The judiciary begins public trials of a "defendant"  in the events in Sweida

The head of the investigation committee into the events in Sweida revealed that the Military Public Prosecution has begun referring a number of people accused of the events in Sweida to the investigative judge and the Military Criminal Court in Damascus, which in turn began to consider them in public sessions as of July 1, in the presence of the defendants and their agents, and in accordance with the procedures stipulated in the laws in force and the guarantees of a fair trial.

The head of the committee, Judge Hatem Al-Naasan, said in a statement published by the Ministry of Justice on Friday, July 3, that the publicity of trials and the guarantee of the right to defense are two key pillars in the path of justice, reflecting a commitment to transparency and the rule of law, and enhancing confidence in judicial procedures.

He stressed that the purpose of these procedures is to verify the facts and hold accountable anyone found responsible for any violations, in accordance with the law and after the completion of judicial procedures, regardless of his status or the party to whom the acts are attributed, in a way that achieves the principle of equality before the law, protects human rights and safeguards the dignity of all citizens.

He said that the Commission is following with great interest all cases referred to the Military Public Prosecution based on its recommendations, especially the case related to the "Matuna" incident, which resulted in the death of a number of civilians, as part of its keenness to complete the investigation process and ensure the achievement of justice and the disclosure of the truth in accordance with the law.

1,760 victims from all sides

The National Committee for the Investigation of the Events in Sweida handed over its final report to the Minister of Justice, Mazhar Al-Weiss, on March 17, and said during a press conference held at the Ministry of Information building in Damascus that the number of victims from all sides reached 1760 victims, and the number of injured reached 2188.

The head of the committee, Judge Hatem al-Naasan, stated during  the press conference that the violations were individual and not systematic, and this was confirmed by the survivors' testimonies to the committee, according to him.

Al-Naasan explained that it is not their competence to refer them to the judiciary during their work, but due to the sensitivity of the events, it was agreed with the Minister of Justice that accountability would be immediate before the issuance of the final report, and 23 security and army personnel who were involved in committing violations were arrested, and they are now being tried in a public trial before the judiciary.

The  spokesman for the commission of inquiry, lawyer Ammar Ezz El-Din, said the report was "independent" of the commission of inquiry's report, consisting of 850 pages, and its sole purpose was to achieve justice for victims on all sides.

The Committee: The Involvement of Various Parties in the Events in Sweida

According to the committee, during the period from 11 to 20 July 2025, waves of violence escalated between Sweida "Bedouins and Druze", including the confiscation of property, cases of kidnapping and kidnapping in return, and attacks and violations involving various parties, "Bedouins and Druze".

These disputes required government intervention to disengage and impose a security situation, she said, but government forces were met with armed confrontations and were ambushed, in addition to Israeli aircraft bombing government forces in the area and the General Staff Command in Damascus, causing more chaos and reprisals.

The committee confirmed that it had reached a list of suspects from members of the Ministries of Defense and Interior, armed groups and civilians, but it was unable to identify many people whose photos and videos appeared on social media, including masked men, so it decided to refer the said clips and photos to the Attorney General of the Republic to take the necessary legal measures and expand the scope of the investigation.