Syria’s Justice Minister Videoed Public Executions in 2015, Claims Platform
A video platform has confirmed the authenticity of footage showing the new Syrian Justice Minister, Shadi Muhammad al-Waisi, overseeing the public execution of two women in the northwestern city of Idlib in January 2015.
The women were reportedly killed under the accusation of prostitution and adultery, a crime punishable by death under Sharia law, which was in effect at the time under the Al-Nusra Front, the precursor to Hayat Tahrir al-Sham (HTS).
A HTS-led government official, who wished to remain anonymous, defended the videos, stating that they document a specific moment in a specific place, where the procedures were in line with the laws of the time. The official claimed that the footage shows a stage in the past, which has since been left behind, and it is not suitable to generalize or use it to describe the current situation.
The official also announced that the transitional government, led by former Al-Qaeda and ISIS warlord Ahmed al-Sharaa, will conduct a “thorough review” of all legal measures taken during that period to ensure the validity of the verdicts and their alignment with the standards of justice and fairness.
Waisi was appointed as Justice Minister in mid-December by Interim Prime Minister Mohammed al-Bashir, and during his inauguration, he vowed to remove all female judges from the judiciary. The videos emerged on the day French and German foreign ministers met with Djalani in Damascus.