The fourth hearing in the trial of seven defendants in connection with the Syrian coast events opened on Sunday, March 15, at the Palace of Justice in Aleppo, as part of a judicial process examining violations and crimes committed against civilians and security personnel during the events that took place last year.
The session followed three previous public hearings, during which the court reviewed evidence, witness testimony, videos, and photographs that, according to the proceedings, showed the defendants’ involvement in carrying weapons and taking part in armed acts and retaliatory attacks against government forces and civilians.
Session suspended
According to Enab Baladi’s correspondent, who attended the hearing, the court heard defense witnesses, with each defendant presenting their own witnesses.
After completing witness testimony, the court adjourned the hearing until Thursday, April 2, to complete the examination of the remaining evidence and ensure the trial proceeds in full accordance with legal procedures before rulings are issued.
These hearings are part of an ongoing process to hold those involved in the coast events accountable, in what authorities describe as a fair and public trial, under the observation of local and international human rights organizations.
Sunday’s session came as a continuation of Judge Zakaria Bakkar’s decision to suspend last week’s hearing, after the court reopened the door to hearing witnesses as part of procedures that had already begun during the third session.
Lawyer Youssef Sanno, assigned to defend some of the defendants, told Enab Baladi that the third session had been “fair,” noting that video clips related to one of the defendants had been presented.
The court president ordered a technical examination of those clips and the audio recordings to verify whether they were authentic or fabricated.
For his part, Judge Osama al-Sabaa, the representative of the military public prosecution, said the court had tasked a sworn expert with conducting the examination and verifying the authenticity of the video recordings so they could be adopted as official evidence.
He told Enab Baladi during the previous session that the public nature of the trial, as one of the principles of justice, must be upheld to ensure transparency in the ruling once the case is prepared and trial procedures are completed.
Third session
On March 8, the Palace of Justice in Aleppo hosted the third hearing in the trial of seven defendants in connection with the Syrian coast events that took place in March last year.
The charges against them include participating in attacks that targeted security forces and the army during those events, in addition to engaging in acts aimed at inciting sedition and civil war, carrying out attacks against government and military forces, stirring sectarian tensions, and forming armed groups.
During the session, the court presented a set of evidence related to the defendants, including phone and video recordings showing the defendants carrying weapons and participating in violations, in addition to recordings containing threats against security forces and the army. These recordings and images were to be referred to a specialized expert for examination and assessment as part of the public trial proceedings.
The hearing was then suspended, and the court set March 15 as the date to resume it, including the questioning of defense witnesses.
According to Enab Baladi’s correspondent, who attended the hearing at the time, the postponement was made to allow the expert to review the recordings and to respond to additional requests submitted by the defendants’ lawyers.
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