Former Syrian officer Mohammad Hamou will appear before a Swedish court on Monday to face charges of involvement in war crimes in 2012, making him the highest-ranking Syrian military official prosecuted in Europe over the conflict in his country. Hamou, 65, residing in Sweden and a former brigadier general in the army, is accused of "aiding and inciting" the commission of war crimes during the conflict, which could lead to a life sentence.
The conflict in Syria began after popular protests against President Bashar al-Assad's regime in March 2011, which the authorities violently suppressed. The conflict has resulted in the deaths of over half a million people and caused massive destruction to infrastructure and productive sectors, displacing millions both within and outside the country.
According to the indictment, Hamou contributed through "advice and actions" to battles fought by the army, which systematically included indiscriminate attacks on towns or several locations on the outskirts and within the cities of Hama and Homs. The charges relate to the period between January 1 and July 20, 2012, and the trial is expected to last until late May.
The prosecution stated that the battles fought by Assad's loyal forces involved extensive aerial and ground assaults by unknown perpetrators within the Syrian army, noting that the strikes were carried out without distinguishing between civilian and military targets, as required by international law. The indictment added that Hamou, who oversaw a unit responsible for armaments, assisted in coordinating and arming combat units, thereby contributing to the implementation of orders at an "operational" level.
Hamou's lawyer, Marie Killman, told AFP that her client denied committing any crimes but preferred not to comment further before the trial commenced. Seven civil parties, including Syrians from Homs and Hama, located in central Syria, as well as a British photographer injured during one of the strikes mentioned in the indictment, are set to testify during the trial.
"Complete Impunity"
Aida Smani, the chief legal advisor at the civil rights defenders' organization, told AFP that "the attacks in Homs and Hama and their surroundings in 2012 caused significant harm to civilians and massive destruction of civilian property." She noted that "the same actions were systematically repeated by the Syrian army in other cities throughout Syria," affirming that this occurred "with complete impunity."
Smani explained that Hamou's trial will be the first in Europe to address this pattern of indiscriminate attacks by the Syrian army, emphasizing that it will be "the first opportunity for the victims of the attacks to have their voices heard in an independent court."
Hamou is the highest-ranking among Syrian officers being prosecuted in Europe; however, other countries on the continent have sought to indict a number of officials with higher ranks. In March, the Swiss public prosecutor decided to prosecute Rifaat al-Assad, Bashar al-Assad's uncle, for war crimes and crimes against humanity related to events from the 1980s. While a date for the trial has yet to be set, Rifaat al-Assad is unlikely to face Swiss justice. He returned to his country in 2021 after 37 years in exile and has not been seen in any public appearance since, except for photographs in April 2023 with family members, including the current president.
In November of the past year, French authorities issued an international arrest warrant for Bashar al-Assad over his alleged complicity in war crimes and crimes against humanity linked to chemical attacks dating back to 2023. International arrest warrants were also issued against his brother Maher al-Assad and two senior officers. In January 2022, a former intelligence colonel, Anwar Raslan, was sentenced to life in prison in Coblenz (Western Germany) for crimes against humanity, marking the first trial in the world for violations committed by Syrian regime officials during the conflict in their country.
