Syria Puts Wassim Badie Al-Assad on Trial for Killings and Massacres in Eastern Ghouta

Damascus, Syria’s Palace of Justice witnessed the first public session of the trial of Wassim Badie al-Assad on Wednesday, June 24, 2026, before the Fourth Criminal Court specializing in transitional justice.

The session began after the Syrian Ministry of Justice broadcast the first minutes via live stream before announcing its suspension to ensure the confidentiality of the Witness Protection Program and the safety of participants.

Al-Jazeera Net

The indictment described alleged roles including “Managing and forming armed non-state groups by order of Brigadier Ghiyath Dla” and responsibility for killings and massacres during operations targeting civilian areas in eastern Ghouta.

The trial also placed the case within a broader judicial accountability process, following a series of trials targeting figures of the former regime after the trial of Atef Najib began last April.

The Syrian Ministry of Interior said Internal Security Forces arrested Wassim al-Assad on June 21, 2025, in a security operation that ambushed him on the Syrian-Lebanese border.

The trial session in Damascus was presided over by Judge Fakhr al-Din Mustafa al-Arian, with the Republic's Attorney General Hassan al-Turba present alongside representatives of national and international human rights organizations.

Al-Jazeera Net said the judge read an indictment that included “his responsibility for a killing incident in Jaramana, and involvement in massacres” and also alleged drug smuggling and trafficking, theft, and extortion.

Al-Jazeera Net

After the reading of the indictment, the live broadcast was halted, and the Ministry of Justice explained it was part of Witness Protection Program procedures while the trial continued without being aired.

In parallel, SANA quoted Interior Minister Anas Khattab saying the arrest of Wassim Al-Assad is part of efforts to “subject them to fair trials guaranteeing the implementation of transitional justice.”

Sud Ouest reported that “The first hearings targeting emblematic figures of the former Syrian regime will begin on Sunday,” linking the opening to the case of Atif Najib and describing further trials expected to follow.

France 24 said the trial of deposed Syrian president Bashar al-Assad and members of his clan began on Sunday in a court in Syria, while Bashar al-Assad and his brother Maher would be tried in absentia.

“The Fourth Criminal Court in Damascus began today, Wednesday, the first session of the trial of the defendant Wasim al-Assad, involved in several crimes against the Syrian people during the era of the ousted regime, in the presence of the Republic's Attorney General Hassan al-Turba, and representatives of national and international human rights organizations”

Al-Jazeera Net

France 24 also reported that Judge Fakhr al-Din al-Aryan opened the hearing by saying, “Today, we are launching the first trials under transitional justice in Syria,” and announced a second hearing to be held on May 10.

The Times of Israël described the Justice Ministry official’s plan for additional proceedings, saying trials would follow for Wassim al-Assad and Amjad Youssef, the principal suspect in a massacre carried out in 2013, as well as “the pilots who took part in the bombardment of Syrian towns and villages.”

Sud Ouest framed the stakes by citing that the civil war that began in March 2011 has killed more than half a million people, and it said Syrian forces shelled areas held by rebels while tens of thousands disappeared, notably in prisons.

In the same transitional justice context, the Times of Israël reported that Syrian Justice Minister Mazhar al-Wais said on X that the Damascus criminal court was ready “for the long-awaited moment for victims: the start of the public trials.”