Syria 's first public trials of prominent Assad-era figures could help define the country's post-Assad transition, rights advocates told The New Arab , as authorities announced dates for proceedings against several senior figures accused of war crimes and abuses under the former regime.
Fadel Abdel Ghany, head of the Syrian Network for Human Rights, described the trials as a critical test of whether Syria's new authorities can deliver accountability through the rule of law rather than revenge.
"These trials matter because they will help define the legal meaning of Syria's post-Assad transition. Their function is not merely punitive; they can establish a credible record, individualise responsibility, distinguish criminal perpetrators from broader communities, acknowledge victims, and demonstrate that the new political order is governed by the rule of law rather than revenge," he told The New Arab. The comments came after Syria announced on Monday that 1 July had been set as the first trial date for Wassim al-Assad , cousin of ousted leader Bashar al-Assad .
Radif Mustafa, a director at the National Commission for Transitional Justice, told the official Syrian News Agency that Wassim would face trial on 1 July, while former Grand Mufti Ahmed Badreddin Hassoun would appear in court the following day.
Wassim was arrested on 20 June , according to the interior ministry, which said intelligence services and other authorities managed to "lure him" following a "well-planned ambush that resulted in successful arrest".
The ministry said he was one of the country's most prominent drug traffickers and was linked to numerous crimes under the Assad regime. The US Treasury sanctioned him in 2023, describing him as a key figure in a regional drug trafficking network and the leader of a paramilitary unit.
The indictment against Wassim accuses him of abuses amounting to crimes against humanity, including premeditated murder, torture leading to death, and establishing auxiliary forces and armed militias affiliated with the Fourth Division. Badreddin Hassoun served as Syria's Grand Mufti from 2005 until the position was abolished in 2021. He became one of the regime's most controversial religious figures due to statements widely seen as justifying the persecution carried out by Assad's government.
Although he largely disappeared from public life after 2021, he was spotted in Aleppo province in February last year, prompting renewed calls for his arrest and prosecution.
The trial announcements come amid a broader campaign by Syria's new authorities to investigate and prosecute individuals accused of involvement in the regime's crackdown on civilians, which left more than 580,000 people dead and displaced around 13 million others.
Abdulaziz Almashi, a board member of the Syrian British Consortium, welcomed the announcement.
"Their prosecution marks an important step towards accountability for those who enabled atrocities across Syria over more than a decade. Today's announcement must be part of a broader commitment to delivering justice for the millions of Syrians affected by the conflict, as every victim should have access to justice, truth, and reparations," he told The New Arab. A slow process? Despite welcoming the trials, campaigners and experts say accountability efforts have moved slowly since Assad's ouster.
According to Abdel Ghany, the delays reflect the complexity of building legally credible cases against senior figures accused of atrocity crimes.
"In atrocity-crimes litigation, knowing a suspect's identity is not the same as having a prosecutable case. A credible prosecution must establish the underlying conduct, the pattern of victimisation, the accused's individual role, the chain of command, the applicable mode of liability, and the connection between specific acts and broader policies or attacks," he said.
He added that states must investigate gross violations in line with international human rights standards and principles of impartiality, a process that can take considerable time.
"The problem also lies in the absence of a mature legal and institutional framework capable of transforming documentation into fair, consistent prosecutions with international credibility. This is why complementary international mechanisms remain necessary," he explained.
However, rights advocates warn that delays also carry risks.
Analysts and campaigners have expressed concerns that a slow pace could undermine public trust, create perceptions of selective justice and increase the likelihood that evidence is lost.
"The protests taking place across Syria are a stark reminder of the urgent need for a real, inclusive, and meaningful transitional justice process, whose first steps are overdue almost two years after Assad's fall," Ranim Ahmed, communications director at The Syria Campaign, told The New Arab.
She said the government must prioritise institutional reform and ensure such crimes can never be repeated, warning that revenge and sectarian incitement would only fuel further instability.
"Reconciling with figures widely associated with the former regime and grave human rights violations, such as Hamsho and Fadi Saqr, while victims and families continue to wait for truth and accountability, risks fuelling public anger and deepening tensions.
"There is a perception that civil peace and stability are being prioritised over justice, while in reality civil peace is not possible without real, inclusive justice and vice versa," she added.
Following Assad's ouster in December 2024, investigators from the Independent International Commission of Inquiry on Syria visited former prisons and detention centres and called for evidence of crimes to be preserved.
"Utmost care must be taken to protect mass grave sites and to safeguard all documents and evidence across Syria," the commission said.
Abdel Ghany said it remained too early to determine whether the new trials fully met international standards, although some positive signs were emerging.
"Public hearings alone do not establish compliance with international standards. Courts must be independent, indictments must be legally precise, charges must correspond to the applicable law, defendants must have adequate defence rights, victims must be able to participate without replacing the prosecution, evidence must be tested, and judgments must be reasoned," he said. More arrests, more trials The accountability drive has continued alongside a wave of arrests of former regime figures.
On Monday, the interior ministry announced the arrest of Haitham Rahal, a former colonel at the notorious Sednaya prison. Authorities said investigations indicated he oversaw torture, participated in serious abuses against detainees and helped transfer victims' bodies to Tishreen Military Hospital in Damascus.
The ministry added that he confessed to overseeing executions in coordination with military officials and judges linked to the regime's field courts.
The Quneitra Media Directorate also announced on Monday that security forces arrested Brigadier General Haris Khansa and Ya'rub Hamada during an operation in Beit Yashout. Both men are suspected of involvement in enforced disappearances and mass burials.
Mustafa also said the trial of Abdul Nasser Baraq, accused of working as an informant for the Assad regime, was already underway. A further hearing in the case of Atef Najib, the former head of Daraa's Political Security Branch, is scheduled for 23 June.
The latest developments come as victims' families continue to call for justice that extends beyond court rulings, including access to archives, criminal investigations, mass graves, DNA identification programmes, the return of remains, accurate death certificates and psychological support.
Many are also demanding guarantees that enforced disappearances and torture will never happen again.