On June 19, German authorities arrested the Syrian doctor Alaa Musa, who has been practicing medicine in Germany since his asylum in 2015.
The arrest on charges of torture in hospitals came while he was in Syria, after testimonies provided by a number of Syrian organisations in Europe, which document the active participation of Doctor Musa in the torture of wounded and detainees in Homs Military Hospital from 2011-2013.
Al-Jazeera had broadcast an investigative programme on May 10, 2020, in which it reviewed testimonies from colleagues of Musa and some of his victims. In that report, his colleague, Muhammad Wehbe, mentioned the violent practices that Musa was taking with opponents of the regime, which range from direct torture that may lead to death, and extend until the conduct of surgeries without anaesthesia. The doctor also mentioned two other doctors who are still in Homs, and they used to practice the same practices besides Musa, namely Dr. Osama al-Afkhari and Osama al-Nuqari.
Musa comes from the town of Hawash, west of Homs, and specializes in orthopaedics.