Footage has surfaced showing Shadi Al-Waisi, Syria’s current justice minister, overseeing the execution of two women in Idlib province in 2015. The videos, verified by the Syrian fact-checking platform Verify-Sy, show a man believed to be Al-Waisi reading execution sentences.
🇸🇾 #Syria: Footage showing Syria’s Interim Justice Minister Shadi Al-Waisi sentencing women to death for “adultery/prostitution” in 2015. Al-Waisi was a judge in Jhabat al-Nusra’s (now HTS) Sharia court system, and now heads the Syrian transitional government’s justice system.… pic.twitter.com/HXwV40S1i7
— POPULAR FRONT (@PopularFront_) January 5, 2025
In one video, a woman accused of “corruption and prostitution” is surrounded by fighters in Maaret Misreen, Idlib. Al-Waisi was seen ordering her to kneel as she pleads for mercy. After a Quranic verse is recited, a fighter shoots her in the head.
Graffiti on a nearby wall links the scene to Jabhat al-Nusra, which was a branch of Al-Qaeda before rebranding as Hay’at Tahrir al-Sham (HTS) in 2017.
Aside from Verify-Sy, an anonymous official from Syria’s interim government also confirmed Al-Waisi’s involvement, stating the actions reflected the laws in effect at the time but added that the government has since moved beyond such practices.
#FactCheck A video claiming to show Syrian Minister of Justice Shadi al-Waisi reading execution sentences has circulated online. After thorough verification, including voice and facial matching, it was confirmed that the person in the video is indeed al-Waisi, who was a judge at… pic.twitter.com/0SbfhsTZ1e
— تَـأكّـدْ (@VeSyria) January 4, 2025
The videos have triggered widespread outrage, particularly among activists and women’s groups. Many have called for Al-Waisi to resign or face legal accountability. Critics argue his role in these events is incompatible with his position in a government claiming to promote justice and rule of law.
