Frankfurt Court Sentences Syrian Doctor Alaa M. to Life Imprisonment
Several Counts of Crimes Against Humanity, War Crimes, and Murder with a Finding of Particular Gravity
Washington, DC: 06/17/2025
“Alaa M., a 40-year-old Syrian doctor, was sentenced to life imprisonment for crimes against humanity, war crimes against persons, and murder. After almost three and a half years and over 50 witnesses, the court in Frankfurt am Main, Germany has finally issued its judgment.” said the Syria Justice and Accountability Centre after the announcement of the verdict on Monday.
SJAC monitored the entirety of the trial, comprehensively documenting the proceedings against Alaa M. since January 2022. The Syrian doctor was accused of torturing and killing patients in the Military Hospitals in Homs and al-Mazzeh and the detention facility of the Military Security Branch in Homs following the brutal repression of the Syrian uprising by the Assad government. The court established Alaa M.’s loyalty to the government beyond a reasonable doubt, raising the mistreatment and killing of individuals to the level of international crimes.
“Due to the abuse of his medical authority, the number of offenses, and the long period over which the crimes were committed, the Senate found particular gravity to the crimes attributed to Alaa M.,” said Teresa Quadt, Team Lead of the Trial Monitoring program. “Based on a forensic-psychiatric expert testimony which found Alaa M. to have sadistic tendencies, the court also ordered preventive detention due to the risk of relapse,” Quadt added. Unexpectedly, the court did not impose a lifetime ban from practicing medicine since Alaa M. had already voluntarily surrendered his license.
“This and other universal jurisdiction trials are an integral part of transitional justice for Syrians. They contribute to revealing the truth about the abuse in detention facilities and hospitals, restoring the dignity of the victims and survivors,” said Hassan Kansou, who has been monitoring the trial since its first day and received access to the Arabic translation of the judgment provided to the plaintiffs via headphones.
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The Syria Justice and Accountability Centre (SJAC) is a Syrian civil society organization working towards a Syrian state defined by justice, respect for human rights, and the rule of law, where citizens from all components of Syrian society live in peace without fear. Its mission is to promote justice and accountability in Syria by ensuring that human rights violations are comprehensively documented, and that documentation data is securely preserved, cataloged, and analyzed to advance transitional justice and peacebuilding.
For inquiries in Arabic, please contact:
Hassan Kansou
Trial Monitor and Data Analyst
For inquiries in English, please contact:
Michael Ader
Communications Officer
Cell Phone: +1-801-970-3065
Teresa Quadt
Team Lead Trial Monitoring