A German court has sentenced a Syrian doctor to life imprisonment for torture and war crimes in his homeland for killing two people and torturing nine in Syria between 2011 and 2012.

A Syrian doctor who had practised in Germany was sentenced to life in prison by a German court on Monday for crimes against humanity and war crimes after he was found guilty of torturing dissidents in Syria.

The prosecution of Alaa Mousa relied on the legal concept of universal jurisdiction, under which normal rules on territorial jurisdiction do not apply.