A former Assad intelligence member, Mohammed Islam Arnaouti, has been sentenced to 15 years in prison by Damascus’s Fourth Criminal Court for unlawfully detaining citizens. Arnaouti previously served in the Political Security Branch in Damascus, and the ruling comes as part of Syria’s transitional justice proceedings.
The Syrian Ministry of Justice said in a statement on Wednesday, October 28, that Arnawouti had led patrols that detained citizens without legal grounds or judicial warrants.
The ministry explained that the sentence was issued for the felony of unlawful deprivation of liberty under Article 357 of the Syrian Penal Code, noting that the penalty was increased to the maximum because of the seriousness and repeated nature of the offense.
According to the Ministry of Justice, the ruling also barred the defendant from benefiting from any general or special amnesty or conditional release, as part of the transitional justice process and efforts to hold those responsible for violations accountable.
The Fourth Criminal Court explained that its ruling was not based merely on the defendant’s job title or position within the security apparatus, but rather on acts proven to have been committed by him, along with supporting evidence and circumstances from which the court established his individual criminal responsibility.
The previous most recent ruling in Syria’s transitional justice proceedings was issued in August and included a life sentence for Ahmed Badr al-Din Hassoun, the former regime’s grand mufti.
Victims Can Still Submit Complaints
Lawyer Radif Mustafa, a member of the National Commission for Transitional Justice and director of its Accountability Department, said the door remained open for victims to submit information and evidence in support of accountability efforts.
In a statement published by the National Commission for Transitional Justice on Tuesday, October 27, Mustafa stressed the importance of continuing judicial proceedings and allowing victims to come forward. He also emphasized the need to continue legal efforts to trace funds and property linked to crimes and take the necessary measures in accordance with the law.
The National Commission for Transitional Justice had previously stated that Damascus’s Fourth Criminal Court held 10 public, in-person hearings on Tuesday, October 27, to try defendants accused of war crimes and crimes against humanity as part of the transitional justice process.
Previous Transitional Justice Trials
Damascus’s Fourth Criminal Court sentenced former Syrian Grand Mufti Ahmed Badr al-Din Hassoun to life imprisonment on charges related to inciting murder and abusing his position.
Hassoun also received fixed-term prison sentences ranging from six months to 20 years during the sentencing hearing on August 24. However, the judge decided to consolidate the penalties and enforce the most severe sentence, life imprisonment.
On August 18, the court sentenced Wassim al-Assad, a cousin of ousted Syrian President Bashar al-Assad, to death on charges related to suppressing the Syrian uprising and murder, as part of an indictment that included war crimes and crimes against humanity.
On August 11, Fourth Criminal Court judge Fakhr al-Din al-Aryan sentenced Atef Najib to death and issued similar rulings in absentia against ousted Syrian President Bashar al-Assad, his brother Maher, and others accused of crimes against civilians.
These proceedings are part of a series of transitional justice trials involving several senior figures from the former regime, while other cases remain under consideration before Syrian courts.