Sweden: The government of Sweden has begun a trial against an ex-Syrian army officer for alleged war crimes during the civil war. General Mohammed Hamo, who currently resides in Sweden, is the first Syrian official to face trial in Europe over military operations during the country’s war.
Despite European actions to bring justice against those accountable for human rights abuses during Syria’s 13-year civil war, this trial is one of only a few against high-ranking Syrian government or military officials. Hamo, the 65-year-old former military official, was charged with assisting and abetting misuses of international law.
The former Syrian officer is charged with partaking in operations that systematically included invasions carried out in breach of the principles of distinction, caution, and proportionality during his time as brigadier general in the Syrian army between January and July 2012.
During the trial, Prosecutor Karolina Wieslander presented accusations which were considered to constitute a serious offence. The charges stated that Hamo contributed to the Syrian army’s indiscriminate warfare through both advice and action. It was also mentioned that Hamo functioned in the Syrian Army’s 11th Division and played a crucial role in making strategic judgments and executing military procedures.
Hamo’s defence lawyer argued that his client was innocent and could not be kept responsible for his moves, as he acted in an army context and was required to follow directives. It is assessed that almost 500,000 people lost their lives in the Syrian civil war.
The battle formed in 2011 when the Syrian administration’s repression of pro-democracy objections flared unrest between the government led by Bashar al-Assad and the opponent. As a result, half of the country’s people, who were roughly 23 million, fled the country, ushering in a substantial migration wave in the Middle East and Europe.
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