KOBLENZ (Germany) – A German court sentenced a former officer of intelligence in Syria President Bashar Al-Assad’s security service to life imprisonment after convicting him in a historic trial.

Anwar R. was charged with murder, rape, and sexual assault in Damascus prison. He had been supervised by the intelligence unit that he led. He denied any charges.

It was also the second verdict in the case at Koblenz’s higher regional court. This was the first ever criminal prosecution to bring over torture state-led during Syria’s civil conflict, which started in 2011.

Eyad A. was sentenced to a four-and-half year imprisonment last year for aiding civilian torture.

“The trial demonstrates that accountability for the Assad regime’s heinous atrocities is possible – that the evidence is overwhelming and will be accepted by courts of law – if national prosecutors and judges choose to act,” said Eric Witte of the Open Society Justice Initiative, which supported several witnesses in the case.

He said, “As much we are happy about the result of this trial,” but he also noted that Syria continues to be a victim of the same crimes as the ones found in the courtroom.

The Assad government claims that it does not torture prisoners.

Many of the 800,000.00 Syrians living in Germany will be encouraged by this verdict, after all attempts to create an international tribunal to deal with Syria’s violations failed.

The prosecution secured trial in accordance with Germany’s universal jurisdiction laws. These laws allow for the prosecution of crimes against humanity anywhere on the globe.

Next week, Frankfurt will host a second trial for a Syrian doctor accused of crimes against humanity. He also tortured prisoners in a Homs military hospital.

German authorities also accused him of killing a prisoner with a lethal injection.

Russia and China have blocked Western attempts to refer the Syrian crisis at the International Criminal Court to Russia. This leaves survivors of chemical weapon attacks and torture with very limited legal options.