Inside the Alaa M. Trial #96: Silent Traces: The Digital Evidence Against Alaa M.
TRIAL OF ALAA M.
Higher Regional Court – Frankfurt, Germany
Trial Monitoring Summary #96
Hearing Date: February 6, 2025
CAUTION: Some testimony includes descriptions of torture.
Note that this summary is not a verbatim transcript of the trial; it is merely an unofficial summary of the proceedings.
Throughout this summary, [information located in brackets are notes from our trial monitor] and “information placed in quotes are statements made by the witness, Judges or counsel.” The names and identifying information of witnesses have been redacted.
[Note: SJAC continues to provide a summary of the proceedings while redacting certain details to protect witness privacy and to preserve the integrity of the trial.]
SJAC’s 96th trial monitoring report details day 174 of the trial of Alaa M. in Frankfurt, Germany. SJAC was unable to attend the first trial day this week, trial day 173, on February 4, 2025. On the second trial day this week, the session focused on a series of chat messages between witness P52 and [redacted name] which had been officially translated and certified for inclusion in the proceedings. In these exchanges, P52 repeatedly pressed [redacted name] for details about the Accused and the situation at the Homs Military Hospital. While [redacted name] expressed reservations — citing fading memory and concerns about his precarious situation in [redacted location] — he ultimately confirmed that the Accused was from [redacted location] and provided disturbing accounts of systematic abuse in the hospital. He named senior doctors allegedly involved in torture and killings, including Brigadier General Dr. [redacted name] and the cousins [redacted names].
The chats described horrifying scenes of medical abuse: surgeries conducted without anesthesia, deliberate mistreatment of wounded detainees, and deaths under suspicious circumstances. [Redacted name] referred to the hospital as a “slaughterhouse” and recounted a case in which a conscript pressed on open wounds “for sport.” Additional messages detailed the blurred lines between military and medical personnel, with doctors ordered not to interfere with security forces. The court also noted that a forensic psychologist is expected to testify in the following week.
Day 174 – February 06, 2025
At first, the Court read a report submitted by Deußing regarding Facebook data from 2024. The matter concerned recent witness testimony alleging that the Accused had been seen using a black Nokia N73 Music phone. In response, the Accused sought to disprove this claim by referencing Facebook metadata. According to records, a profile picture had been removed and replaced on October 13, 2012, using an iPhone—suggesting that the Accused did not use a Nokia at the time. Additionally, a Facebook chat dated October 26, 2011, between the Accused and an individual named [redacted name] was mentioned. The conversation referenced “Jailbreak Wizard,” a software used to bypass iOS security mechanisms. This issue was raised earlier, when P57 claimed the Accused used a black Nokia N73 Music. The Accused countered by citing a Facebook profile update on 13 October 2012, made using an iPhone.
Following this, the Court proceeded with the continued reading of Facebook messages between [redacted name], P52, and [redacted name], which had been officially translated and certified prior to the hearing. P52 repeatedly pressed [redacted name] for details about the Accused, emphasizing that his testimony in court was based on prior conversations with [redacted name] [note: P52 was most likely referring to the same conversations he had previously reported to the police]. [redacted name], however, hesitated, acknowledging that the events had taken place long ago and that his memory was fading. [Redacted name] also expressed concern over his personal situation in [redacted location], which he cited as a reason for being unable to travel to Germany to testify in person. Although the Court in Frankfurt asked him to appear and emphasized that all costs would be covered, he explained that he is currently unable to leave the country due to personal, family, and social reasons. He did not elaborate further on his situation but instead responded to P52’s questions.
In doing so, he continued to provide details relevant to the case. According to the chat messages, [redacted name] confirmed that the Accused was from [redacted location] in Homs Governorate and recounted a harrowing incident at the military hospital. [Redacted name] described how the facility became a hub for systematic abuse, particularly in the early years of the Syrian uprising. Among those he identified were Brigadier General Dr. [redacted name] and [redacted name]. The latter, along with his cousin [redacted name], was involved in severe mistreatment of detainees, according to [redacted name].
One case involved a civilian who arrived at the hospital appearing unharmed, dressed in a traditional Galabiyah and Kuffiyeh. [Redacted name] and [redacted name] ordered him to be taken to a restricted operating room. When [redacted name] attempted to investigate, a security officer named [redacted name] blocked his way. Later, it was reported that the man had died from excessive bleeding, though [redacted name] strongly suspected he had been deliberately killed. Another case, which [redacted name] heard from colleagues, involved a young protester with an abdominal gunshot wound. Following surgery, as the anesthesia wore off, the young man defiantly shouted, "Down with the regime!" His words sealed his fate, as he was immediately subjected to further torture.
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[10-minute break]
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According to the chat messages, [redacted name] provided further accounts of extreme brutality, including reports of detainees undergoing surgeries without anesthesia, their senses dulled only by the exhaustion of prolonged suffering. Prisoners were beaten post-surgery, some left to die in their hospital beds without any form of treatment. "The hospital was essentially a slaughterhouse," he wrote in a message. One particularly gruesome incident involved a conscript named [redacted name], who was known to press on the open wounds of political prisoners, deliberately inflicting excruciating pain. [Redacted name] explained that, as a doctor, one had to always appear indifferent to what happened to the prisoners in order to avoid drawing suspicion or putting oneself in danger. Openly objecting was not an option — it would have meant serious personal risk. Instead, he tried to question the logic of the violence indirectly, asking the perpetrator why he was beating the prisoner now, rather than simply killing him earlier — before they had spent ten exhausting hours on the surgery. The response, as [redacted name] recalled, was chilling: it was done “for sport.”
Other abuses included deliberate medical mistreatment. [Redacted name] described the case of a young man who had suffered a spinal cord injury and was left paralyzed from the waist down. A doctor, [redacted name] from Latakia, allegedly extinguished cigarettes on the man's legs to test whether he was truly paralyzed. Further evidence suggested that eliminations were carried out behind closed doors. “People were brought in with minor injuries, and two or three days later, they were dead,” [redacted name] told P52 in the chat.
The Court also discussed the broader conditions within the military hospital, where doctors were explicitly instructed not to interfere with the work of security forces. [Redacted name] detailed how field hospitals of the regime’s army in Idlib were exclusively staffed by Alawite doctors — civilians who were nevertheless armed and dressed in military uniforms. He mentioned a doctor named [redacted name] — the one seen in an online photo with Asma al-Assad — who was officially a civilian and therefore not supposed to carry weapons. Nevertheless, he armed himself while working in the field hospital. According to the chat records, [redacted name] noted that these blurred lines between medical professionals and combatants underscored the systemic nature of the abuse.
Before adjourning the session, the Court mentioned that the forensic psychologist is expected to testify next week.
The proceedings were adjourned at 12:00 PM.
The next trial session will be on February 11, 2025, at 10:00 AM
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