(AFP) A German court on Thursday sentenced a former Syrian colonel to life in jail for crimes against humanity in a “historic” verdict hailed by victims as a victory for justice, as the first global trial over state-sponsored torture in Syria drew to an end.
Anwar Raslan, 58, was found guilty of overseeing the murder of 27 people and the torture of 4,000 others at the Al-Khatib detention centre in Damascus, also known as “Branch 251,” in 2011 and 2012.
He sought refuge in Germany after deserting the Syrian regime in 2012.
During the trial, more than 80 witnesses testified about what the court in Koblenz called “catastrophic conditions” in the centre, which had a reputation for being especially brutal.
