“The court has no doubts that Mouhannad Droubi participated in this violence of his own free will,” the Sodertorns District Court was quoted as saying in its verdict by Expressen.
The video, which was uploaded to Droubi’s Facebook page some 10 months after he had received a permanent residency permit in Sweden, depicts him repeatedly punching an unidentified man on his head and body, as well as using a baton, a whip and a pair of pliers on him.
Droubi also threatened to cut off the man’s tongue. The victim is believed to be a supporter of Syrian President Bashar Assad’s government.
The 28-year-old former rebel was found guilty on charges of aggravated assault and breaching international law.
Prosecutors initially called for a jail term of between five and half and six years, and even urged for Droubi to be deported, though the court stated that this was impossible for the time being.
Droubi himself said that he had been forced to carry out the assault to show that he was not a supporter of the regime, after he was “taken” by the Free Syrian Army.
A friend of the Syrian testified against him, stating that Droubi intended to go back to Syria to rejoin the militant group.
The Free Syrian Army, created by former members of Syria's armed forces, is fighting both the Assad government and the jihadist Islamic State group, which has made major advances in the country over the past year.
