Inside the Trial of Abduljabbar Z. #1: Confessions Recanted
TRIAL OF ABDULJABBAR Z.
The 4th Military Criminal Court – Damascus, Syria
Trial Monitoring Summary #1
Hearing Date: September 30, 2026
CAUTION: Some testimony may include graphic descriptions of torture, rape or other violent acts.
Note that this summary is not a verbatim transcript of the trial; it is merely an unofficial summary of the proceedings.
Throughout this summary, [information located in brackets are notes from our trial monitor] and “information placed in quotes are statements made by the witness, Judges or counsel.” The names and identifying information of witnesses have been redacted.
[Note: SJAC provides a summary of the proceedings while redacting certain details to protect witness privacy and to preserve the integrity of the trial.]
SJAC’s 1st trial monitoring report details day 1 of the Abduljabbar Z. trial in Damascus, Syria. On this trial day, a public trial hearing was held to consider the case in the presence of the Accused and his Defense Counsel, without any Plaintiffs. The Accused faced the charge of joining the Al-Quds Brigade and participating in military attacks. However, he denied these charges, claiming that his role was limited to guarding and securing the Palmyra and As-Sukhnah region against ISIS. Furthermore, the Accused recanted any confession he had made before the Investigating Judge.
Day 1 – September 30, 2026
There was media coverage by the Ministry of Justice.
The session commenced at approximately 11:45AM.
The Accused, Abduljabbar Z, was brought in custody and appeared unhandcuffed. There were no Plaintiffs. Counsel C1, [redacted name], attended as Legal Counsel for the Accused.
The in-person trial commenced publicly.
The Presiding Judge instructed the Accused to listen to the evidence presented against him.
The Prosecutor read out a two-page written indictment. He charged the Accused with joining an armed group of a sectarian nature whose aim was to incite sectarian violence. In 2019, the Accused joined the Al-Quds Brigade and remained there for four years, during which he participated in military attacks in Palmyra and As-Sukhnah, leading to killing and forced displacement. These crimes constitute war crimes and crimes against humanity, are not subject to statutes of limitations, and are not covered by amnesty decrees.
When asked about the charges against him, the Accused denied everything attributed to him and testified that the sector in which he worked was the Palmyra and As-Sukhnah region, where ISIS was in control, with no civilians in the area. The Accused reiterated his statements made during administrative questioning and recanted any confession he had made at the Investigation Branch, claiming that the confessions were extracted from him while he was blindfolded and handcuffed, and that he placed his thumbprint on the investigation report without knowing its contents.
The Accused explained that in 2019 he joined the Al-Quds Brigade through his neighbor [redacted name], who was familiar with those militias [i.e., the Al-Quds Brigade], which is a brigade affiliated with the Military Security Branch, not the Iranian Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps, and is monitored by Russian security forces. The Accused added that he was deployed to the Palmyra and As-Sukhnah sector, which was a military zone where his work was limited to fighting ISIS, noting that he did not participate in any battle against ISIS, rather, his work was limited to securing the region and protecting it against the return of any group. He performed sweeping and guarding duties, and he carried a weapon, a Russian rifle.
The Accused added that he had been detained several times on drug charges. He then joined military service in 2024, but did not participate in any battle with the forces of the [former] regime. The Accused concluded his statement by requesting an acquittal.
After consultation, the Court decided to adjourn the case for requests and the defense, and adjourned the session to October 19, 2026.
The proceedings were adjourned at 12:30PM.
The next trial day will be on October 19, 2026, at 11:00AM.
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