Lifelong imprisonment for Syrians: Court condemns war criminals in Stuttgart

Lifelong imprisonment for Syrians: Court condemns war criminals in Stuttgart

On Wednesday, June 3, 2025, the Stuttgart Higher Regional Court fell a pioneering guilty verdict against Ammar A., ​​a 33-year-old Syrian. The man was sentenced to life imprisonment and guilty for several war crimes and crimes against humanity he committed during the Syrian civil war. This judgment follows a complex and extensive negotiation that extended for eight months.

Ammar A. was formerly a member of a Shiite militia who fought on the side of the Assad regime. This group was decisively involved in suppressing the protests against the Syrian government that broke out in 2011. Thousands of people were arrested, tortured and killed. The aim of this militia was to terrorize the Sunni population through brutal abuse and intimidation. According to n-tv.de , Ammar A. was followed by the militia in his hometown Busra al Sham, where he played a decisive role in the attacks.

The crimes in detail

The court posted a total of three essential crime complexes. In August 2012, the militia attacked the house of a Sunni family, with a 21-year-old student suffering and dying fatal injuries. In April 2013, Ammar A. arrested 27-year-old Mohamad Alissa and handed it over to the military secret service, where it was tortured. After 46 days, Alissa's release followed. Another crime occurred in 2014 when a 40-year-old Sunni goods dealer with his family was attacked, tortured and then thrown onto the street.

The verdict was supported by the interrogation of around 30 witnesses, some of which had traveled from other countries. The so-called Caesar pictures, which show over 6,000 documented fatalities, were also used as part of the evidence. The fall of the Assad regime in December 2024 enabled access to further evidence, which has had a positive impact on the process course. However, the judgment is not yet final; A revision remains possible.

background to the human rights situation in Syria

The conviction of Ammar A. is part of a broader investigative strategy of the Federal Prosecutor's office that has been acting against perpetrators of the Syrian civil war for years. According to a confidential paper from the Foreign Ministry, the human rights situation in Syria has proven to be "catastrophic", which is reflected in the current refugee situation. Since the beginning of the civil war in 2011, around 6.8 million people have fled, many of them to countries such as Turkey and Jordan. In Germany, almost 680,000 people from Syria searched for protection until the end of 2022, while the security situation in the country remains destabilized.

The last regular management report on Syria was published 13 years ago, and the latest positioning picture is based on information from organizations such as the UNHCR, since the German embassy has been closed since 2012. The return of refugees cannot be guaranteed under current conditions, and more than 90% of the Syrian population lives below the poverty border. Attacks on civilians and infrastructures are still the order of the day, which further complicates the humanitarian situation. According to tagesschau.de , 68% of the people in Syria are also threatened by hunger.