Latest news with #AlaaM.
Roya News
2 hours ago
- Politics
- Roya News
Syrian doctor found guilty of torture, gets life sentence in Germany
German court on Monday sentenced Syrian doctor Alaa M. to life in prison for torturing opponents of former Syrian president Bashar al-Assad, following a trial that lasted more than three years in Frankfurt. Alaa M., whose full name was withheld due to German privacy laws, arrived in Germany in 2015 and worked as an orthopedic surgeon until his arrest in 2020. He was identified by fellow Syrian refugees, who testified that he had previously worked in military hospitals in Damascus and Homs. The 40-year-old doctor had denied all charges, claiming he was the target of a conspiracy. However, the Frankfurt Higher Regional Court found him guilty after hearing testimony from around 50 witnesses, victims, and legal experts over the course of 186 hearings since the trial began in January 2022. Alaa M. was accused of committing torture while working at a military prison and hospitals in Homs and Damascus in 2011 and 2012. Prosecutors charged him with more than a dozen counts of torture, including the killing of a detainee. He was also accused of performing bone surgery without adequate anesthesia and attempting to deprive two prisoners of their reproductive capacity. This is the first life sentence issued in a case involving state-sponsored torture by Syrians since Assad was ousted in December 2024. Germany has previously prosecuted several former Syrian officials using the principle of universal jurisdiction, which allows crimes against humanity to be tried regardless of where they occurred. Alaa M. worked at the notorious Mezzeh 601 military hospital in Damascus, long known for its role in the regime's torture network. According to Human Rights Watch, the hospital's morgue and courtyard appeared in leaked photos smuggled out of Syria by a former military photographer known by the pseudonym Caesar, revealing systematic abuse of civilians.
8 hours ago
German court sentences Syrian doctor to life in prison for torture, war crimes
BERLIN -- A German court sentenced a Syrian doctor to life imprisonment for torture and war crimes in his Syrian homeland on Monday for killing two people and torturing nine in Syria between 2011 and 2012. The Frankfurt Higher Regional Court also established the particular gravity of the guilt, which in practice virtually rules out early release after 15 years — as is often the case in Germany when people are sentenced to life imprisonment. The 40-year-old Syrian, who was identified as Alaa M. in line with German privacy rules, was placed in preventive detention, German news agency dpa reported. In his verdict, presiding judge Christoph Koller described the actions of the accused in the military hospital in the Syrian city of Homs in the early stages of the civil war that began in 2011. He said the doctor had sadistic tendencies and acted them out during the torture. 'Above all, the accused enjoyed harming people that seemed inferior and low-value to him,' Koller said, according to dpa. During the trial, which lasted almost three and a half years, victims had described the most severe abuse, including beatings, kicks and the setting of wounds and body parts on fire, dpa reported. Koller emphasized that without the willingness and courage of witnesses to share the details of their suffering the facts of the case could not have been clarified. M. had lived in Germany for ten years and had worked as an orthopedic surgeon in several clinics, most recently in Bad Wildungen in northern Hesse. In summer 2020, he was arrested after some of his victims had recognized him from a TV documentary about Homs, dpa reported. The doctor supposedly tortured prisoners who were considered part of the opposition to former Syrian dictator Bashar Assad. The trial against him began in January 2022. Alaa M. described himself as not guilty during the trial, alleging that he was the victim of a conspiracy, dpa wrote. The verdict is not yet final.
