Inside the Mahmoud S. Trial #11: The Brothers’ Paradox
TRIAL OF Mahmoud S.
Solna District Court – Stockholm, Sweden
Trial Monitoring Summary #11
Hearing Date: January 19, 20, and 21, 2026
CAUTION: Some testimony may include graphic descriptions of torture, rape or other violent acts.
Note that this summary is not a verbatim transcript of the trial; it is merely an unofficial summary of the proceedings.
Throughout this summary, [information located in brackets are notes from our trial monitor] and “information placed in quotes are statements made by the witness, judges or counsel.” The names and identifying information of witnesses have been redacted.
[Note: SJAC provides a summary of the proceedings while redacting certain details to protect witness privacy and to preserve the integrity of the trial.]
Trial Monitoring reports of the Mahmoud S. trial are a result of a partnership between the Syria Justice and Accountability Centre, the University of Stockholm, Sweden, and the Center for Victims of Torture (CVT).
SJAC’s 11th trial monitoring report details days 32, 33, and 34 of the trial of Mahmoud S. in Stockholm, Sweden. This week, witness F19 testified about his life in Yarmouk, the increasing control of Syrian Intelligence forces, and his kidnapping and torture by a regime‑affiliated group. He described seeing Mahmoud S., F8, and others at the checkpoint, where civilians were identified, detained, and taken away in a van. F19 said masked men pointed out people for arrest and that he was only partly sure one of them was Mahmoud S.
On the second day this week, witness W14 described how pro‑regime militias and checkpoints in Yarmouk escalated repression, and recounted his brother’s abduction at a checkpoint. Through the Caesar files, W14 was able to confirm his brother’s death. He further testified that he linked Mahmoud S. to masked men at checkpoints through community accounts. Moreover, witness W15 testified about being beaten and briefly detained after allegedly offending Mahmoud S. After photo confrontation by the Defense, he realized that he had confused Mahmoud S. with his brother F6.
Day 32 – January 19, 2026
Today, [redacted name], F19, appeared before the Court via video call. He was questioned about his experience in Yarmouk, including the situation at the northern checkpoint and the events during the day of the demonstration.
The Prosecutor carefully questioned the witness about his experiences in Yarmouk. F19 testified that he was born in [redacted location] in [redacted time], and lived in [redacted location] for a few years before returning to [redacted location] in [redacted time]. In [redacted time], he moved to an area near Yarmouk. F19 had a restaurant at the crossing between [redacted name] street and [redacted name] street. He lived at “[redacted location]” with his family and maintained his office in Yarmouk street.
F19 testified that before the air bombing of the Mosque in Yarmouk, which caused several casualties, the Syrian Intelligence Services tried to stop the peaceful demonstrations by asking civilians to collaborate. After the bombing, people left Yarmouk in fear. F19 also left Yarmouk, and when he tried to re-enter, the camp was besieged by the Intelligence Services, including the FPM and the GC. Somewhen in 2011-2012, F19 established a civilian committee together with about 20 persons, with the purpose of enabling civilians to return to Yarmouk. Through this committee, F19 negotiated with the Syrian regime, whose Intelligence Service forces were responsible for the security in the area. F19 witnessed that the GC and the FPM were under the Intelligence forces’ command. Initially, the negotiations helped calm the situation. Later, the committee ended up in a verbal confrontation with the GC and FPM, who besieged the area, according to F19. The witness added that the armed groups alleged that the committee helped terrorist groups.
F19 witnessed that, in January 2013, he and doctor [redacted name], F22, were kidnapped by an armed group and taken to an unknown location with their heads covered. The witness recalled that he was released after eighteen days by paying a large amount of money. He later found out that this armed group belonged to the regime. F19 further testified that he was tortured with beatings and electric shocks in his feet.
***
[15-minute break]
***
Upon further questioning following a break, F19 testified that before he got kidnapped, he was present in Yarmouk frequently. But after he was released, he did not return. The Prosecutor asked him about several different persons, and whether he had been involved in verbal confrontations with them or knew of them. F19 recalled that he had seen Mahmoud S. and [redacted name], F6, on one or two occasions, and that they were part of a group that he had seen driving around in a car and patrolling. F19 said that this group claimed to guarantee safety in Yarmouk but was actually stopping protesters.
