The trial of a former high-ranking Syrian military officer on charges relating to the country’s civil war has begun in Sweden.
Former brigadier general Mohammed Hamo is accused of "aiding and abetting" war crimes including “indiscriminate attacks” on the towns of Hama and Homs in 2012.
The 65-year-old now lives in Sweden and faces a possible life sentence if convicted after his trial, which is expected to last until the end of next month.
The war in Syria between Bashar Al Assad's regime and armed opposition groups erupted after the government repressed peaceful pro-democracy protests in 2011.
Aida Samani, senior legal adviser at the Civil Rights Defenders group, which has been gathering evidence relating to the Syrian civil war, said the attacks around the two towns resulted in “widespread civilian harm and an immense destruction of civilian properties”.
"This trial is important because it’s the first time that anyone from the Syrian government or the Syrian army is actually put on trial for the attacks that took place,” said Ms Samani.
According to the charge sheet, Mr Hamo contributed through "advice and action" to the Syrian army's tactics, "which systematically involved indiscriminate attacks on several towns or places in the area in and around the towns of Hama and Homs".
The former officer allegedly helped with the co-ordination and supply of arms to units, enabling the carrying out of orders at an "operational level".
Prosecutors say the Syrian army's "warfare has included widespread air and ground attacks by unknown perpetrators within the Syrian army" and argue strikes were carried out without distinction, as required by international law, between civilian and military targets.
This trial will be the first in Europe "to address these types of indiscriminate attacks by the Syrian army", said Ms Samani, and "will be the first opportunity for victims of the attacks to have their voices heard in an independent court".
Eight plaintiffs filed the case against Mr Hamo, including a man whose brother was killed in the attacks on Homs, as well as a British photographer and a French journalist who were injured in an attack on the city’s media centre.
Little is known about Mr Hamo other than he defected from the Syrian army in July 2012 and joined those fighting to remove Mr Al Assad from power.
He lived in central Sweden until he was arrested over his supposed participation in war crimes on December 7, 2021.
A court at the time released him two days later, saying there was not enough evidence to keep him incarcerated and he has since been free. His defence lawyer, Mari Kilman, said her client maintained his innocence.
Mr Hamo's trial follows the conviction of former intelligence officer Anwar Raslan.
Raslan was jailed for life in Germany for crimes against humanity in the first global trial over state-sponsored torture in Syria.
Intelligence official Eyad Al Gharib became the first person to be convicted over state-sponsored torture by the Assad government, also after a trial in Germany.
Syria's former vice president Rifaat Al Assad is to be subject of a war crimes trial in Switzerland, where he is accused of war crimes committed in 1982. It is alleged he ordered the deaths of about 60,000 civilians in Hama, Syria, but he will be tried in absentia.
France has issued an international arrest warrant for the Syrian President himself, who stands accused of complicity in crimes against humanity and war crimes over chemical attacks in 2013.
Three other international warrants were also issued for the arrests of his brother Maher, the de facto chief of the Fourth Division, an elite military unit of the Syrian army, and two generals.
Sweden has also put on trial an Iranian official for his part in the mass execution of as many as 5,000 prisoners in 1988.
Hamid Noury, 62, was found guilty in 2022 of murder and a serious crime against international law and his conviction and life sentence were upheld by a court at the end of last year.
UPI facts
More than 2.2 million Indian tourists arrived in UAE in 2023
More than 3.5 million Indians reside in UAE
Indian tourists can make purchases in UAE using rupee accounts in India through QR-code-based UPI real-time payment systems
Indian residents in UAE can use their non-resident NRO and NRE accounts held in Indian banks linked to a UAE mobile number for UPI transactions
The specs
Engine: 3.5-litre twin-turbo V6
Power: 380hp at 5,800rpm
Torque: 530Nm at 1,300-4,500rpm
Transmission: Eight-speed auto
Price: From Dh299,000 ($81,415)
On sale: Now
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
SERIES INFO
Afghanistan v Zimbabwe, Abu Dhabi Sunshine Series
All matches at the Zayed Cricket Stadium, Abu Dhabi
Test series
1st Test: Zimbabwe beat Afghanistan by 10 wickets
2nd Test: Wednesday, 10 March – Sunday, 14 March
Play starts at 9.30am
T20 series
1st T20I: Wednesday, 17 March
2nd T20I: Friday, 19 March
3rd T20I: Saturday, 20 March
TV
Supporters in the UAE can watch the matches on the Rabbithole channel on YouTube
Director: Laxman Utekar
Cast: Vicky Kaushal, Akshaye Khanna, Diana Penty, Vineet Kumar Singh, Rashmika Mandanna
Rating: 1/5
MATCH INFO
Barcelona 2
Suarez (10'), Messi (52')
Real Madrid 2
Ronaldo (14'), Bale (72')
Conflict, drought, famine
Estimates of the number of deaths caused by the famine range from 400,000 to 1 million, according to a document prepared for the UK House of Lords in 2024.
