Overview

• The Frankfurt Higher Regional Court convicted Alaa M. of torturing and killing opposition members in Homs between 2011 and 2012 and sentenced him to life imprisonment.
• Judges determined that M. inflicted severe injuries and caused two deaths with sadistic intent while serving as a military hospital doctor for the Assad regime.
• The three-and-a-half-year trial comprised 188 sessions and featured testimony from over 50 witnesses and multiple expert reports.
• The verdict includes preventive detention after the sentence and remains open to appeal before becoming legally binding.
• Syrian authorities sought to influence the proceedings until the Assad government’s collapse in December 2024, leading to enhanced protective measures for witnesses.