The Prosecutor asked F19 to talk about what he saw during the day of the demonstration in 2012 when several persons got killed. F19 said that he witnessed armed persons from the Intelligence forces passing by his restaurant in two cars on their way to suppress the protesters at Palestine street. He did not see the events himself, but he saw some protesters on his way to the restaurant earlier. F19 further recalled that the cars went fast, so he did not see everyone who was inside, but he saw [redacted name], F8, and Moafak D., and assumed that Mahmoud S. was there as well, since he usually was. F19 testified about an earlier event in June 2011 when he saw armed people by the mosque stopping protesters by shooting in the air and at the ground. He saw Mahmoud S. there, but he did not see if he was carrying a weapon. F19 was then asked questions about the checkpoint, which he said existed from the beginning of the siege of the area and was run by the regime, the FPM and GC.
***
[15-minute break]
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Upon return from a break, the Prosecutor showed a map of Yarmouk and asked F19 to him to locate the checkpoint and describe the surroundings. F18 recalled that he saw Mahmoud S. and other persons from the FPM at the checkpoint. F19 explained that he knew that they usually pointed out persons that were taken to a white van. F19 also remembered that the FPM had an apartment near the checkpoint, in which he saw Mahmoud S. enter. He testified that civilians could not move around freely in this area. F19 explained that he had a neighbor, [redacted name], F23, who was arrested when trying to leave the camp, and was placed in the white van and has been missing since. F19 further recalled seeing that they put him in the van but did not remember when he was arrested. F19 also recalled seeing Mahmoud S. at the checkpoint that day.
***
[60-minute break]
***
The Prosecutor then asked F19 to talk about his friend [redacted name], F27, and his brothers, who were arrested at the checkpoint. A person who delivered food to the persons inside the room secretly confirmed to F19 that F27 and his brothers were inside. F19 did not know where they were taken. The Prosecutor showed transcript from an earlier questioning where F19 had testified seeing Mahmoud S. at this event. In the in-court testimony, F19 explained that this was a misunderstanding and that the event he was currently talking about was not the same as the one referred to in the earlier interview.
F19 further recalled that he had seen masked persons at the checkpoint on two occasions and told the Court that they were there to point out persons to be arrested. F19 remembered that he had seen two different masked persons on these occasions, and that they differed in body type. F19 added that he suspected Mahmoud S. to be one of the masked persons, because he recognized his body type and had heard from others that Mahmoud S. was one of the masked persons. F19 said he was 50% - 50% sure that Mahmoud S. was one of the masked persons he had seen. F19 also recalled that he had seen Mahmoud S. at the checkpoint together with F8, and others from the group two to three times before this. On these occasions, F19 witnessed that Mahmoud S. was wearing civilian clothes, and F19 did not see him carrying a weapon.
Upon further questioning, F19 testified that he had seen people being taken to the van every time he was at the checkpoint, and that most of these persons were unarmed civilians. F19 knew that the persons that were taken to the van disappeared. F19 had not been able to see inside the van since the windows were tinted.
***
[15-minute break]
***
The Prosecutor asked whether F19 had seen Mahmoud S. do anything when being masked. F19 said he witnessed that he [Mahmoud S.] pointed out one or more persons, and that the other masked person did this as well. These people were then taken to the van, according to F19.
***
[5-minute break]
***
Lastly, the Defense asked F19 three questions. F19 clarified that it was “Al-Golan Falcons” [armed group] that had kidnapped F19. The Defense then asked if F19 had difficulties remembering what happened 12 years ago, which F19 confirmed. Finally, the Defense asked if F19 had been permitted to bring notes to the police interview, which F19 also confirmed.
The proceedings were adjourned at 2:40 PM.
The next hearing will take place on January 20, 2026, at 9:00 AM.
Day 33 – January 20, 2025
Today, the Prosecutor began by asserting the background information of a new witness. [redacted name], W14, who was born in [redacted time] in the [redacted location]. He lived near the camp and worked as a [redacted information] within [redacted information]. Due to the outbreak of the war and threats of arrest linked to his search for his abducted brother, he left [redacted location] in [redacted time] and Syria in [redacted time].
