Trial of top Syrian political prisoner begins
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A top political prisoner on Thursday challenged Syrian authorities' right to try him for "weakening national morale", the same charge he has spent his professional life as a lawyer campaigning against.
The trial of Mohannad al-Hassani, who has defended leading Syrian opposition figures, began behind closed doors on Thursday in a small office at the Palace of Justice opposite the towering walls of Old Damascus. The judge said Hassani, who also heads an organisation defending human rights, had attended trials at state security courts without being the lawyer representing the defendants and had been seen taking notes. (Reuters)
