Mohammad Kanjo, Head of Field Courts at Sednaya Prison, Arrested
ARK News.. The Directorate of Military Operations announced on Thursday, December 26, 2024, the arrest of Major General Mohammad Kanjo Hassan in Khirbet al-Mazzeh, rural Tartus. Hassan served as the head of field courts at the infamous Sednaya Military Prison.
Who is Mohammad Kanjo Hassan?
Born in 1960 in Khirbet al-Mazzeh, part of the Deraykish town in Tartus Governorate, Mohammad Kanjo Hassan was the Director of the Military Judiciary Administration in Syria. Holding a law degree, he rose through the ranks of the Assad regime's forces to become a prominent military judge.
Previous Roles:
Director of the Military Judiciary Administration (2013–2024)
Head of the Military Field Court (2013)
Military Prosecutor General at the Field Court
Role During the Syrian Uprising
When peaceful protests erupted in March 2011, Kanjo was serving as the Military Prosecutor General at the Field Court in Damascus. He presided over trials of civilian and military detainees, becoming infamous for issuing thousands of death sentences, life imprisonments, and long-term sentences.
A defector from Syria’s security forces testified that Kanjo collaborated with the heads of intelligence branches to fabricate detainee confessions, often including a standard phrase accusing them of "attacking military sites." This phrase was routinely used to justify death sentences, even for innocent individuals. Detainees were coerced into signing these confessions without knowledge of their contents, making the phrase a "codeword" for harsh punishment.
Trials overseen by Kanjo were notorious for their speed and lack of due process. Sessions typically lasted between one and three minutes, during which detainees were prohibited from defending themselves, and verdicts were delivered immediately. Despite the presence of other judges who briefly held the role of court president, Kanjo remained the dominant figure in these proceedings.
Reports from the Syrian Violations Documentation Center link Kanjo to inhumane treatment of detainees and financial exploitation of their families. This enabled him to amass significant wealth. His unwavering loyalty to the Assad regime earned him a promotion to the rank of Major General and the directorship of the Military Judiciary Administration, granting him authority over the fates of thousands of detainees, including those executed unjustly.
Kanjo’s arrest marks a pivotal moment in the transitional government’s efforts to hold figures of the former regime accountable for widespread human rights violations.
Source: Syria Channel
2968
