Eight arrested in Germany and Sweden suspected of committing war crimes in Syria

Suspects accused of taking part in 'violent crackdown on a peaceful anti-government protest' in Damascus

An almost deserted rubble-filled street after clashes between rebel fighters and Syrian government forces in the Saif Al Dawla district of Aleppo. AFP

Eight suspects were arrested in Germany and Sweden on Wednesday over their alleged participation in crimes against humanity in Syria, prosecutors in both countries said.

The suspects are accused of taking part in a “violent crackdown on a peaceful anti-government protest” in Damascus’s Al Yarmouk district on July 13, 2012, Germany's Federal Public Prosecutor's Office said.

The four stateless Syrian Palestinians and Syrian national who were detained in Germany were “strongly suspected of killing and attempting to kill civilians, qualified as crimes against humanity and war crimes”.

It named the Syrian Palestinians as Jihad A, Mahmoud A, Sameer S and Wael S. The Syrian national, identified as Mazhar J, is believed to have worked for the Syrian military intelligence service.

“They and other accessories specifically targeted the civilian protesters, shooting at them,” resulting in six deaths and other serious injuries, the prosecutor's office statement said.

Those arrested in Sweden belonged to a pro-government militia which also participated in the crimes on July 13, 2012, said German prosecutors.

Ulrika Bentelius Egelrud, the Swedish prosecutor in charge of the investigation, said the suspects were arrested thanks to “good co-operation with Germany, Eurojust and Europol”.

Last month a former Syrian general was acquitted of war crimes by a Swedish court, after the prosecution failed to prove his division was involved in “indiscriminate attacks” or he played a role in providing arms for the assaults.

Portraits of children displaced by Syria's civil war – in pictures

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  Twins Maha, right, and Mohammad Al Obaid, 11, were born in 2011, the year the Syrian war started. Displaced from Ras Al Ain in north-east Syria three years ago, they are pictured at a school on the outskirts of north-eastern city Hassakeh. All photos: AFP

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  Nimr Alaywi, 11, who was also displaced from Ras Al Ain three years ago, at a school near Hassakeh.

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  Amani Mahmud, 11, whose family fled Ras Al Ain, pictured at the school near Hassakeh. According to some estimates, 13.3 million Syrians have fled their homes since the civil war began on March 15, 2011.

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  Mohammad Issa, 11, who was also displaced from Ras Al Ain, at the school near Hassakeh.

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  Assil Alaywi, 11, whose family also fled Ras Al Ain for Hassakeh three years ago. Ras Al Ain was the scene of heavy fighting for much of the conflict.

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  Yazan Khodr, 11, at the school near Hassakeh, after his family fled Ras Al Ain. Various groups, including Syrian government forces, extremists and Kurdish fighters, vied for control of Ras Al Ain.

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  Liana Ali, 11, in the school building on the outskirts of Hassakeh.

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  Manaf Mahmud, 11, pictured at the school near Hassakeh. Around four million people, at least half of them displaced, now live in the northern region.

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  Ahmad Abderrazzak, 11, at the school near Hassakeh.

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  Fatima Barkal, 11, at the school near Hassakeh.

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  Ammar Al Khodr, 11, at the school near Hassakeh.

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  Majd Hassan, 11, at the school near Hassakeh, north-east Syria.

Former brigadier general Mohammed Hamo, 65, who was one of the highest-ranking Syrian military officials to have been tried in Europe, was accused of “aiding and abetting” war crimes including “indiscriminate attacks” on the towns of Hama and Homs in 2012.

In May, three top security officers working under Syrian President Bashar Al Assad were sentenced to life imprisonment for crimes against humanity and war crimes over the deaths of two Frenchmen.

They had been accused of torturing and killing a French father and son who were arrested in Syria as anti-government protests swept the country in 2011, sparking war.

The war in Syria between President Bashar Al Assad's regime and armed opposition groups erupted after the government repressed peaceful pro-democracy protests in 2011.