Syrian Doctor Sentenced to Life in Germany for Torture and War Crimes in Homs, Syria

A Syrian doctor, center, accused of torture and war crimes in his Syrian homeland, stands next to his lawyer Oussama Al-Agi, right, in the Higher Regional Court before the verdict is announced in Frankfurt, Germany, Monday, June 16, 2025. (Boris Roessler/dpa via AP)ASSOCIATED PRESS

A German court on Monday sentenced a Syrian doctor to life imprisonment for committing war crimes and crimes against humanity, including torture and murder, during Syria’s civil war between 2011 and 2012. The Frankfurt Higher Regional Court found the 40-year-old, identified as Alaa M. due to German privacy laws, guilty of killing two people and torturing at least nine others while working in a military hospital in Homs.

The court also determined the “particular gravity of guilt,” a classification that effectively prevents parole after 15 years, the standard threshold for life sentences in Germany. The verdict includes an order for preventive detention, reflecting the court's assessment of the continued danger posed by the convict.

A Syrian doctor, accused of torture and war crimes in his Syrian homeland, sits in the Higher Regional Court before the verdict is announced in Frankfurt, Germany, Monday, June 16, 2025. (Boris Roessler/dpa via AP)ASSOCIATED PRESS

Presiding Judge Christoph Koller described Alaa M.'s actions as sadistic and rooted in contempt for those he viewed as inferior. According to court findings, the accused inflicted severe physical abuse, including brutal beatings, kicking, and even setting body parts and wounds on fire.

“These crimes could only be revealed thanks to the exceptional courage of the witnesses who shared the details of their suffering,” Koller stated during sentencing.

The trial, which spanned nearly three and a half years, marked one of Germany’s most extensive prosecutions of war crimes committed in Syria. It highlighted the use of universal jurisdiction, which allows German courts to prosecute crimes against humanity committed abroad when the accused is present in Germany.

A Syrian doctor, center, accused of torture and war crimes in his Syrian homeland, is led into the courtroom next to his lawyer Oussama Al-Agi, 2nd left, for the verdict, in the Higher Regional Court in Frankfurt, Germany, Monday, June 16, 2025. (Boris Roessler/dpa via AP)ASSOCIATED PRESS

Alaa M. arrived in Germany in 2012, where he continued practicing medicine as an orthopedic surgeon in several hospitals, most recently in Bad Wildungen, Hesse. His arrest in the summer of 2020 came after some victims recognized him in a television documentary about Syria’s conflict.

Prosecutors alleged that the victims were prisoners perceived to be part of the opposition to then-President Bashar al-Assad. The abuse took place in a military hospital known for detaining and torturing political prisoners during the early years of Syria’s uprising.

Despite the overwhelming evidence presented during the trial, Alaa M. maintained his innocence, claiming he was the target of a conspiracy. The verdict is not yet legally binding, as he may appeal the decision.

This landmark ruling reinforces Germany’s role as a global leader in prosecuting international war crimes and underscores the continuing effort to hold perpetrators of atrocities in Syria accountable.