ALEPPO: The first trial was opened on Tuesday of some of the hundreds of suspects linked to deadly clashes in Syria’s coastal provinces earlier this year that quickly spiraled into sectarian attacks.
State media reported that 14 people were brought to Aleppo’s Palace of Justice following a monthslong, government-led investigation into the violence in March involving government forces and supporters of ousted Syrian President Bashar Assad. The investigating committee referred 563 suspects to the judiciary.
Seven of the defendants in the court were Assad loyalists, while the other seven were members of the new government’s security forces. A judge was heard during the televised proceedings asking they were military or civilian.
The trial follows pressure from local civil society and the international community for the country’s new rulers to commit to judicial reform after decades under the autocratic rule of the Assad dynasty.
Despite initial reports from state media that charges could quickly be brought against the defendants, the judge closed the session and rescheduled the next hearing for December.