Yahoo
8 hours ago
- Yahoo
German court sentences Syrian doctor to life in prison for torture and war crimes in his homeland
BERLIN (AP) — A German court sentenced a Syrian doctor to life imprisonment for torture and war crimes in his Syrian homeland on Monday for killing two people and torturing nine in Syria between 2011 and 2012. The Frankfurt Higher Regional Court also established the particular gravity of the guilt, which in practice virtually rules out early release after 15 years — as is often the case in Germany when people are sentenced to life imprisonment. The 40-year-old Syrian, who was identified as Alaa M. in line with German privacy rules, was placed in preventive detention, German news agency dpa reported. In his verdict, presiding judge Christoph Koller described the actions of the accused in the military hospital in the Syrian city of Homs in the early stages of the civil war that began in 2011. He said the doctor had sadistic tendencies and acted them out during the torture. 'Above all, the accused enjoyed harming people that seemed inferior and low-value to him,' Koller said, according to dpa. During the trial, which lasted almost three and a half years, victims had described the most severe abuse, including beatings, kicks and the setting of wounds and body parts on fire, dpa reported. Koller emphasized that without the willingness and courage of witnesses to share the details of their suffering the facts of the case could not have been clarified. M. had lived in Germany for ten years and had worked as an orthopedic surgeon in several clinics, most recently in Bad Wildungen in northern Hesse. In summer 2020, he was arrested after some of his victims had recognized him from a TV documentary about Homs, dpa reported. The doctor supposedly tortured prisoners who were considered part of the opposition to former Syrian dictator Bashar Assad. The trial against him began in January 2022. Alaa M. described himself as not guilty during the trial, alleging that he was the victim of a conspiracy, dpa wrote. The verdict is not yet final.
Toronto Star
8 hours ago
- Toronto Star
German court sentences Syrian doctor to life in prison for torture and war crimes in his homeland
BERLIN (AP) — A German court sentenced a Syrian doctor to life imprisonment for torture and war crimes in his Syrian homeland on Monday for killing two people and torturing nine in Syria between 2011 and 2012. The Frankfurt Higher Regional Court also established the particular gravity of the guilt, which in practice virtually rules out early release after 15 years — as is often the case in Germany when people are sentenced to life imprisonment. The 40-year-old Syrian, who was identified as Alaa M. in line with German privacy rules, was placed in preventive detention, German news agency dpa reported.
Hamilton Spectator
8 hours ago
- Hamilton Spectator
German court sentences Syrian doctor to life in prison for torture and war crimes in his homeland
BERLIN (AP) — A German court sentenced a Syrian doctor to life imprisonment for torture and war crimes in his Syrian homeland on Monday for killing two people and torturing nine in Syria between 2011 and 2012. The Frankfurt Higher Regional Court also established the particular gravity of the guilt, which in practice virtually rules out early release after 15 years — as is often the case in Germany when people are sentenced to life imprisonment. The 40-year-old Syrian, who was identified as Alaa M. in line with German privacy rules, was placed in preventive detention, German news agency dpa reported. In his verdict, presiding judge Christoph Koller described the actions of the accused in the military hospital in the Syrian city of Homs in the early stages of the civil war that began in 2011. He said the doctor had sadistic tendencies and acted them out during the torture. 'Above all, the accused enjoyed harming people that seemed inferior and low-value to him,' Koller said, according to dpa. During the trial, which lasted almost three and a half years, victims had described the most severe abuse, including beatings, kicks and the setting of wounds and body parts on fire, dpa reported. Koller emphasized that without the willingness and courage of witnesses to share the details of their suffering the facts of the case could not have been clarified. M. had lived in Germany for ten years and had worked as an orthopedic surgeon in several clinics, most recently in Bad Wildungen in northern Hesse. In summer 2020, he was arrested after some of his victims had recognized him from a TV documentary about Homs, dpa reported. The doctor supposedly tortured prisoners who were considered part of the opposition to former Syrian dictator Bashar Assad . The trial against him began in January 2022. Alaa M. described himself as not guilty during the trial, alleging that he was the victim of a conspiracy, dpa wrote. The verdict is not yet final. Error! Sorry, there was an error processing your request. There was a problem with the recaptcha. Please try again. You may unsubscribe at any time. By signing up, you agree to our terms of use and privacy policy . This site is protected by reCAPTCHA and the Google privacy policy and terms of service apply. Want more of the latest from us? Sign up for more at our newsletter page .
