Syrian civil war: Ex-officer bags life imprisonment for humanity torture

A former Syrian colonel has been convicted of crimes against humanity and sentenced to life in prison by a German court in Koblenz, in what prosecutors said was the first trial of its kind worldwide.

The former intelligence officer, named only as Anwar R, was tried in Germany under the principle of universal jurisdiction, which allows the prosecution of possible war crimes committed by foreigners in other states.

The defendant was accused of crimes against humanity in 2011 and 2012, in the early stages of the Syrian civil war.

The trial began in April 2020, with two defendants in the dock.

In February 2021, the co-defendant was sentenced to four and a half years in prison for aiding and abetting a crime against humanity.