Frankfurt (Reuters) – Another trial against a Syrian on allegations of torture during the Syrian civil war has begun in Frankfurt.
The 36-year-old Alaa M., who came to Germany as a migrant in 2015 and worked as an orthopedist in Hesse, is accused of murder, torture and serious bodily harm. It is the second trial of this kind in Germany. A few days ago, the Koblenz Higher Regional Court sentenced an employee of a Syrian prison to life imprisonment for, among other things, 27 murders, torture and ill-treatment. Alaa M. did not want to comment on the allegations against him on Wednesday.
Like the trial in Koblenz, the trial against Alaa M. is being conducted according to the so-called principle of universal jurisdiction. This makes it possible to pass judgment on particularly serious crimes against humanity, such as genocide or war crimes, if the crimes were committed in other countries by people with different nationalities.
“The trial is a very important further step in coming to terms with the Syrian crimes,” said Antoina Klein from the human rights organization ECCHR. The trial is a “strong signal” in dealing with crimes against humanity, explained senior public prosecutor Anna Zabeck.
“TARGETED MISTREATMENT OF ASSAD OPPOSERS”
Prosecutors accuse Alaa M. of torturing 18 prisoners in 2011 and 2012 while he was working as a resident in military hospitals in Homs and Damascus and causing serious physical and mental harm to the victims. He is said to have poured alcohol on men’s genitals and set fire to them. He is said to have killed another prisoner with a poison injection after he had defended himself against kicks.
“The prisoners were civilians who opposed the Assad regime and the charge is that he specifically targeted these people to repress them,” said a court spokeswoman. One of the accused’s lawyers, Ulrich Enders, rejected this. “We will refute what we heard in the indictment today.” A total of 14 days of negotiations are scheduled.
Alaa M. did not comment on the allegations. In fluent German he reported on his personal and professional career. As early as 2009 he made the decision to emigrate to Germany and started taking German lessons. He received his visa in March 2015, and shortly thereafter his license to practice medicine in Germany. Two patients recognized him as a former torturer in Homs and made their allegations public. In June 2020, the father of two was arrested. Since then he has been in custody in Frankfurt.
(Reporter: Patricia Uhlig, with material from Reuters TV, edited by Ralf Bode. If you have any questions, please contact the editorial board on 030 2201 33711)