Action Group – Sweden
Swedish prosecutors have charged a 55-year-old Swedish national with serious violations of international humanitarian law during the Syrian revolution. The charges include involvement in attacks targeting civilians in the Yarmouk camp, south of Damascus, between 2012 and 2013.
In a statement carried by the Swedish news agency TT, the prosecutors said the investigation revealed the defendant’s involvement in an armed attack on a peaceful demonstration on July 13, 2012, which resulted in the deaths of several civilians and injuries to others. He is also suspected of operating a checkpoint and arresting civilians who were then handed over to Syrian security services, causing severe suffering to some and the death of others under torture.
According to the Swedish Kompis website, Prosecutor Ulrika Pentelius Egelrød explained that “the crime is serious because it involved the killing of people, the torture of others, and inhumane treatment.”
For his part, defense attorney Sargon de Basso confirmed that his client denies all charges against him, noting that “the indictment is essentially based on oral testimony, most of which is transmitted by others.”
The prosecution stated that the investigation was conducted in cooperation with German authorities and several other European countries, and included the interrogation of a large number of witnesses inside and outside Sweden.