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German court sentences Syrian doctor to life in jail for crimes against humanity (www.theguardian.com)

submitted 1 day ago by [email protected] to c/[email protected]

14 comments fedilink hide all child comments

Alaa M accused of torturing detainees at military hospitals during Syrian civil war under former ruler Bashar al-Assad

A Syrian doctor has been sentenced to life imprisonment for crimes against humanity in his home country – including murder and torture – by a German court.

The 40-year-old man, whose identity was only disclosed as Alaa M, worked as a junior doctor in an army hospital and a military intelligence prison in Homs and Damascus in Syria, in 2011 and 2012, in the early phase of the civil war.

He abused prisoners accused of being members of the opposition and who were considered enemies of the Syrian dictator Bashar al-Assad who had participated in the uprisings against the regime during the Arab spring. He was convicted by the court in Frankfurt am Main of two deaths and eight cases of severe torture.

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[–] [email protected] 8 points 1 day ago (2 children)

Its a life sentence, why do you say 15 years?

[–] dditty 17 points 1 day ago (3 children)

The federal prosecutor’s office had asked for the man to receive life imprisonment – which usually runs to a maximum of 15 years in Germany – followed by preventive detention – meaning he would always stay behind bars, because of the potential danger it considered him to pose to wider society should he ever be released.

I'm not German so I can't comment with any certainty, but it sounds like the life sentence is 15 years in prison followed by indefinite confinement after that?

[–] [email protected] 2 points 13 hours ago (1 children)

You're probably not the right person to ask, but what's the difference between prison and confinement?

[–] [email protected] 5 points 5 hours ago

It's a technicality regarding German law. You're always eligible to parole and the maximum life setence is 15 years. For cases such as this there's confinement which technically the same as a prison but has a different status and the procedures to come to this verdict are different. This excludes insane criminals going to a psych ward which is a different thing. Basically the verdict says this person is so dangerous and was in full control of his actions and should never be released.

The only other case which wasn't a violent criminal I can think of was a con man some years ago which even schemed through his lawyer when he was behind bars.

[–] [email protected] 17 points 1 day ago* (last edited 18 hours ago)

That's two different things there:

Life imprisonment is a sentence of indeterminate length and minimum of 15 years until you can even apply for parole, unless the court declares special gravity of guilt and ups that term. Average is parole after 19 years (median: 17), 13% serve 25 or longer, including actual life. Record is 59 years, died shortly after parole, age 85. The previous record holder died in prison. Well, prison hospital.
Preventive detention is separate from that, and doesn't just apply to life sentences. It applies after the sentence is over or has been paroled and is essentially an asylum for the not criminally insane, that is, people who can comprehend their guilt.

In short: He's been sentenced to therapy until healed or life, whatever comes first, and minimum 20 years (or such I didn't read the verdict, but German press mention special gravity of guilt).

[–] [email protected] 5 points 1 day ago

That makes more sense. Sort of a dangerous offender kind of thing

[–] [email protected] 6 points 23 hours ago* (last edited 23 hours ago)

That's how long a (minimum) life sentence is in Germany.