Syria Begins Public Trials in Damascus Over July 2025 Sweida Violence

Syria has begun trial sessions for defendants in the violence that occurred in the Sweida Governorate in July 2025, with authorities continuing to refer additional suspects to investigation, according to the Syrian Ministry of Justice on Friday.

“The Investigative Committee on the Sweida events announced that the Military Public Prosecution has begun referring a number of individuals to the investigating judge, while some cases have been referred to the Military Criminal Court in Damascus, which began holding public sessions to consider them as of July 1 of the current year”

Al-Jazeera Net

An official inquiry committee documented the killing of at least 1,760 people during those events, and the head of the investigation committee said the Military Public Prosecution has begun referring a number of people to the investigating judge, with some cases sent to the Military Criminal Court in Damascus.

Al-Jazeera Net

The Military Criminal Court began hearing cases in public sessions starting July 1, with the defendants and their representatives present, as the proceedings aim to verify the facts and hold accountable anyone whose responsibility for violations is established.

The violence in the Druze-majority province of al-Suwayda left more than 2,000 people dead, including 789 Druze civilians, according to Syrian media, while the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights is cited as putting the death toll at more than two thousand people.

The inquiry committee also said it prepared a list of suspects from the two ministries of Defense and Interior, as well as factions and civilians, for committing grave crimes and violations, as the judicial process moves forward in Damascus.

In Damascus, the Syrian Ministry of Justice said the Damascus Military Criminal Court began holding public sessions to try defendants in the presence of their lawyers, as part of following the work of the investigation committee on the Suwayda events.

The statement carried by Al-Ekhbari cited Minister of Justice Decree No. 1287, dated July 31, 2025, and said judicial procedures are conducted to preserve the rights of all parties and ensure the right to defense and a fair trial.

France 24

The head of the inquiry committee, speaking through the Ministry of Justice, said the Military Public Prosecution has begun "referring a number of people to the investigating judge," and noted that some cases were referred to the "Military Criminal Court in Damascus."

France 24 reported the United Nations Independent International Commission of Inquiry on Syria as saying the violence in Suwayda may amount to war crimes and crimes against humanity.

The same Ministry of Justice statement emphasized that the court began hearing cases "in public sessions starting July 1, in the presence of the accused and their lawyers" as the trials proceed.

The judicial process is tied to specific incidents named by the investigation committee, including the case related to the Matouna incident, which left a number of civilians dead, as the committee said it is following cases referred to the Military Public Prosecution based on its recommendations.

“Authorities in Syria have begun trial sessions for defendants in the violence that occurred in the Sweida Governorate last year, and they are continuing to refer additional suspects to investigation, according to the Syrian Ministry of Justice on Friday”

Al-Ittihad lil-Akhbar

Judge Hatim al-Na‘asan, quoted by SANA through بوابة الشروق, said the aim of the measures is to verify the facts and hold accountable anyone whose liability for violations is proven, in accordance with the law, regardless of rank or the entity to which the acts are attributed.

The same SANA-quoted statement described openness of the trials and guaranteeing the right to defense as two essential pillars in the path of justice, reflecting commitment to transparency and the rule of law.

The violence that the trials address is described as evolving into "three devastating waves of violence, two of which targeted Druze civilians, and the third targeted Bedouin civilians," with the United Nations Commission of Inquiry on Syria documenting executions, torture, sexual violence, and widespread arson of homes.

The broader context in the sources links the Sweida events to a wider security push in Syria, noting that since the fall of Bashar al-Assad’s regime on December 8, 2024, the government has sought to impose security while some groups insist on sowing chaos and taking up arms, which Damascus said it will not permit.