(ANSA-AFP) - KOBLENZ, JAN 13 - A German court on Thursday sentenced a former Syrian colonel to life in jail for crimes against humanity in a landmark first global trial over state-sponsored torture in Syria. Anwar Raslan, 58, was found guilty of overseeing the murder of 27 people at the Al-Khatib detention centre in Damascus, also known as "Branch 251", in 2011 and 2012. He sought refuge in Germany after deserting the Syrian regime in 2012. Prosecutors had accused him of overseeing the murder of 58 people and the torture of 4,000 others at the detention centre, but not all of the deaths could be proven. The defendant, wearing a green winter jacket and listening to the verdict through headphones, remained emotionless as his sentence was read out in court. More than 80 witnesses, including 12 regime deserters and many Syrian men and women now living across Europe, took the stand to testify during the trial, with around a dozen also attending the verdict. (ANSA-AFP).