Shadi al-Waisi | |
|---|---|
شادي الويسي | |
| Minister of Justice | |
| Assumed office 10 December 2024 | |
| President | Ahmed al-Sharaa |
| Prime Minister | Mohammed al-Bashir |
| Preceded by | Ahmad al-Sayyed |
| Minister of Justice in theSyrian Salvation Government | |
| In office 2022 – 10 December 2024 | |
| Prime Minister | Ali Keda Mohammed al-Bashir |
| Succeeded by | Position abolished |
| Personal details | |
| Born | 1985 (age 39–40) Aleppo Governorate,Syria |
| Political party | Independent |
| Other political affiliations | Hay'at Tahrir al-Sham (until 2025) |
| Occupation | Politician, judge |
| Military service | |
| Allegiance | Current: Syrian transitional government(2024–present) Hay'at Tahrir al-Sham(2017–2025)Former:  Al-Nusra Front(until 2016) Jabhat Fateh al-Sham(2016–2017) Syrian Salvation Government(2017–2024) |
Shadi Mohammad al-Waisi (Arabic:شادي محمد الويسي; born 1985) is the current Minister of Justice in theSyrian transitional government since December 2024.[1] He had served as Minister of Justice in theSyrian Salvation Government during its sixth term, starting in 2022 and up until the December 2024fall of the Assad regime.[2]
Al-Waisi holds a degree inIslamic Sharia and a diploma in educational qualification. He is also working on a master'sthesis in Islamic and judicial studies. Prior to his judicial and political career, he worked as an Islamic education teacher and served as animam and preacher inAleppo for seven years.[2]
In a video, filmed in January 2015 inMaarrat Misrin, al-Waisi can reportedly be seen among the spectators at a public execution.[3] The video shows a woman being executed with a single bullet to the head after being allegedly convicted ofprostitution.[4][5]
In another video, recorded approximately one week later inHafasraja, a similar execution took place for a woman under the same charges.[6] This time, al-Waisi, who was a judge for theAl-Nusra Front, is seen personally delivering the verdict next to the condemned woman and signaling the executioner to proceed.[7][3] The execution was carried out with a single bullet to the head.[6]
During theSyrian Civil War, he played a role in the establishment of judicial institutions in areas under the control of opposition factions. He co-founded the Sharia Authority in Dhahret Awad and served as a judge. Later, he joined the founding cadre of the Quadripartite Sharia Authority in Aleppo, where he held positions as a military misdemeanor judge, an appeals judge, and thepublic prosecutor.[2]
Al-Waisi also founded and presided over the Judicial Circuit Project and established key judicial institutions, including the Salqin Court, Hreitan Court, and the Northern Badiya Court. In addition to these roles, he has served as the head of the Civil Felonies Court and the Criminal Appeals Court under theSyrian Salvation Government. He is also a member of the Supreme Judicial Council.[2]
In 2024, al-Waisi began serving as the Minister of Justice in theSyrian transitional government under prime ministerMohammed al-Bashir after thefall of the Assad regime and the decision that ministers of the salvation government will serve in the same roles in the transitional government until March 2025.[1]
Videos of al-Waisi approving executions of women dating back to his tenure as a judge for theAl-Nusra Front resurfaced shortly after he was appointed as minister of justice and sparked criticism.[3][7][8]