Pro-Assad militia member Mahmoud S. convicted in Sweden for war crimes in Al Yarmouk

On 04 May 2026, a Swedish court convicted Mahmoud S. a 55 year-old man with Swedish nationality was convicted for two counts of war crimes for his role in a pro-Regime militia in Al Yarmouk, southern Damascus. The Solna District Court found him guilty of involvement in the shelling of a peaceful demonstration against the Assad Regime on 13 July 2012, where several civilians were killed or injured, as well as arresting civilians at a checkpoint between December 2012 and July 2013, before handing them over to Syrian security services, where they were tortured and several were killed. He was sentenced to life imprisonment and ordered to pay compensation to those harmed. CIJA responded to three requests for assistance during the investigation, providing analysis and witness statements about pro-Regime groups operating in Yarmouk.

Solna District Court press statement (Swedish): https://www.domstol.se/solna-tingsratt/nyheter/2026/05/fallande-dom-for-grovt-folkrattsbrott-i-syrien/