Syria’s new justice minister ‘oversees the execution’ of two women for ‘prostitution’ as one pleads to see children for the last time in a shocking 2015 video filmed in an Islamist-occupied region
Syria’s new justice minister reportedly oversaw the execution of two women in a shocking video recorded nearly a decade ago in an Islamist-held region.
Syrian fact-checker Verify-Sy claims to have identified the man who oversaw the executions as Shadi Muhammad al-Waisi, the justice minister in the new Syrian government, ‘using voice and facial recognition’ despite the poor quality of the data videos.
The footage was reportedly taken in 2015 in two towns in Idlib, northwestern Syria, where the Jabhat al-Nusra Front – the Syrian branch of al-Qaeda – was in power at the time. The Islamic group executed the women under Sharia law.
One clip shows a man, reportedly al-Waisi, 40, standing over a kneeling woman in Hafsarja, Idlib. The man said the woman had been sentenced to death for “infidelity and prostitution.”
In a second clip, a woman begs the man identified by Verify-sy as al-Waisi to allow her to “see my children.” The footage was reportedly shot a week prior to the other video in Ma’arit Misrin, also in Idlib.
Both women appeared to be killed shortly afterwards by gunshots to the head. Men standing around shouted “Allahu Akbar,” apparently celebrating their deaths.
A senior official in Syria’s new government confirmed to Verify-Sy that the man in the video is al-Waisi, who was reportedly a judge in 2015, when the video was allegedly recorded.
The source said the video depicted the enforcement of the law “at a specific time and place” and that the “Proceedings were carried out in accordance with the laws in force at the time.”
Although the quality of the footage is poor, Syrian fact-checker Verify-Sy claims to have identified the man who oversaw the executions as Shadi Muhammad al-Waisi, the justice minister in the new Syrian government.
Above is Shadi Mohammad al-Waisi, the Minister of Justice in the new Syrian government
In a second clip, a woman begs the man identified by Verify-sy as al-Waisi to allow her to “see my children.” The footage was reportedly filmed in Ma’arit Misrin, also in Idlib, a week prior to the other video
But the government source added that the images also reflected “a phase that we have passed”, adding that there would be a “thorough review” of “all legal actions taken during that period (…) … to ensure the validity of the sentences and their alignment with the standards of justice and fairness’.
In 2015, the area around Idlib was controlled by Jabhat al-Nusra, many of whose members are now part of Hayat Tahrir al-Sham (HTS), the group that led the rebel offensive in Syria that toppled Bashar al-Assad’s government.
HTS, led by former jihadist Abu Mohammad al-Jolani of Al Qaeda and ISIS, is a powerful Islamist organization that has maintained de facto control over Idlib for several years.
The group expanded into a conglomerate of several Islamist factions in 2017, but traces its roots to al-Qaeda, even though HTS later tried to reposition itself as a legitimate Syrian nationalist organization.
The country has officially cut ties with al-Qaeda and created a civilian branch known as the ‘Rescue Government’ through which it plans to rule in Syria, insisting it has no ambition to expand beyond the country’s borders to expand.
Initial reports from civilians in Aleppo after Assad’s demise seemed to indicate that HTS militants treated residents well after driving out Syrian government forces.
But there are suspicions that HTS’s jihadist origins remain and that the organization continues to be listed as a terrorist organization by the United Nations Security Council (UNSC), the US, Britain and the EU, among others labeled.
Al-Waisi’s videos resurfaced a year after he said Islamic Sharia was the reference for the legal system as then justice minister in Idlib’s government.
Both women appeared to be killed shortly afterwards by gunshots to the head. Men standing around shouted “Allahu Akbar,” apparently celebrating their deaths
The footage was reportedly taken in 2015 in two towns in Idlib, northwestern Syria, where the Jabhat al-Nusra Front – the Syrian branch of al-Qaeda – was in power at the time. The Islamic group executed the women under Sharia law
The video clips showed the moment the woman was shot in the head and fell to the ground
Abu Mohammed al-Jolani, a former jihadist, chose to shake hands with Annalena Baerbock during a rally in Damascus
Just a few days ago, al-Waisi reportedly said that since most Syrians are Muslim, Sharia law would be in line with their faith and its application would therefore be supported by the majority.
When al-Waisi was appointed justice minister by Syrian interim Prime Minister Mohammad al-Bashir, he reportedly announced the removal of all female judges from the judiciary.
This comes as German Foreign Minister Annalena Baerbock pushed back against claims of a ‘handshake scandal’ after Syria’s de facto leader al-Jolani refused to shake her hand because she is a woman.
Al-Jolani chose not to shake Baerbock’s hand during a meeting in Damascus, instead gesturing to Jean-Noël Barrot, France’s male foreign minister.
German newspaper Bild labeled the event a “handshake scandal” after video footage emerged of the apparent censure.
In the Muslim world, conservative men and women are not allowed to touch each other unless they are related or husband and wife.
The incident came amid calls to transform Syria into a freer, more tolerant society.
Despite his militant past, al-Jolani, 42, has claimed to be a moderate force seeking power for the good of all Syrians, not just radical Islamists.
Ms Baerbock nevertheless rejected the criticism of al-Jolani, saying she did not expect a “normal handshake” from the rebel leader who toppled former President al-Assad.