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Stuttgart Tribunal Sentences Hezbollah Militia Member to Life for Syrian War Crimes

Germany’s use of universal jurisdiction is underscored by a conviction that remains eligible for review by the Federal Court of Justice.

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Das Oberlandesgericht Stuttgart hat einen 33-Jährigen wegen Verbrechen gegen die Menschlichkeit und Kriegsverbrechen im syrischen Bürgerkrieg zu lebenslanger Haft verurteilt.

Overview

  • Prosecutors concluded that Ammar A. participated in the armed militia’s violent campaign against civilians in Busra Al Sham, overseeing looting, arson and the shooting death of an unarmed student.
  • He led the detention and severe torture of three men in April 2013 before handing them to Syrian military intelligence officers.
  • The 42-day trial featured testimony from 30 predominantly Syrian witnesses who detailed systematic abuses between 2012 and 2014.
  • Ammar A. was arrested in Baden-Württemberg in December 2023 and prosecuted under Germany’s universal jurisdiction statutes.
  • The life sentence delivered on June 3, 2025 remains open to appeal to the Federal Court of Justice.