ALBAWABA - Former Syrian brigadier general Mohammed Hamo has been acquitted of war crimes charges after prosecutors did not prove his alleged involvement in the attacks carried out during the country's civil war.
In the first part of 2012, Hamo, who lives in Sweden and one of the highest-ranking Syrian military leaders to go on trial in Europe, was charged with "aiding and abetting" war crimes.
Although the Syrian military had carried out "indiscriminate attacks" during the time, the prosecution failed to prove that Hamo's division was a part of those attacks or that he had a part in supplying the weapons used in the assaults, the Stockholm district court stated in a statement announcing its decision.
The prosecution claimed that Hamo, as brigadier general and commander of the 11th division's armament unit, helped arrange the supply of weaponry and ammunition to forces participating in such operations around Homs and Hama.
"The main issues in the case are whether the 11th Division of the Syrian Army participated in indiscriminate attacks in certain areas and whether the defendant participated in arming the division in those attacks," Judge Katarina Fabian said in a statement.
"According to the District Court, there is no evidence to clarify these issues. The evidence presented by the prosecution has therefore not been deemed sufficient to convict the defendant of a criminal offense," Judge Fabian added.
The prosecution said that the Syrian army's "widespread air and ground attacks" resulted in "disproportionate damage in light of the concrete and immediate general military advantages that could be expected to be achieved."
Hamo denied criminal complicity, and his lawyer, Mari Kilman, told the court that the officer could not be held accountable for his acts since he was acting in a military situation and had to obey orders.
Commenting on the trial, Aida Samani, senior legal advisor at rights group Civil Rights Defenders, which has been monitoring the trial, stated: "What is noteworthy about this case is that this is the first trial concerning the Syrian military's warfare. That is, how the warfare was carried out,".
"It is likely disappointing for victims and those affected by these war crimes. At the same time, the district court concludes that several of these attacks amount to war crimes and that in itself is important, that an independent court for the first time confirms this," Samani stated following the acquaintance announcement.