It has been claimed that the policies of the Ethiopian government, which took control after deposing Emperor Haile Selassie in a military-led revolution in 1974, contributed to the scale of the famine.
Dr Miriam Bradley, senior lecturer in humanitarian studies at the University of Manchester, has argued that, by the early 1980s, “several government policies combined to cause, rather than prevent, a famine which lasted from 1983 to 1985. Mengistu’s government imposed Stalinist-model agricultural policies involving forced collectivisation and villagisation [relocation of communities into planned villages].
The West became aware of the catastrophe through a series of BBC News reports by journalist Michael Buerk in October 1984 describing a “biblical famine” and containing graphic images of thousands of people, including children, facing starvation.
Band Aid
Bob Geldof, singer with the Irish rock group The Boomtown Rats, formed Band Aid in response to the horrific images shown in the news broadcasts.
With Midge Ure of the band Ultravox, he wrote the hit charity single Do They Know it’s Christmas in December 1984, featuring a string of high-profile musicians.
Following the single’s success, the idea to stage a rock concert evolved.
Live Aid was a series of simultaneous concerts that took place at Wembley Stadium in London, John F Kennedy Stadium in Philadelphia, the US, and at various other venues across the world.
The combined event was broadcast to an estimated worldwide audience of 1.5 billion.
Tailors and retailers miss out on back-to-school rush
Tailors and retailers across the city said it was an ominous start to what is usually a busy season for sales.
With many parents opting to continue home learning for their children, the usual rush to buy school uniforms was muted this year.
“So far we have taken about 70 to 80 orders for items like shirts and trousers,” said Vikram Attrai, manager at Stallion Bespoke Tailors in Dubai.
“Last year in the same period we had about 200 orders and lots of demand.
“We custom fit uniform pieces and use materials such as cotton, wool and cashmere.
“Depending on size, a white shirt with logo is priced at about Dh100 to Dh150 and shorts, trousers, skirts and dresses cost between Dh150 to Dh250 a piece.”
A spokesman for Threads, a uniform shop based in Times Square Centre Dubai, said customer footfall had slowed down dramatically over the past few months.
“Now parents have the option to keep children doing online learning they don’t need uniforms so it has quietened down.”
ASHES SCHEDULE
First Test
November 23-27 (The Gabba, Brisbane)
Second Test
December 2-6 (Adelaide Oval, Adelaide)
Third Test
December 14-18 (Waca Ground, Perth)
Fourth Test
December 26-30 (Melbourne Cricket Ground, Melbourne)
Fifth Test
January 4-8, 2018 (Sydney Cricket Ground, Sydney)
Red flags
- Promises of high, fixed or 'guaranteed' returns.
- Unregulated structured products or complex investments often used to bypass traditional safeguards.
- Lack of clear information, vague language, no access to audited financials.
- Overseas companies targeting investors in other jurisdictions - this can make legal recovery difficult.
- Hard-selling tactics - creating urgency, offering 'exclusive' deals.
Courtesy: Carol Glynn, founder of Conscious Finance Coaching
The five pillars of Islam
1. Fasting
2. Prayer
3. Hajj
4. Shahada
5. Zakat
The Baghdad Clock
Shahad Al Rawi, Oneworld
More on Quran memorisation:
What the law says
Micro-retirement is not a recognised concept or employment status under Federal Decree Law No. 33 of 2021 on the Regulation of Labour Relations (as amended) (UAE Labour Law). As such, it reflects a voluntary work-life balance practice, rather than a recognised legal employment category, according to Dilini Loku, senior associate for law firm Gateley Middle East.
“Some companies may offer formal sabbatical policies or career break programmes; however, beyond such arrangements, there is no automatic right or statutory entitlement to extended breaks,” she explains.
“Any leave taken beyond statutory entitlements, such as annual leave, is typically regarded as unpaid leave in accordance with Article 33 of the UAE Labour Law. While employees may legally take unpaid leave, such requests are subject to the employer’s discretion and require approval.”
If an employee resigns to pursue micro-retirement, the employment contract is terminated, and the employer is under no legal obligation to rehire the employee in the future unless specific contractual agreements are in place (such as return-to-work arrangements), which are generally uncommon, Ms Loku adds.
