The Military Criminal Court in Aleppo on Thursday, September 17, issued rulings against four defendants in the case concerning the coastal events.
The rulings ranged from the death penalty, life imprisonment, and a 20-year prison sentence to acquittal and release, according to Enab Baladi’s correspondent inside the courtroom.
The court held its session at the Justice Palace in Aleppo, chaired by Judge Zakaria Bakkar and attended by the relevant judicial authorities, to consider the cases before it and issue rulings against the defendants.
What Did the Court Decide?
During Thursday’s session, the court issued rulings against four of the seven defendants, while rulings against the remaining three are set to be issued at a later session, according to Enab Baladi’s correspondent.
The court sentenced Hadi Qablan to death after convicting him of inciting civil war and participating in an armed gang.
It also sentenced Tahani Ahmad to life imprisonment and deprivation of civil rights, while acquitting him of the felony charge of inciting strife.
The court acquitted Hassan Halibiya of the felony charges of inciting strife and forming gangs, and ordered his release.
In another ruling, the court convicted Basel Marai al-Hassan, a member of the Ministry of Defense, of intentional homicide and sentenced him to 20 years in prison, with his pretrial detention period credited toward the sentence.
The court is scheduled to hold another session next Thursday to issue rulings against the remaining three defendants in the case.
Public Hearings
Thursday’s rulings followed a judicial process that lasted nearly ten months. The first public hearing was held on November 18, 2025, at the Justice Palace in Aleppo, as part of the trial of defendants in connection with the coastal events that took place in March of that year.
The Justice Palace in Aleppo hosted the first public hearing on November 18, 2025, followed by a second session on December 18 of the same year, attended by the defendants and their lawyers.
The current trials involve 14 defendants divided into two groups. The first group includes seven defendants who were members of the former regime.
The second group includes seven members of the current government forces and security agencies.
During subsequent hearings, the court began examining evidence submitted in the case files, hearing testimony from defendants and witnesses, and reviewing video recordings and photographs related to the events.
At the third hearing, held on March 8, seven defendants who had served under the former regime were tried on charges related to participating in attacks targeting security and army forces during the coastal events.
They were also charged with inciting strife and civil war, forming armed gangs, and inciting sectarian tensions.
The court then adjourned the hearing to summon witnesses and examine recordings and evidence related to the case.
Hearings continued through April, May, and June, during which video and audio recordings submitted as evidence were discussed. At one session, the court requested a technical examination to verify some of the recordings.
During the April 23 hearing, the court reviewed evidence, testimony, and video and audio recordings in the presence of a technical committee tasked with examining some of the material to verify its authenticity. Several defendants denied that they appeared in the recordings, while the defense raised the possibility that some of the material had been manipulated.
At the June 18 hearing, which included defendants from both groups, the court heard statements from several defendants and arguments from their lawyers.
Rights Monitoring
The court also discussed case files and evidence submitted by the National Investigation Committee and postponed consideration of some files until July for further review and completion of procedures.
At the ninth hearing, held on July 9, the court reviewed evidence and video recordings and heard arguments from the defendants and their lawyers before scheduling a later session for the rulings.
Throughout the hearings, the trial prompted discussion over guarantees for defendants’ rights and the conduct of judicial proceedings, alongside demands concerning the rights of victims and their families.
The trial is among the cases referred to the judiciary following investigations into the coastal events, which saw violence and violations affecting civilians and members of government forces in March 2025, according to official sources and rights reports.