Syria replaces controversial justice minister as it forms new government

Mazhar Al Wais succeeds Shadi Al Waisi in senior cabinet role

Mazhar Al Wais has been appointed Syria’s Justice Minister, replacing the controversial figure Shadi Al Waisi in the announcement of the country’s newly formed government late on Saturday.

Mr Al Waisi, who was a religious official in Al Nusra Front, is alleged to have condemned two women to death for prostitution and adultery in January 2015, in executions purportedly caught on footage shared on social media in early January.

It was reported that the women were killed in Idlib, which was controlled by Al Nusra Front at the time. Mr Al Waisi, formerly head of general intelligence, was a judge for the Al Qaeda affiliate in the northern Syrian province.

A still image from video footage purporting to show Shadi Al Waisi overseeing executions in Idlib in 2015

The development comes as the country announced a 23-member, religiously and ethnically mixed Cabinet to lead a five-year transitional period, replacing the interim government that was formed shortly after Bashar Al Assad was removed from power in early December.

Mr Al Wais pledged on Saturday to “consolidate the rule of law and the independence of the judiciary”. He added: “We will work to empower justice and work to reform the legislative structure and achieve transitional justice to bring justice to victims,” he said in a speech after his appointment.

He has a background in Islamic jurisprudence, having contributed to the establishment of the Ministry of Justice in northern Syria, and has been a member of the Supreme Judicial Council since 2017, reported Sana, the state news agency.

He was sentenced to six years in Syria's notorious Sednaya Prison in 2008 by the Assad regime, Sana said.

The new government was announced ahead of Eid Al Fitr, the feast that marks the end of the Ramadan, that starts in Syria on Monday.

The formation of the cabinet comes at a critical time for Syria, amid continuing Israeli raids and strikes, and in the aftermath of a brutal campaign against Assad loyalists marked by sectarian and revenge killings that claimed the lives of hundreds of civilians, many from minority communities.