Jihadi group in Syria’s Idlib faces criticism over unfair trials, death sentences
Hayat Tahrir al-Sham issued death sentences against two young men who have been detained in the organization’s prisons on charges of collaborating with the US-led international coalition.
ALEPPO, Syria — Hassan al-Sheikh and Khaled al-Jajah are two Syrian young men who are looking at death sentences issued by Hayat Tahrir al-Sham (HTS) on charges of collaborating with the US-led international coalition. The two men had been arrested nearly a year ago in Syria’s northwestern province of Idlib, which is under HTS control.
Sheikh and Jajah hail from the city of Maarat al-Numan in Idlib countryside. They were former fighters in the ranks of the 13th Division of the Free Syrian Army (FSA).
The death sentences sparked widespread discontent on social media in Idlib during the first days after the decision was announced. Activists circulated video recordings of Sheikh’s parents pleading for intervention to spare their son’s life.
On Aug. 20, popular protests against HTS took place in Mashhad Rouhin camp in Idlib countryside, with protesters calling for the release of detainees held by the group.
