After nearly four years of legal turmoil, Mohammad Barbour, a 49-year-old Syrian refugee from the Dutch city of Rijssen, was finally acquitted of all terrorism charges after the Public Prosecution Service officially announced it would abandon its appeal to the Supreme Court, making the acquittal final and non-appealable.
According to the Dutch newspaper De Setentor, the Court of Appeal in The Hague had acquitted Barbour of all charges in July 2024, confirming there was no evidence of his affiliation with the Ahrar al-Sham armed group.
However, the Public Prosecution Service announced its intention to appeal the ruling, plunging Barbour and his family into a prolonged cycle of anxiety and uncertainty.
His lawyer, Frederike Dolle, explained that Barbour's future in the Netherlands hinged on this decision, including his legal status, integration, and residency.
With the case finally dismissed, Barbour and his family felt a deep sense of relief.
Barbour was arrested by authorities in 2020 through a heavily armed special security unit, and subsequently spent 14 months in the country's most high-security prison.
In interviews following his acquittal, Barbour spoke about the torture he endured in Syria, his journey to the Netherlands, and the accusations based on unreliable testimony.
He said at the time, "I paid a heavy price on my path to freedom. I lost my left arm. If this happened to me, it could happen to anyone else."
Hassan Qaddour - Zaman al-Wasl
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