Germany upholds life sentence for Syrian man convicted of war crimes

Germany’s Federal Court of Justice has upheld the life sentence against Syrian national Ammar al-Mazraani after he was convicted of war crimes and crimes against humanity committed against civilians in the Daraa countryside.

16 August, 2026 19:50

NEWS DESK

Germany’s Federal Court of Justice today upheld a life sentence against Syrian national Ammar al-Mazraani after he was convicted of war crimes and crimes against humanity against civilians in Busra al-Sham, in the Daraa countryside.

The Higher Regional Court in Stuttgart had convicted him in June 2025, based on testimony from around 30 people, on charges including the killing, torture, and forced displacement of civilians.

The crimes date back to 2013 and 2014, when al-Mazraani was reportedly leading an armed faction affiliated with Hezbollah and supporting the Ba’athist regime.

The confirmation of the sentence comes as part of Germany’s application of the principle of universal jurisdiction, which allows perpetrators of serious international crimes to be prosecuted even when those crimes were committed outside German territory.

ANHA