Damascus court holds four hearings in transitional justice cases

Damascus, Oct. 6 (SANA) The Fourth Criminal Court specializing in transitional justice in Damascus held four public hearings on Monday involving defendants accused of murder, torture resulting in death and enforced disappearance, as part of judicial proceedings to hold those responsible for grave violations committed under the deposed regime accountable.

The National Authority for Transitional Justice said on its Telegram channel that Sami Jibran attended the first hearing, while Jamal Shreiteh, Mufid Khaddour, Amer Mahmoud Ahmad and Mahmoud Ali Khalouf, who are at large, did not appear. They face charges of intentional killing and involvement in torture resulting in death, which constitute crimes against humanity and war crimes. The court adjourned the hearing until Oct. 20 to determine notification procedures.

The second hearing concerned Akram Saloum al-Abdullah, a military police official under the deposed regime, who faces the same charges alongside Jamal Mohammad Abbas, Alaa Ali Ibrahim and Hossam Abdul Razzaq Makhlouf, who are also at large. The court adjourned the hearing until Oct. 20.

The third hearing involved Imad Salah Salah, a military police sergeant under the deposed regime, accused of photographing bodies at hospitals, documenting and numbering them, concealing signs of torture on detainees and leaving them unidentified. The Public Prosecution called for the harshest penalties. The court adjourned the hearing until Oct. 20 for prosecution submissions and defense arguments.

The fourth hearing involved Ayman Khellou bin Mohammad, a colonel in the deposed regime’s army and a forensic doctor. He faces charges including involvement in intentional killing, torture resulting in death and enforced disappearance, examining detainees’ bodies at hospitals in coordination with security agencies and issuing false medical certificates on causes of death.

The Public Prosecution alleged that the crimes were committed with premeditation and lying in wait and amounted to war crimes and crimes against humanity. The defendant denied the charges and retracted his confessions before the court. The hearing was adjourned until Oct. 21 for prosecution submissions and defense arguments.

Radif Mustafa, Director of Accountability and Prosecution at the National Authority for Transitional Justice, said the cases underscore the importance of investigating the different roles individuals may have played within the system of violations. He stressed that the court alone has jurisdiction to determine criminal responsibility based on evidence and fair-trial guarantees.

Mustafa called on anyone with reliable information about the whereabouts of the seven defendants at large to inform judicial authorities or authorized official channels, stressing that accountability extends to any role whose responsibility is established by evidence and law, without selectivity, revenge or collective responsibility.

The Fourth Criminal Court also issued verdicts in August against 10 figures from the deposed regime, including fugitive Bashar al-Assad and military, security, political and religious officials. The verdicts ranged from death sentences to life imprisonment, with some issued in the presence of defendants and others in absentia.