Latest news with #militaryhospital
ABC News
18 hours ago
- Health
- ABC News
Syrian doctor guilty of torture and war crimes sentenced to life in prison
A Syrian doctor found guilty of killing two people and torturing nine in Syria has been sentenced to life in prison by a German court. Warning: This story contains details that readers may find distressing. The 40-year-old doctor, who was arrested in June 2020, five years after fleeing to Germany among a large influx of Syrian refugees, was handed a life sentence without parole. The defendant, identified as Alaa M. as per German privacy laws, was accused of torturing opponents of former Syrian President Bashar al-Assad while serving as a physician at a military prison and hospitals in Homs and Damascus in 2011 and 2012. In court, Alaa M. pleaded not guilty and said he was the target of a conspiracy. Prosecutors charged Alaa M. with over a dozen counts of torture and accused him of killing a prisoner. He is also accused of burning and injuring inmates' genitals in two separate cases. In one instance, he allegedly performed a bone fracture correction surgery without adequate anaesthesia. The doctor also worked at the Mezzeh 601 military hospital in Damascus, a facility known for its role in the Syrian regime's torture apparatus. In his verdict, presiding judge Christoph Koller said the doctor had sadistic tendencies and acted them out during the torture. 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, German news agency DPA reported. The plaintiffs were supported by the European Center for Constitutional and Human Rights (ECCHR), which has brought similar cases to German courts in the past. ECCHR lawyer Patrick Kroker called Monday's ruling "a further step towards a comprehensive reckoning with Assad's crimes". "Judgements like these are milestones on which a further reappraisal of the crimes, which will hopefully one day also be possible in Syria, can build," he said in a statement emailed to Reuters. Alaa M. arrived in Germany in 2015 and worked as a doctor, becoming one of roughly 10,000 Syrian medics who helped ease acute staff shortages in the country's healthcare system. According to Human Rights Watch, the hospital's morgues and courtyard appeared in a cache of photographs that documented widespread, state-sponsored abuse of civilians. The images were smuggled out of Syria by a former Syrian military photographer codenamed Caesar. The Assad government, which was toppled in December 2024, denied it tortured prisoners. German prosecutors have used universal jurisdiction laws that allow them to seek trials for suspects in crimes against humanity committed anywhere in the world. They have targeted several former Syrian officials in similar cases in recent years. A spokesperson for the Higher Regional Court in Frankfurt could not be immediately reached for comment. Reuters/AP
Free Malaysia Today
18-05-2025
- Free Malaysia Today
Mogadishu suicide bomber kills at least 10 at army recruitment drive
Dozens of abandoned shoes were visible at the scene of the attack. (AP pic) MOGADISHU : At least 10 people were killed today after a suicide bomber targeted a queue of young recruits registering at the Damanyo military base in the Somali capital Mogadishu, witnesses told Reuters. Teenagers were lining up at the base's gate when the attacker detonated their explosives, they said. A military captain who gave his name as Suleiman described the attack as he had seen it unfold. 'I was on the other side of the road. A speeding tuk-tuk stopped, a man alighted, ran into the queue, and then blew himself up. I saw 10 people dead, including recruits and passers-by. The death toll may rise,' he said. Dozens of abandoned shoes and the remains of the suicide bomber were visible at the scene. Another witness, Abdisalan Mohamed, said he had seen 'hundreds of teenagers at the gate as we passed by in a bus'. 'Abruptly, a deafening blast occurred, and the area was covered by dense smoke. We could not see the details of casualties,' he said. Medical staff at the military hospital told Reuters they had received 30 injured people from the blast and that six of them had died immediately. Government forces quickly cordoned off the entire area. There was no immediate claim of responsibility for the attack and government officials could not immediately be reached for comment. The attack echoed a similar incident in 2023 when a suicide bomber killed 25 soldiers at the Jale Siyad base, located opposite the Damanyo facility. Today's attack followed the assassination yesterday of colonel Abdirahmaan Hujaale, commander of battalion 26, in the Hiiran region, amid local reports of Al-Shabaab rebel infiltration into government and security forces.
