Swedish Prosecutors Investigate Iraqi Minister over Suspected Crime against Humanity

Iraqi Defense Minister Najah al-Shammari. (EPA)
Iraqi Defense Minister Najah al-Shammari. (EPA)
TT
20

Swedish Prosecutors Investigate Iraqi Minister over Suspected Crime against Humanity

Iraqi Defense Minister Najah al-Shammari. (EPA)
Iraqi Defense Minister Najah al-Shammari. (EPA)

The Swedish Prosecution Office said on Monday it had launched a preliminary investigation into suspected crimes against humanity by an Iraqi minister.

"Reports have been received of an Iraqi minister who is suspected of crimes against humanity," the office said in a statement, without identifying the minister or giving further details about the allegations.

"The National Unit for International and Organized Crime is now working to see how they should proceed with the investigation, which is at a very early stage," it said, according to Reuters.

It declined to comment further.

The minister was later identified by AFP as Defense Minister Najah al-Shammari.

An unnamed Swedish-Iraqi lawyer told Svenska Dagbladet that he had reported al-Shammari to police in October for his role in the shooting of hundreds of protesters during weeks of unrest.

The defense minister is also under investigation for benefits fraud for claiming housing and child benefits from Sweden despite living in Iraq.

Swedish social insurance agency Försäkringskassan told AFP that they were unable to confirm whether they were investigating al-Shammari as all their cases are classified.

Al-Shammari arrived in Sweden in 2009 and was granted a permanent residency in 2011 before getting his citizenship in 2015, according to Swedish newspaper Expressen.



Syrian Govt Says Fighting in Sweida Halted

19 July 2025, Syria, Sweida: Bedouin and tribal fighters gather in the city of Sweida, as smoke rises from burning houses amid clashes between tribal fighters and local Druze factions in southern Syria. Photo: Moawia Atrash/dpa
19 July 2025, Syria, Sweida: Bedouin and tribal fighters gather in the city of Sweida, as smoke rises from burning houses amid clashes between tribal fighters and local Druze factions in southern Syria. Photo: Moawia Atrash/dpa
TT
20

Syrian Govt Says Fighting in Sweida Halted

19 July 2025, Syria, Sweida: Bedouin and tribal fighters gather in the city of Sweida, as smoke rises from burning houses amid clashes between tribal fighters and local Druze factions in southern Syria. Photo: Moawia Atrash/dpa
19 July 2025, Syria, Sweida: Bedouin and tribal fighters gather in the city of Sweida, as smoke rises from burning houses amid clashes between tribal fighters and local Druze factions in southern Syria. Photo: Moawia Atrash/dpa

Fighting in Syria's Sweida "halted" on Sunday, the government said, after the southern city was recaptured by Druze fighters and state forces redeployed to the region where more than 900 people have been killed in sectarian violence.

Sweida was "evacuated of all tribal fighters, and clashes within the city's neighborhoods were halted", Syria's interior ministry spokesman Noureddine al-Baba said in a post on Telegram.

More than 900 people have been killed in Sweida since last Sunday as sectarian clashes between the Druze and Bedouin drew in the government, Israel and armed tribes from other parts of Syria.

In a statement on Saturday, the Syrian presidency announced an immediate and comprehensive ceasefire and urged all parties to commit to it and end hostilities in all areas immediately.

US envoy Tom Barrack announced on Friday that Syria and Israel had agreed to a ceasefire. Israel intervened in the conflict earlier this week, hitting government forces and the defense ministry building in Damascus as it declared support for the Druze minority.

US Secretary of State Marco Rubio later urged the Syrian government to "hold accountable and bring to justice anyone guilty of atrocities including those in their own ranks".