Syrian regime official sentenced to jail for murders, crimes against humanity

BERLIN (AA) - In a landmark case on the crimes committed by the Syrian regime, a German court on Thursday sentenced a former Syrian intelligence official to life in prison.

Anwar Raslan, 58, was convicted of committing crimes against humanity, murders, torture and sexual assault, while serving as the head of the investigation unit at Damascus' al-Khatib prison between 2011 and 2012.

He was arrested in Germany in 2019, after Syrian torture survivors and witnesses informed the authorities.

Germany’s unique legislation -- the Code of Crimes against International Law -- gives courts universal jurisdiction over war crimes and crimes against humanity, and they can open full investigation into such crimes, even when they were not committed within its territory.