Syria24 June, 20263 min read
Syrian Court Begins Public Trial Of Wasim Al-Assad In Damascus With Hassan Al-Turba Present
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Wasim al-Assad's public trial opened in Damascus before the Fourth Criminal Court. Charges allege crimes against Syrians during Bashar al-Assad's regime.
First sessions begin
A first public session of the trial of Wasim al-Assad began in Damascus at the Fourth Criminal Court, with the Republic's Attorney General Hassan al-Turba and representatives from national and international human rights organizations present. The Al-Jazeera Net account says the Syrian Ministry of Justice published a video clip from inside the courtroom, and that the judge asked Bashar al-Assad's cousin about his previous occupation before Wasim al-Assad replied that he was a 'merchant'. In parallel, lanouvellerepublique.fr describes the first hearing of the trial of deposed Syrian president Bashar al-Assad and key figures in his entourage held in a court in Syria on Sunday, April 26, with Judge Fakhr al-Din al-Aryan saying, “Today, we are beginning the first trials under transitional justice in Syria,”.
The same lanouvellerepublique.fr report says Bashar al-Assad and his brother Maher were not present and would be tried in absentia, while a member of their family, Atef Najib, appeared handcuffed and in a striped prison uniform before the court. It also states that a second hearing would be held on May 10, and that a judicial source told Agence France-Presse the hearing was a prelude to examining the cases of Bashar al-Assad, his brother and other figures such as Atef Najib.
Social media backlash
Al-Jazeera Net says attention on social media focused on the moment the judge asked Bashar al-Assad's cousin about his previous occupation, with Wasim al-Assad replying that he was a 'merchant'.
The same report says activists circulated sarcastic and angry comments, including: 'If he's just a merchant, why is he under arrest? And what trade is this?'
Al-Jazeera Net also reports that other circulated claims framed the alleged “trade” as 'trade in human organs', 'trade in the release of detainees', 'trade in Captagon', and 'the trade of militias to kill the Syrian people'.
In its account of the April 26 hearing, lanouvellerepublique.fr says the judge did not question Atef Najib during the hearing, which was devoted to “administrative and preparatory legal procedures,” and announced that a second hearing would be held on May 10.
Sud Ouest similarly frames the opening of trials as targeting former regime figures, saying an official speaking on condition of anonymity said, 'The first hearings targeting emblematic figures of the former Syrian regime will begin on Sunday,'.
Accountability and next steps
Al-Jazeera Net says the Syrian Ministry of Interior announced on June 21, 2025, the arrest of Wasim al-Assad at the Syrian-Lebanese border in a tightly coordinated security operation in cooperation with the General Intelligence Directorate. It adds that the trial is being conducted in a transitional justice framework, with the Syrian judiciary continuing to conduct trials against those accused of war crimes and crimes against humanity committed against the Syrian people during the era of Bashar al-Assad's regime. For Wassim al-Assad specifically, صـوت الإمارات says the Palace of Justice in Damascus witnessed a historic judicial event on Wednesday, June 24, 2026, with the commencement of the first public session of the trial of Wassim Badie al-Assad before the Fourth Criminal Court specializing in transitional justice.
The same report says the Syrian Ministry of Justice broadcast the first few minutes of the session via live stream before announcing its suspension to ensure the confidentiality of the Witness Protection Program and the safety of all participants in the case. It also states that Internal Security Forces arrested Wassim al-Assad on June 21, 2025, on the Syrian-Lebanese border, and that he was referred to the investigating judge and subsequently to the referral judge in December 2025, before the case reached this public trial.