Alaa Mousa commonly referred to as Alaa M., in German legal documents due to privacy laws, is a Syrian doctor who was convicted by The Frankfurt Higher Regional Court for crimes of war and crimes against humanity.
Alaa Mousa was born in 1984 or 1985 in Syria. [1] [2] He graduated medical studies in Syria and began working as a civilian doctor. [3] As with all Syrian medical graduates, he was obligated to complete an internship at either civilian or military hospitals in order to receive his specialization certificate. [4] He worked in military hospitals in Homs and Damascus — the most notable ones between 2011-2012 were hospital 608 in Homs and hospital 6012 in Damascus, in the early days of the Syrian civil war. [3] [4] [5]
During his time working in military hospitals he was accused of committing torture and murder along with crimes against humanity, which included: torture of about 18 people among them a teenager who he set fire to his genitals and another detanee he gave a leathel injection after resisting beating. [3] [4] [5] He performed surgery on prisoners without giving them the right amount of anesthesia and attempting to deprive opposition detainees of their ability to reproduce. [2] [4] [5] He was also involved in systematic abuse, including physical and psychological torture, that often resulting in death of detanees. [1] [4] [5]
During 2015 Alaa Mousa relocated to Germany. He entered the country with a visa for highly skilled workers along with thousands of Syrian refugees and medical professionals who run away from the conflict. [2] [3] He then worked in Germany as an orthopedic doctor. In June 2020 he was arrested by German authorities after being recognized by witnesses and survivors who reported about his past crimes. [2] [6] [5]
On January 2022 his trail began at the Higher Regional Court in Frankfurt. [2] [3] This case was conducted under Germany’s universal jurisdiction laws, allowing prosecution for crimes committed abroad. [3] [5] The trial that lasted three years, was the first time a trial on state torture in Syria has taken place worldwide. [5]
On June 16, 2025 he was found guilty and sentenced to life imprisonment with preventive detention after 15 years for his crimes against humanity, murder and war crimes. [1] [3] [4]