Dany Chamoun and family case

In 1995, Sidon-born Judge Hassan Kawas sat on Lebanon's Justice Council during the Dany Chamoun family assassination case. The court convicted Lebanese Forces leader Samir Geagea of inciting the killing and sentenced him to death, later reduced to life imprisonment.

Kawas's role was judicial: he was one of the five judges who issued and signed the final ruling. The case should be described as historically important and controversial, with criticism from Amnesty International concerning the trial process.

Rashid Karami assassination case

After leaving the bench, Hassan Kawas reappeared in a second major case involving Samir Geagea: the 1987 assassination of Prime Minister Rashid Karami, who was killed by a bomb aboard a Lebanese Army helicopter.

In the later Justice Council trial, Kawas represented the personal-claimant side for the Karami family and questioned witnesses. His role had shifted from judge to legal advocate in one of Lebanon's most sensitive post-war trials.