two localities on Tuesday. Reports of injuries were initially not available. The Israeli armed forces responded with artillery fire at the origin of the attack, according to their own statements. A local militia in the southern province of Daraa claimed responsibility for the rocket attack. The Israeli shells, in turn, hit agricultural areas without causing harm to people, according to the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, based in London. This was the first rocket attack from Syria to hit Israel or Israeli-controlled territory since May 2024, the Times of Israel wrote. At the same time, it was the first attack of this kind from Syria since the overthrow of Syrian ruler Bashar al-Assad in December. Israeli Defence Minister Israel Katz says he hold Syrian President Ahmed al-Sharaa responsible. "We consider the president of Syria directly responsible for any threat and fire toward the State of Israel, and a full response will come soon," Katz said. Syria and Israel have recently engaged in direct talks to ease tensions, a significant development in relations between states that have been on opposite sides of conflict in the Middle East for decades. The Syrian foreign ministry said in a statement that reports of the launches towards the Israeli side "have not been verified yet", reiterating that Syria has not and will not pose a threat to any party in the region, the state news agency SANA reported. However, it was not immediately clear who was responsible for the projectiles. "We believe that there are many parties that may seek to destabilise the region to achieve their own interests," the ministry added. Local residents said Israeli mortars were striking the Wadi Yarmouk area, west of Daraa province, near the border with the Israeli-occupied Golan Heights. The area has witnessed increased tensions in recent weeks, including reported Israeli military incursions into nearby villages, where residents have reportedly been barred from sowing their crops. Israel has waged a campaign of aerial bombardment that destroyed much of the country's military infrastructure that intensified under the new leadership. It also has occupied the Syrian Golan Heights since the 1967 Arab-Israeli war and taken more territory in the aftermath of Syrian President Bashar al-Assad's ouster in December, citing lingering concerns over the extremist past of the country's new rulers. with dpa The two projectiles have fallen on the Israeli-occupied Golan Heights over open terrain, according to the Israeli military. Rocket alarms were sounded in two localities on Tuesday. Reports of injuries were initially not available. The Israeli armed forces responded with artillery fire at the origin of the attack, according to their own statements. A local militia in the southern province of Daraa claimed responsibility for the rocket attack. The Israeli shells, in turn, hit agricultural areas without causing harm to people, according to the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, based in London. This was the first rocket attack from Syria to hit Israel or Israeli-controlled territory since May 2024, the Times of Israel wrote. At the same time, it was the first attack of this kind from Syria since the overthrow of Syrian ruler Bashar al-Assad in December. Israeli Defence Minister Israel Katz says he hold Syrian President Ahmed al-Sharaa responsible. "We consider the president of Syria directly responsible for any threat and fire toward the State of Israel, and a full response will come soon," Katz said. Syria and Israel have recently engaged in direct talks to ease tensions, a significant development in relations between states that have been on opposite sides of conflict in the Middle East for decades. The Syrian foreign ministry said in a statement that reports of the launches towards the Israeli side "have not been verified yet", reiterating that Syria has not and will not pose a threat to any party in the region, the state news agency SANA reported. However, it was not immediately clear who was responsible for the projectiles. "We believe that there are many parties that may seek to destabilise the region to achieve their own interests," the ministry added. Local residents said Israeli mortars were striking the Wadi Yarmouk area, west of Daraa province, near the border with the Israeli-occupied Golan Heights. The area has witnessed increased tensions in recent weeks, including reported Israeli military incursions into nearby villages, where residents have reportedly been barred from sowing their crops. Israel has waged a campaign of aerial bombardment that destroyed much of the country's military infrastructure that intensified under the new leadership. It also has occupied the Syrian Golan Heights since the 1967 Arab-Israeli war and taken more territory in the aftermath of Syrian President Bashar al-Assad's ouster in December, citing lingering concerns over the extremist past of the country's new rulers. with dpa
West Australian
03-06-2025
- West Australian
Rockets from Syria hit Israel-occupied Golan Heights
The two projectiles have fallen on the Israeli-occupied Golan Heights over open terrain, according to the Israeli military. Rocket alarms were sounded in two localities on Tuesday. Reports of injuries were initially not available. The Israeli armed forces responded with artillery fire at the origin of the attack, according to their own statements. A local militia in the southern province of Daraa claimed responsibility for the rocket attack. The Israeli shells, in turn, hit agricultural areas without causing harm to people, according to the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, based in London. This was the first rocket attack from Syria to hit Israel or Israeli-controlled territory since May 2024, the Times of Israel wrote. At the same time, it was the first attack of this kind from Syria since the overthrow of Syrian ruler Bashar al-Assad in December. Israeli Defence Minister Israel Katz says he hold Syrian President Ahmed al-Sharaa responsible. "We consider the president of Syria directly responsible for any threat and fire toward the State of Israel, and a full response will come soon," Katz said. Syria and Israel have recently engaged in direct talks to ease tensions, a significant development in relations between states that have been on opposite sides of conflict in the Middle East for decades. The Syrian foreign ministry said in a statement that reports of the launches towards the Israeli side "have not been verified yet", reiterating that Syria has not and will not pose a threat to any party in the region, the state news agency SANA reported. However, it was not immediately clear who was responsible for the projectiles. "We believe that there are many parties that may seek to destabilise the region to achieve their own interests," the ministry added. Local residents said Israeli mortars were striking the Wadi Yarmouk area, west of Daraa province, near the border with the Israeli-occupied Golan Heights. The area has witnessed increased tensions in recent weeks, including reported Israeli military incursions into nearby villages, where residents have reportedly been barred from sowing their crops. Israel has waged a campaign of aerial bombardment that destroyed much of the country's military infrastructure that intensified under the new leadership. It also has occupied the Syrian Golan Heights since the 1967 Arab-Israeli war and taken more territory in the aftermath of Syrian President Bashar al-Assad's ouster in December, citing lingering concerns over the extremist past of the country's new rulers. with dpa
