Swedish Citizen Charged with War Crimes in Syria

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Swedish Citizen Charged with War Crimes in Syria
Photo: Viktoria Bank/TT

A 55-year-old Swedish citizen is being prosecuted for, among other things, having participated in an attack on a peaceful demonstration in Syria in 2012, when several civilians were killed.

The man is being prosecuted for two cases of serious war crimes, also known as war crimes, in the Syrian Yarmuk south of the capital Damascus.

The events took place while the civil war was raging, in 2012 and 2013.

One of the cases concerns participation in an attack on a peaceful demonstration on July 13, 2012, where several civilians were shot to death and several were injured, according to a press release from the Prosecution Authority.

From mild to severe suffering

He is also being prosecuted for manning a roadblock and participating in the arrest of civilians at the roadblock, in connection with Yarmuk being besieged by the Syrian regime and regime-loyal armed groups, the authority writes.

A large number of civilians were arrested at the roadblock and handed over to the Syrian security service during the reign of the feared dictator Bashar al-Assad, which has led to severe suffering and in several cases to the death of people, according to the prosecution.

The man is said to have acted as part of a regime-loyal armed militia.

"The crime should be considered serious as several people have been killed, tortured and subjected to severe suffering and inhuman treatment," says senior prosecutor Ulrika Bentelius Egelrud.

"Mostly hearsay"

The man denies the allegations, says Sargon de Basso, one of his lawyers.

The prosecution is in the liability section, in principle, exclusively based on oral evidence, mostly hearsay, says de Basso.

The investigation has been conducted in collaboration with Germany and several other European countries. A large number of people have been interviewed, both in Sweden and abroad, according to the Prosecution Authority.

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By TTEnglish edition by Sweden Herald, adapted for local and international readers

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