On Thursday, the person accused of murdering a veterinarian last Tuesday was executed in the city of al-Bab in rural Aleppo. The suspect was not referred to the judiciary or any other court to issue and execute the verdict through the institutions located in the area, which is controlled by the national army. The execution increases the state of security chaos and the recurrence of such incidents, with the rule of law absent.
Social media users posted a video showing the initial moments of gunmen killing the murder suspect. He was executed despite the existence of procedures to ensure that defendants were referred to the judiciary for trial. This incident is the second to occur within days in National Army-controlled areas.
Local news pages published scenes from the funeral of the veterinarian, Mohammed al-Saour, from the city of Douma in rural Damascus. Saour’s relatives refused to bury the body until retribution had been exacted from the killer by gunmen from his area, based on a video showing scenes from the doctor’s funeral.
Rule of Law?
The accused, Marwan Abdulhak, had lured the doctor to a rural property that he had rented for the purpose of murder, following financial disputes between the two men.
In the absence of the rule of law in National Army-controlled areas, observers warn against recurrent executions of accused criminals before they are referred for official investigations and judicial processes.
A few days ago, the murder of the child Yassin al-Mahmoud in Ras al-Ain shook public opinion in northern Syria. Afterwards, the person accused of committing the crime was killed without trial.
Earlier, Nour al-Khatib, a department director at the Syrian Network for Human Rights, said that the murder of the child is classified as a heinous or despicable criminal crime. He stressed that the National Army bears responsibility for ensuring safety in areas under its control.
In an interview with Shaam Network, the Syrian human rights advocate pointed out that the killing of an accused criminal without investigation or trial “is a serious matter and a crime for which the perpetrators should also be held accountable. This reflects the weakness of the region’s judiciary.”
This article was translated and edited by The Syrian Observer. The Syrian Observer has not verified the content of this story. Responsibility for the information and views set out in this article lies entirely with the author.
