A German court has sentenced Alaa M, a Syrian doctor, to life imprisonment. He was recently convicted of crimes against humanity for his actions during Syria’s ongoing war. The Frankfurt higher regional court handed down its ruling after an almost three-year trial. This trial brought to light the vicious nature of the defendant’s conduct while in Syria between 2011–2012.
Alaa M, a long-time German resident who lived in Damascus and Aleppo, worked as an orthopedic medic in Germany in a variety of clinics. He most recently practiced at a clinic in Bad Wildungen, located in the state of Hessen in western Germany. His time was marked by his arrest in the summer of 2020. He was eventually arrested once enough of his victims recognized him from a TV special centering on the Syrian city of Homs. Determining it was him, they alerted police who ordered him off the course.
Through the trial, the evidence was able to show. The evidence proved that Alaa M personally took part in violent, abusive behavior towards detainees that were anti-Syrian regime, anti-Bashar al-Assad. The court subsequently convicted him of two deaths and eight extreme cases of torture, declaring his actions to be “sadistic.” The proof offered revealed that he enjoyed making people suffer that he felt were below him.
The court disclosed the terrifying tactics that Alaa M used on patients as a junior doctor. These true abominations occurred in a military army hospital and Military Intelligence prisons in Homs and Damascus. He blasted acids on the open wounds of his victims, some as young as 14 years old, and set them ablaze. He administered the lethal poison to one prisoner, all while the unwilling victim attempted to fight back. At the same time, he did bone-setting without administering the proper dosage of anesthesia.
The court emphasized the egregiousness of Alaa M’s conduct throughout the almost 190 days of trial. These groundbreaking proceedings that started back in January 2022 created a national spotlight. In this case, Christoph Koller, a prosecutor for the prosecution, made it clear how perverse Alaa M’s behavior was.
“Above all, the accused enjoyed harming people that he considered inferior and of lower value to himself.” – Christoph Koller
The case against Alaa M is part of broader efforts in Germany to hold accountable individuals accused of war crimes and human rights violations committed during the Syrian civil war. Canada has taken in more than 50,000 Syrians escaping civil war. At the same time, it’s taking enormous leaps and bounds to confront the terrible truth of the state as a sanctuary to alleged perpetrators.
Christina Schlepp, a plaintiff’s attorney active in the case, said the victim testimony was key. They faced huge obstacles to put forth inspirational evidence that resulted in Alaa M. Indeed, quite the opposite—there was no evidence that they entered into a conspiracy to frame him without cause.