by EuroNews
It’s published
A German court sentenced Syrian doctors to life in prison between 2011 and 2012 for killing two people and tortureing nine people in their hometown.
The district courts over Frankfurt have ruled after a trial that lasted almost three and a half years.
The 40-year-old defendant, identified solely as ALAA M due to German privacy laws, was accused of committing crimes against perceived opponents of the Assad regime at the start of the Syrian civil war at HOMS and MEZZEH military hospitals.
The man who later worked as an orthopedic surgeon in northern Hesse was detained in Germany in 2020 and was charged with murder, torture and crimes against humanity.
Alaa M pleaded not guilty and claimed he was the victim of the conspiracy.
However, the Frankfurt Court established the specific severity of his guilt. This means he is unlikely to be released in 15 years.
Judge Christophe Koller told the German press DPA that doctors have a sadistic tendency.
“More than anything, the accused enjoyed hurting people who were thought to be inferior and of less value to him,” Koller said.
“No matter where he is, the torturer cannot ensure immunity,” he added.
Koller said the Syrian doctor’s verdict was not possible without the willingness and courage of the witnesses sharing details of their suffering.
Alaa M traveled to Germany in 2015 and worked as an orthopedic surgeon in the clinics of Hessisch Lichtenau (Werra-Meißner) and Bad Wildungen (Waldeck-Frankenberg).
His trial began two years after his arrest, which began in 2022. This happened after the witnesses confirmed him from a documentary about Homs.
