The courthouse in Aleppo held the third session on Sunday, March 8, in the trial of defendants accused in connection with the Syrian coastal events that took place in March last year.
According to an Enab Baladi correspondent who attended the hearing, the trial involves seven defendants described as remnants of the former regime. They face accusations related to participating in attacks targeting security forces and the Syrian army during those events.
During the session, the court presented a set of evidence linked to the defendants. The materials included phone and video recordings showing individuals carrying weapons and participating in violations, in addition to recordings containing threats directed at security forces and the army.
The recordings and images will be submitted to a specialized expert for examination and evaluation as part of the public proceedings in the coastal events trial.
The session was adjourned, with the court scheduling Sunday, March 15, for its continuation, which will include the presence of defense witnesses for the defendants.
According to Enab Baladi’s correspondent, the session was postponed to allow the audio and video recordings to be examined by an expert and in response to additional requests submitted by the defendants’ lawyers.
The indictment includes charges of forming gangs, engaging in acts aimed at inciting sedition and civil war, carrying out attacks against government and military forces, provoking sectarian tensions, and joining armed groups.
Earlier on Sunday, the Ministry of Justice announced that the Criminal Court in Aleppo had publicly opened the path to justice to continue the trials related to the coastal events, in the presence of representatives from human rights and international organizations, including the United Nations and groups working on transitional justice, accountability, and transparency.
Previous trials
This session is part of a series of trials announced by judicial authorities to examine crimes and violations linked to the coastal events, which witnessed bloody confrontations on March 6 last year.
The Ministry of Justice had previously announced two trial sessions for defendants accused in connection with the coastal events, and both hearings were broadcast live through its official platforms.
The step was viewed as an indication of adopting an approach of open and public trials.
On November 18 last year, the courthouse in Aleppo hosted the first public trial session for defendants accused of committing violations during the events, followed by a second session on January 18.
Legal experts interviewed by Enab Baladi noted that transparency is not limited to opening the courtroom or broadcasting proceedings. It also includes guaranteeing the public’s and victims’ right to know the outcomes of the trials and whether the procedures are moving forward according to a clear timeline.
Human rights lawyer Almoutassim al-Kilani said that holding public hearings represents an important development compared with Syria’s long history of closed trials.
According to al-Kilani, the first session was held in the presence of media outlets and relatives of the defendants, with parts of it broadcast through official channels, while the presiding judge emphasized the principle of transparency.
He added that the second session included the attendance of relatives of the defendants and some victims’ families, as well as journalists and observers. This gave the session a public character that went beyond a closed procedural framework, which in principle aligns with guarantees of a fair trial.
However, he stressed that transparency is not limited to opening the courtroom to the media or broadcasting video clips. It also requires publishing reasoned verdicts, clarifying the legal basis for the charges, explaining how evidence is evaluated, and detailing the fate of the defendants and their rights to appeal.
For his part, the director of the Syrian Network for Human Rights, Fadel Abdul Ghany, said that the ongoing trials related to the coastal events can be viewed as a positive step and a political and judicial message to victims and society that accountability is possible.
However, according to Abdul Ghany, they do not by themselves constitute a structural transformation unless accompanied by guarantees of judicial independence and an expansion of accountability.
He added that the core value does not lie in the public nature of the trials alone, but in transforming investigation results into genuine judicial procedures based on evidence and documentation, while enabling both the defense and the prosecution to exercise their roles in a manner consistent with fair trial standards.
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