A portrait of Syrian President Bashar al-Assad riddled with bullets, which adorned the municipal building of Hama, after it was defaced following the city’s capture by rebels on Dec. 6, 2024. (Credit: Omar Haj Kadour/AFP)
Syria on Wednesday held the first session in the trial of Wassim al-Assad, a cousin of longtime ruler Bashar al-Assad, as the new authorities face growing demands for accountability.
Wassim al-Assad appeared in the dock at a Damascus criminal court, thinner and with his head shaved, images from state television showed.
Judge Fakhr al-Din al-Aryan read out the charges against him, which include forming and running two armed groups.
Two months ago, Syria's authorities launched public trials of former officials — including Bashar al-Assad and his brother Maher in absentia — over atrocities committed during the country's civil war.
The war erupted in 2011 with the former government's brutal crackdown on pro-democracy protests.
The charges against Wassim al-Assad include "incitement to murder and violence through public statements and posts against opponents, drug smuggling and trafficking inside Syria and abroad, and exploiting his belonging to the Assad family for looting and extortion," the judge said.
He is also accused of "receiving funds for mediating with security and military agencies."
He allegedly provided "weapons, ammunition, funding and logistical support" to the two armed groups, which took part in military operations in Eastern Ghouta, "leading to the killing of a large number of civilians."
Located near Damascus, Eastern Ghouta was a rebel stronghold during the civil war until 2018.
The court considers the acts attributed to Wassim al-Assad crimes against humanity and war crimes, the judge said.
But Wassim al-Assad on Wednesday denied the armed groups were affiliated with him, saying instead that his role was limited to liaising between them.
During the civil war, Wassim al-Assad posted images of himself on social media near luxury cars, sometimes appearing in military garb and bearing arms.
At times he appeared alongside other armed men, urging them to fight for the now deposed leader.
The U.S. Treasury sanctioned him in 2023, saying he had led a paramilitary unit and was "a key figure in the regional drug trafficking network."
Syria's authorities have vowed to pursue justice and accountability for crimes committed by Assad-era figures. They have regularly announced arrests of former military and security officials.
Wednesday's trial session came after protests this month demanding accountability for Assad supporters, with some demonstrations reportedly involving acts of vandalism.
The protests raised fears of vigilante justice, prompting authorities to warn against acts of "revenge."
Syria's former grand mufti Ahmed Hassoun, who was arrested last year, is set to appear in court on Thursday.
