A Swedish court has exonerated a former Syrian military general accused of participating in war crimes in his homeland over a decade ago.

In its Thursday judgment, the Stockholm District Court acknowledged that the Syrian military had engaged in “indiscriminate attacks” during that period. However, it ruled that the prosecution couldn't confirm that former Brigadier General Mohammed Hamo’s division took part in these attacks or that he facilitated the operations by supplying arms.

The 65-year-old, residing in Sweden and one of the highest-ranking Syrian military officials tried in Europe, was alleged to have “assisted” in war crimes in early 2012.

In June 2012, Hamo was moved to northern Syria. About a month later, he exited the army and escaped to Turkey, where he allied with a faction fighting the Syrian government.

Hamo arrived in Sweden in 2015, seeking and obtaining asylum. Nonetheless, the Swedish Migration Agency later alerted authorities about his past role as “a senior officer” in an army culpable of systematic human rights abuses.

Residing in central Sweden, Hamo was apprehended on December 7, 2021. The court released him two days afterward due to insufficient evidence for prolonged detention, and he has remained free since then.

Prosecution’s Case

The prosecution contended that Hamo, as brigadier general and overseer of the 11th Division’s armament department, coordinated the distribution of weapons and ammunition to units conducting assaults near Homs and Hama.

Judge Katarina Fabian stated, “The case pivots on whether the 11th Division was involved in indiscriminate attacks in specific locales and whether the defendant took part in arming the division for such attacks.”

“The District Court found no evidence to substantiate these claims. The prosecution's evidence was deemed inadequate for a criminal conviction,” Fabian elaborated.

The conflict between President Bashar al-Assad’s forces and various opposition factions, including ISIL (ISIS), began in 2011 following violent crackdowns on peaceful pro-democracy movements.

The ongoing civil war has resulted in over 500,000 deaths and extensive devastation to Syria’s economy and infrastructure.

Half of the former 23 million population has fled the country, sparking a significant migration crisis across the Middle East and Europe.

Despite the war's vast impact, prosecutions of Syrian officials are rare.

The prosecution highlighted the extensive damage from the Syrian army’s “widespread air and ground assaults,” arguing it was “disproportionate relative to any immediate military gains.”

Hamo refuted any criminal liability, with his attorney Mari Kilman asserting that the officer was compelled to follow military orders and acted accordingly.

Aida Samani of Civil Rights Defenders, monitoring the trial, noted, “This case is unique as it examines the Syrian military’s warfare conduct. No European court has scrutinized this matter and its repercussions on civilians and infrastructure before.”