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Revision as of 15:19, 28 December 2024 by Berniesandals (talk | contribs) (→Role during the Assad regime)(diff) ← Previous revision | Latest revision (diff) | Newer revision → (diff) Head of Syria's military field court the from 2011 to 2014Mohammed Kanjo Hassan was a Syrian major general, head of Syria's military field court and chief of military justice across Syria.
| Mohammed Kanjo Hassan | |
|---|---|
| Born | Unknown year Duraykish District, Syria |
| Nationality | Syrian |
| Known for | Sednaya prison torture and abuse |
| Political party | Arab Socialist Ba'ath Party – Syria Region |
| Details | |
| Victims | approx. 10.000k |
| Date apprehended | 26 December, 2024 |
| Military career | |
| Allegiance |  Syria |
| Service | Syrian Arab Armed Forces (SAAR) |
| Rank | Major General |
| Battles / wars | Syrian Civil War |
Kanjo Hassan became notorious for his role in the atrocities committed in Sednaya Prison. On December 26, 2024, Kanjo Hassan was arrested by Military Operations Command after a brief gunfight.
Background
Mohammad Kanjo Hassan was born in the Duraykish District in Tartus. After graduating from law school, Hassan enrolled in the Syrian Arab Armed Forces where he joined the military judiciary, climbing the ranks until he was appointed as prosecutor for the military field court.
Role during the Assad regime
Kanjo Hassan was the head of Syria's military field court from 2011 to 2014. Later on, Kanjo Hassan was promoted to chief of military justice across Syria, During his tenure in the military field court, Kanjo Hassan was accused of extorting detainees’ families in order to obtain money from them, amassing $150 million from bribes paid by relatives of detainees desperate for information on their loved ones.
During his role as prosecutor for the military courts, Kanjo Hassan was responsible for issuing various death sentences, life sentences and prolonged prison sentences.
Kanjo Hassan would amend charges set out against the defendants following the issuance of a presidential amnesty, so that the amnesty would not apply to them which led the mass trial of 116 defendants who were arrested during the Siege of Daraa.
According to the the victims, the trials would usually last three minutes, during which the detainee is not permitted to speak and there are no rights to representation from legal counsel. Kanjo Hassan carried out his role as prosecutor until his promotion to the rank of major-general, becoming head of the court.
After the fall of the Assad regime, Kanjo Hassan would go into hiding and would lead the Ba'athist insurgency in western Syria.
Capture
Deadly clashes erupted in the coastal province of Tartus between security forces that tried to arrest Kanjo Hassan and gunmen who sought to protect him. The next day, the Syrian Military Operations Department conducted a major security operation combing through several Tartus Governorate villages and forests for regime loyalists and those involved with Assad regime-related crimes. Armed forces launched a raid in the village of Khirbet al-Ma'zah, resulting in the arrest of Kanjo Hassan and twenty of his associates. Kanjo Hassan was found hiding in a hole in the ground. The conflict resulted in fourteen interior ministry personnel losing their lives and ten others sustaining injuries during what officials described as an "ambush". Three gunmen associated with Kanjo Hassan were also killed in the gun fight.
The news of Kanjo Hassan’s detention was confirmed by the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights. And the National Coalition of Syrian Revolutionary and Opposition Forces welcomed the arrest, describing it as an "important step on the path to justice and the prosecution of those who committed crimes against the Syrian people".
References
- "Syria's new rulers arrest official behind Saydnaya death penalties". France 24. 27 December 2024. Retrieved 27 December 2024.
- "Syria's new rulers arrest official behind Saydnaya death penalties". France 24. 27 December 2024. Retrieved 27 December 2024.
- Hounshell, Blake (December 27 2024). "syria-former-justice-who-sent-thousands-to-death-arrested". DW. Retrieved 2024-12-27.
{{cite news}}: Check date values in:|date=(help) - Hounshell, Blake (December 27 2024). "syria-captures-key-military-official-involved-sednaya-prison-abuses". Middle East Eye. Retrieved 2024-12-27.
{{cite news}}: Check date values in:|date=(help) - "Armed clashes. 14 members of the General Security Forces killed in Tartous countryside". SOHR. 25 December 2024. Retrieved 26 December 2024.
- Cite error: The named reference
:2was invoked but never defined (see the help page). - السوري, المرصد (2024-12-26). "تصفية "شبيح" ومقتل اثنين من المتورطين بقتل عناصر الأمن العام في الساحل السوري | المرصد السوري لحقوق الإنسان" (in Arabic). Retrieved 2024-12-27.
- Cite error: The named reference
:0was invoked but never defined (see the help page). - السوري, المرصد (2024-12-25). "مقتل 6 عناصر من قوى الأمن العام باشتباكات مع عصابة أحد سفاحي "صيدنايا" في ريف طرطوس | المرصد السوري لحقوق الإنسان" (in Arabic). Retrieved 2024-12-27.
- Hounshell, Blake (December 27 2024). "syria-authorities-arrest-official-behind-saydnaya-death-penalties". Le Monde. Retrieved 2024-12-27.
{{cite news}}: Check date values in:|date=(help) - "Syria's new rulers arrest official behind Saydnaya death penalties". France 24. 27 December 2024. Retrieved 27 December 2024.
- "Syria's new rulers arrest official behind Saydnaya death penalties". France 24. 27 December 2024. Retrieved 27 December 2024.