The Prosecutor then addressed the security situation in Yarmouk. W14 described an arrest campaign in 2011 in which the arrests were officially presented as crime-prevention measures and initially gained public support. However, the witness said that their real purpose was to recruit ruthless individuals for an anticipated armed conflict. Many detainees were later released, armed by the Syrian military, and integrated into pro-regime militias such as the Shabiha and the so-called People’s Committees.
W14 also described the spread of checkpoints throughout the camp, including near the courthouse. Several armed groups operated these checkpoints, including the Free Palestine Movement (FPM), which in 2012 established checkpoints in cooperation with the Shabiha and the People’s Committees. He stated that Mahmoud S. and his brother [redacted name], F6, were members of this group. W14 knew F6 only superficially and did not know Mahmoud S. personally before 2012. He later learned through community accounts that Mahmoud S. was allegedly one of the masked men operating the checkpoints and provoking confrontations with civilians.
[15-minute break]
The core of the testimony concerned the abduction and death of W14’s brother [redacted name], F24, in February 2013. Despite W14’s warnings not to enter Yarmouk, his brother attempted to retrieve his “white card,” a document entitling camp residents to financial assistance. While attempting to enter the camp, he was stopped at a checkpoint, abducted, and taken away, according to eyewitnesses.
W14 contacted a Shabiha acquaintance who confirmed that his brother was being held and demanded 50,000 Syrian Lira for his release. W14 was repeatedly told to return later due to alleged clashes and chaos and eventually realized that he was being deceived and that there was no genuine intention to release his brother. At the time, civilians generally believed that detainees were being held rather than systematically killed, and that deaths mainly occurred through street violence. Only later did it become clear that torture and killings were occurring in detention.
After receiving threats from Shabiha members to stop searching, W14 feared for his safety, abandoned the search, and left Syria. He later learned through the Caesar photographs that his brother had died in detention as a result of torture.
[15-minute break]
In the final part of the hearing, the Prosecutor asked how W14 could link Mahmoud S. to the masked men. W14 acknowledged that he had not personally observed Mahmoud S. committing specific acts but explained that he learned of Mahmoud S.’s role through widespread community accounts. The Defense questioned whether Mahmoud S.’s name had circulated due to social media videos and emphasized that several masked men operated the checkpoints. W14 maintained that he had heard of Mahmoud S.’s alleged involvement before any online discussions, and that Mahmoud S. later became visible when he posted photographs of himself in a Shabiha-related Facebook group.
[60-minute break]
After a lunch break, the next witness was called. The Prosecutor began by establishing the background details of [redacted name], W15. He was born in [redacted time] and owned a business in [redacted location]. He left Yarmouk in [redacted time] and Syria entirely in [redacted time] due to the prevailing situation. W15 knew Mahmoud S. as a neighbor.
When W15 and his son attempted to leave the camp and went to collect their passports from the passport office, his son was not permitted to leave. Soldiers from the Air Force began hitting both W15 and his son with rifle butts. Both were arrested and beaten. W15 suffered three fractured ribs. As neither of them had a criminal record, they were released a short time later. W15 said that he did not know the reason for their arrest but speculated that it was most likely related to W15 having called Mahmoud S. an infiltrator. According to W15, it was Mahmoud S. who summoned the soldiers of the Air Force. When questioned by the Defense counsel about how he could know it was Mahmoud S., W15 testified that he recognized his voice and caught a glimpse of him out of the corner of his eye.
[15-minute break]
According to the witness, Mahmoud S. was involved in the Palestinian resistance movement. When asked by the Prosecutor whether W15 had seen Mahmoud S. at a roadblock during 2012–2013, he denied. However, the witness recalled that he had seen Mahmoud S. masked once, after the mob attack on the Al-Shabab Mosque, when Mahmoud S. was standing armed.
The Defense presented a photograph of Mahmoud S.’s brother, F6, in a group photo, and it emerged that W15 had previously confused the brothers and had identified [redacted name], F6 as Mahmoud S.
The proceedings were adjourned at 4:30 PM.
The next hearing will take place on January 22, 2026, at 09:00 AM.
Day 34 – January 22, 2026
[SJAC was unable to monitor today’s trial day.]
The next hearing will take place on January 26, 2026, at 9:00 AM.
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