Caesar’s (in blue hooded jacket) shocking images of victims from Syria’s torture chambers could become the main evidence in the war crimes investigation launched by France. Here, the Foreign Affairs Committee of the US Congress takes part in the extensive documentation that Caesar managed to smuggle out. Photo: Jonathan Ernst Reuters (FILE PHOTO)
Tue 16 April 2024:
Former Syrian officer Mohammed Hamo yesterday appeared before a Swedish court on charges of involvement in war crimes in 2012, making him the highest-ranking Syrian officer on trial in Europe for his actions during the country’s civil war.
Sixty-five-year-old Hamo, who resides in Sweden and was an officer with the rank of brigadier general in the army, is accused of aiding and abetting war crimes during the conflict. Such charges carry a penalty of up to life imprisonment.
The conflict broke out in Syria after authorities used violence to suppress peaceful popular protests against the regime of President Bashar Al-Assad in March 2011. More than half a million people have been killed since, much of the country has been decimated and millions have been either internally displaced or forced to flee the country.
Hamo appeared wearing a dark blue shirt, jeans and trainers. He listened as Prosecutor Karolina Wieslander read out the charges and took notes.
Prosecutor Karolina Wieslander read out the charges which were described as constituting “a serious crime”. Hamo contributed, through “advice and action”, to the Syrian army’s “indiscriminate” warfare, according to the case.
The prosecutor also said Hamo worked in the Syrian army’s 11th Division and was vital in making “strategic decisions and [implementing] military operations”.
Hamo’s defence lawyer said her client maintained his innocence, claiming he could not be held liable for the actions “as he had acted in a military context and had to follow orders”.
The charges apply to the period between 1 January and 20 July, 2012. The trial is expected to continue until late May.
Sweden has launched the trial of a former Syrian army officer over his alleged role in war crimes committed in 2012 during the country’s civil war.
‘Complete impunity’
According to estimates, nearly half a million people have been killed in the Syrian civil war, which began after the government’s repression of pro-democracy protests spurred unrest between the regime of Bashar al-Assad and the opposition.
However, few Syrian officials have been brought to trial.
In November, France issued an international arrest warrant for Assad, accusing him of complicity in crimes against humanity and war crimes over chemical attacks in 2013.
Three other international warrants were also issued for the arrests of Assad’s brother Maher, the de facto chief of the army’s elite 4th Division and two generals.
In March, Swiss prosecutors charged an uncle of Bashir with war crimes and crimes against humanity. However, Rifaat al-Assad – who recently returned to Syria after 37 years in exile – is unlikely to show up for the trial, for which a date has yet to be set.
In January 2022, a German court sentenced former Colonel Anwar Raslan to life in jail for crimes against humanity in connection with “state-sponsored torture”.
Activists claim that the case against Hamo strikes a blow by putting the first military official on the stand over army operations.
“This trial is important because it’s the first time that anyone from the Syrian government or the Syrian army is actually put on trial for the attacks that took place,” claimed Aida Samani of the Stockholm-based Civil Rights Defenders human rights group.
“The attacks in and around Homs and Hama in 2012 resulted in widespread civilian harm and an immense destruction of civilian properties,” Samani added. “The same conduct has been repeated systematically by the Syrian army in other cities across Syria with complete impunity.”
If convicted, the former general faces up to 18 years in jail and even life imprisonment, the activist suggested.
Little is known about Hamo, who in July 2012 defected from the Syrian army and joined those fighting to remove President Bashar al-Assad from power.
Syrian opposition activists say he was involved in the fighting in the once rebel-held neighbourhood of Baba Amr in Homs, Syria’s third-largest city.
Several plaintiffs are set to testify at the trial, including Syrians from the cities that were attacked and a British photographer who was injured during one strike.
The trial at the Stockholm District Court is planned to run for 18 days, with the last court session on May 21.
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