Inside the Trial of Mohammad S. #1: The Trial of Looting

TRIAL OF MOHAMMAD S.

The 4th Military Criminal Court – Damascus, Syria

Trial Monitoring Summary #1

Hearing Date: September 23, 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 2 of the Mohammad S. trial in Damascus, Syria. On this trial day, 37 Plaintiffs in the case were present, and several of them testified and were heard. Some recounted that they returned to their homes in Al-Hajar Al-Aswad only to find them demolished and looted. When they inquired about the perpetrator, armed groups affiliated with the Accused threatened them, making them fearful of asserting their rights. It was alleged that there was cooperation between the Accused, the mayor, and the security branches.

One of the Plaintiffs testified that while he was residing outside Syria, the Accused contacted him saying that the Plaintiff’s home would be demolished unless he paid the Accused a sum of money. After the Plaintiff returned to Syria, he confronted the Accused with this issue. However, the Accused denied any connection to the demolition and attributed responsibility to an individual from a group affiliated with Mohammad Hamsho. The Plaintiff then affirmed that he would present witnesses and evidence regarding this matter later.

Day 2 – September 23, 2026

[There was media coverage by the Ministry of Justice]

The session commenced at 11:20 AM. The case is being tried by four judges, including Presiding Judge Fakhruddin Al-Aryan.

The in-person trial of the Accused Mohammad S. commenced publicly.

The Accused appeared in person and uncuffed.

Defense Counsel C1 [redacted name] appeared on behalf of the Accused pursuant to a power of attorney.

Counsel C2 [redacted name] appeared on behalf of the Plaintiffs.

Then the Court called out the names of the Plaintiffs present inside the courtroom [Note: Some names were not heard clearly]:

[The Plaintiffs’ names were redacted.]

After the attendance of the Plaintiffs was verified, the Presiding Judge began questioning them, and several of them testified and were heard.

When 19 Plaintiffs provided their testimonies, it was revealed that they were residents of the Al-Hajar Al-Aswad area. Upon their return to it in 2018, a number of buildings and houses were demolished and removed, reinforcing bar and building materials contained therein were looted, in addition to the ta’feesh looting of home contents and properties, which inflicted severe material damages upon their owners.

Some of the Plaintiffs reported that when they attempted to inquire about the actors that were conducting the demolition operations, they were subjected to threats and intimidation by individuals and armed groups equipped with dangerous weapons affiliated with the Accused, confirming that the Accused was responsible for the area and that everything that occurred was under his direction. Therefore, a number of the residents feared asserting their rights or objecting to the operations of demolition and seizure of their properties.

According to the testimonies of several Plaintiffs, the Accused’s group met the inquiries and objections with mockery, claiming that the purpose of the demolition operations was to construct "residential towers," without providing any official explanation or legal document to the owners of the affected properties.

It also became clear to some of the Plaintiffs that there was cooperation between the Accused, the mayor, and the security branches that were present in the area during that period. The name of an individual named Abu Haidar, affiliated with one of the security branches in the area, was repeatedly circulated.

Plaintiff P37 [redacted name] reported that he had been residing outside Syria for fifteen years. He testified that the Accused Mohammad S. contacted him in 2022, saying that P37’s building would be demolished. In order to avert that, the Accused demanded 2500$ from P37 as his fee, which was done in agreement with Mayor O1 [redacted name].

According to P37, it was known that the Accused Mohammad S. used to write security reports against citizens. Indeed, P37 continued, his building remained standing until 2024, one week prior to the liberation. On May 1, 2025, P37 returned to the country and took his brother to the police station to file a complaint in this regard.

Following the liberation and the Plaintiff’s return to the country, he met with the Accused Mohammad S. who denied his connection to the demolition, claiming that an individual named Abu Rayyan - from a group affiliated with Mohammad Hamsho - was responsible for the demolition case.

Thereupon, the Presiding Judge asked P37 whether he was willing to produce witnesses and present evidence relating to the demolition of the building. P37 answered in the positive, affirming that all evidence and witnesses were available.

Upon concluding the questioning, the Court decided to adjourn the session and to hear the remaining Plaintiffs in a subsequent session.

The proceedings were adjourned at 12:55PM.  

The next trial day will be on October 6, 2026, at 11:00AM.

___________________________

For more information or to provide feedback, please contact SJAC at [email protected] and follow us on Facebook and Twitter. Subscribe to SJAC’s newsletter for updates on our work