Published 16:59 IST, June 22nd 2020
German authorities arrest Syrian doctor for alleged 'crimes against humanity'
The suspect, identified as Alaa M., worked as a doctor in a prison of the Syrian intelligence services and “tortured an inmate in at least two cases”.
German police have arrested a Syrian doctor after an arrest warrant was issued on June 19, alleging crime against humanity and grievous bodily harm at a prison in the war-torn nation. According to the Attorney General’s office, the suspect, identified as Alaa M., worked as a doctor in a prison of the Syrian intelligence services and “tortured an inmate in at least two cases”.
German federal prosecutors alleged that Alaa M. worked as a doctor in the prison of the military secret service in the city of Homs in 2011. He was called to assist a man, held for participating in a protest, who had suffered an epileptic seizure. The doctor allegedly hit the victim with a plastic tube and continued beating him even after he collapsed on the ground.
The inmates asked for medical care as the victim’s health deteriorated the next day but the suspect arrived with another doctor and hit him with a plastic tube. The victim lost consciousness, was carried away by guards and died subsequently although the cause of the death is unclear.
“The accused left Syria in mid-2015 and entered the Federal Republic of Germany. He practised here as a doctor after entering the country,” the statement read.
Brutal suppression of dissent
Syrian regime under President Bashar Al-Assad is accused of using brutal force to suppress all opposition-critical government activities. Several rebels and protesters have been allegedly detained illegally arrested, detained, tortured and sometimes killed in the past decade to intimidate the population and end the movement as soon as possible.
Recently, the United States announced new sanctions on dozens of people including Syrian President Bashar Al-Assad’s wife and siblings under the Caesar Act. The Act is named after a military photographer who smuggled out 52,275 images of torture and death of Syrians inside government prison. US State Secretary Mike Pompeo said in a statement that the sanctions are the beginning of a sustained campaign of economic and political pressure to deny the Assad regime revenue and support used to wage war and commit mass atrocities.
Updated 16:59 IST, June 22nd 2020