German court convicts former Syrian colonel

It's been described as the world's first criminal case brought over state-led torture in Syria. A court in Koblenz, Germany, gave a life sentence to Anwar Raslan. He's a former Syrian colonel who'd been linked to crimes against humanity at a notorious prison in Damascus during his country's civil war. Raslan was found guilty of mass torture and killings at a detention centre known as Branch 251. Also in the programme: British and Dutch athletes heading to Beijing for next month's Winter Olympics have been warned about taking their own personal mobile phones with them over fears they could be spied on by the Chinese government; and Ronnie Spector, lead singer of the 1960s all-girl group The Ronettes, has died at the age of 78. (Photo: A woman reacts as she shows a picture of her relatives, who died in Syria, after the verdict against a former Syrian secret police officer, at the Higher Regional Court in Koblenz, Germany, 13 January 2022. In the world's first trial on Syrian state torture, Anwar Raslan has been sentenced to life imprisonment for crimes against humanity, 27 counts of murder and other offences. This was announced by the Higher Regional Court in Koblenz. Credit: EPA/Sascha Steinbach)