Experts have said that while this is a significant step for accountability, trials must be carried out fairly and transparently.
Syria‘s first public trials of prominent Assad-era figures could help define the country’s post-Assad transition, rights advocates told The New Arab, as authorities announced dates for proceedings against several senior figures accused of war crimes and abuses under the former regime.
Fadel Abdel Ghany, head of the Syrian Network for Human Rights, described the trials as a critical test of whether Syria’s new authorities can deliver accountability through the rule of law rather than revenge.
“These trials matter because they will help define the legal meaning of Syria’s post-Assad transition. Their function is not merely punitive; they can establish a credible record, individualise responsibility, distinguish criminal perpetrators from broader communities, acknowledge victims, and demonstrate that the new political order is governed by the rule of law rather than revenge,” he told The New Arab.
The comments came after Syria announced on Monday that 1 July had been set as the first trial date for Wassim al-Assad, cousin of ousted leader Bashar al-Assad.
Radif Mustafa, a director at the National Commission for Transitional Justice, told the official Syrian News Agency that Wassim would face trial on 1 July, while former Grand Mufti Ahmed Badreddin Hassoun would appear in court the following day.
Wassim was arrested on 20 June, according to the interior ministry, which said intelligence services and other authorities managed to “lure him” following a “well-planned ambush that resulted in successful arrest”.
The ministry said he was one of the country’s most prominent drug traffickers and was linked to numerous crimes under the Assad regime. The US Treasury sanctioned him in 2023, describing him as a key figure in a regional drug trafficking network and the leader of a paramilitary unit.
The indictment against Wassim accuses him of abuses amounting to crimes against humanity, including premeditated murder, torture leading to death, and establishing auxiliary forces and armed militias affiliated with the Fourth Division.
Badreddin Hassoun served as Syria’s Grand Mufti from 2005 until the position was abolished in 2021. He became one of the regime’s most controversial religious figures due to statements widely seen as justifying the persecution carried out by Assad’s government.
Although he largely disappeared from public life after 2021, he was spotted in Aleppo province in February last year, prompting renewed calls for his arrest and prosecution.
The trial announcements come amid a broader campaign by Syria’s new authorities to investigate and prosecute individuals accused of involvement in the regime’s crackdown on civilians, which left more than 580,000 people dead and displaced around 13 million others.
Abdulaziz Almashi, a board member of the Syrian British Consortium, welcomed the announcement.
“Their prosecution marks an important step towards accountability for those who enabled atrocities across Syria over more than a decade. Today’s announcement must be part of a broader commitment to delivering justice for the millions of Syrians affected by the conflict, as every victim should have access to justice, truth, and reparations,” he told The New Arab.
