LONDON: Syrian authorities arrested a man who served as an office director for the cousin of former ruler Bashar Assad for his involvement in crimes targeting unarmed civilians last year.
Wissam Saji Osman worked with Yisar Al-Assad, who led Al-Areen 313 Brigades, one of several paramilitary factions formed after 2011 to assist Syrian forces in suppressing protests.
It primarily operated in the coastal towns of Latakia and Qardaha. Authorities accused Osman of recruiting members for the paramilitary group and managing its finances, particularly in March 2025 during clashes between Syrian forces and pro-Assad loyalists along the coast.
Osman was arrested in the Qardaha area after he entered Syrian territory, according to the Syrian Arab News Agency.
Security agencies have arrested hundreds of senior officials from the Assad era for human rights violations against the Syrian people since December 2024. Nearly 6,000 military and security personnel from the civil war era, which began in 2011 until 2024, are currently held by the counter-terrorism department. Some of them are already being put on trial.
On Monday, a government spokesman warned against acts of revenge targeting individuals linked to the former Assad’s regime, assuring that justice and accountability are being pursued through the legal system.
