Syrian Doctor Alaa Mousa Gets Life for Torture

A German court in Frankfurt has sentenced Syrian doctor Alaa Mousa to life in prison for crimes against humanity, including torture and murder, committed at military hospitals in Damascus and Homs under Bashar al-Assad's regime during the Syrian civil war. Mousa was found guilty of abusing at least nine victims and killing two, with acts such as setting fire to a teenage boy’s genitals and administering lethal injections to detainees. The trial began in 2022 and featured extensive witness testimony about the use of medical facilities for torture. Mousa, who arrived in Germany in 2015 and worked as an orthopedic doctor until his arrest in 2020, denied the charges, citing fear of military police and alleging a conspiracy. The verdict followed Germany’s use of universal jurisdiction to prosecute serious crimes committed abroad, and comes after Assad’s overthrow in 2024. The case highlights Germany's commitment to holding former Syrian officials accountable for state-backed torture and war crimes.