Swedish court acquits former Syrian army general accused of role in war crimes

By JAN M. OLSEN
Associated Press

COPENHAGEN, Denmark (AP) — A Swedish court has acquitted a former Syrian army general accused of playing a role in war crimes in his home country more than a decade ago. Brig. Gen Mohammed Hamo, who now lives in Sweden, was charged in February with aiding and abetting crimes against international law. Prosecutors said that as head of the Ordnance Department of the Syrian Army’s 11th Division, he was responsible for providing the weapons that were used to commit war crimes in 2012. But Judge Katarina Fabian said the evidence that the prosecutor relied on was not sufficient to convict Hamo. Hamo defected from the Syrian army in July 2012 and joined those fighting to remove President Bashar Assad from power.