Yahoo
18-05-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
At least 10 reported killed in suicide bomb blast in Somalia's Mogadishu
Several people have been reported killed in a suicide bomb attack at an army recruitment centre in Somalia's capital, Mogadishu. The attacker on Sunday targeted a queue of young recruits lining up outside Damanyo base, killing at least 10 people, Reuters news agency quoted witnesses as saying. Teenagers were lining up at the base's gate when the suicide bomber detonated their explosives, they said. Abdisalan Mohamed, said he had seen 'hundreds of teenagers at the gate as we passed by in a bus'. 'Abruptly, a deafening blast occurred, and the area was covered by dense smoke. We could not see the details of casualties,' he added. A military captain who gave his name as Suleiman described the attack as he had seen it unfold. 'I was on the other side of the road. A speeding tuk-tuk stopped, a man alighted, ran into the queue, and then blew himself up. I saw 10 people dead, including recruits and passers-by. The death toll may rise,' he told Reuters news agency. Dozens of abandoned shoes and the remains of the suicide bomber remain visible at the scene. Medical staff at the military hospital told Reuters that they had received 30 wounded people from the blast and that six of them had died immediately. Separately, an official told Anadolu the attack had killed at least 11 people. The government has cordoned off the entire area. There was no immediate claim of responsibility. But the attack echoed a similar incident in 2023 when a suicide bomber killed 25 soldiers at the Jale Siyad base, located opposite the Damanyo facility. Sunday's attack also follows the assassination on Saturday of Colonel Abdirahmaan Hujaale, commander of battalion 26, in the Hiiran region, amid local reports of al-Shabab armed group's infiltration into government and security forces. Al-Shabab has been fighting the Somali government for nearly two decades and frequently targets government officials and military personnel.
Malay Mail
18-05-2025
- Politics
- Malay Mail
Somalia's Damanyo military base hit by suicide attack during army recruitment drive, killing at least 10
MOGADISHU, May 18 — At least 10 people were killed today after a suicide bomber targeted a queue of young recruits registering at the Damanyo military base in the Somali capital Mogadishu, witnesses told Reuters. Teenagers were lining up at the base's gate when the attacker detonated their explosives, they said. A military captain who gave his name as Suleiman described the attack as he had seen it unfold. 'I was on the other side of the road. A speeding tuk-tuk stopped, a man alighted, ran into the queue, and then blew himself up. I saw 10 people dead, including recruits and passers-by. The death toll may rise,' he said. Dozens of abandoned shoes and the remains of the suicide bomber were visible at the scene. Another witness, Abdisalan Mohamed, said he had seen 'hundreds of teenagers at the gate as we passed by in a bus'. 'Abruptly, a deafening blast occurred, and the area was covered by dense smoke. We could not see the details of casualties,' he said. Medical staff at the military hospital told Reuters they had received 30 injured people from the blast and that six of them had died immediately. Government forces quickly cordoned off the entire area. There was no immediate claim of responsibility for the attack and government officials could not immediately be reached for comment. The attack echoed a similar incident in 2023 when a suicide bomber killed 25 soldiers at the Jale Siyad base, located opposite the Damanyo facility. Sunday's attack followed the assassination on Saturday of Colonel Abdirahmaan Hujaale, commander of battalion 26, in the Hiiran region, amid local reports of al-Shabaab militant infiltration into government and security forces. — Reuters
CNA
18-05-2025
- Politics
- CNA
Mogadishu suicide bomber kills at least 10 at army recruitment drive
MOGADISHU, Somalia: At least 10 people were killed on Sunday (May 18) after a suicide bomber targeted a queue of young recruits registering at the Damanyo military base in the Somali capital, Mogadishu, witnesses told Reuters. Teenagers were lining up at the base's gate when the attacker detonated their explosives, they said. A military captain who gave his name as Suleiman described the attack as he had seen it unfold. "I was on the other side of the road. A speeding tuk-tuk stopped, a man alighted, ran into the queue, and then blew himself up. I saw 10 people dead, including recruits and passers-by. The death toll may rise," he said. Dozens of abandoned shoes and the remains of the suicide bomber were visible at the scene. Another witness, Abdisalan Mohamed, said he had seen "hundreds of teenagers at the gate as we passed by in a bus". "Abruptly, a deafening blast occurred, and the area was covered by dense smoke. We could not see the details of casualties," he said. Medical staff at the military hospital told Reuters they had received 30 injured people from the blast and that six of them had died immediately. Government forces quickly cordoned off the entire area. There was no immediate claim of responsibility for the attack and government officials could not immediately be reached for comment. The attack echoed a similar incident in 2023 when a suicide bomber killed 25 soldiers at the Jale Siyad base, located opposite the Damanyo facility. Sunday's attack followed the assassination on Saturday of Colonel Abdirahmaan Hujaale, commander of battalion 26, in the Hiiran region, amid local reports of al-Shabaab militant infiltration into government and security forces.
