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Good morning, this is Michelle. After the fall of the Assad regime, Syria has a chance to start anew. To do that, it will have to come to grips with decades of repression and mass violations.

Can Syria’s fragile, corrupt judicial system handle such a daunting task? A local rights organisation of lawyers believes it can be done and has been preparing a roadmap for reform and transitional justice. But like other countries’ experiences have shown, the path is fraught with obstacles.

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Michelle Langrand

24.01.2025


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Photo article

A woman holds a placard reading in Arabic “Where did the rest of the detainees go?” at a family protest in front of the infamous Al-Khatib security branch, in Damascus, 16 January 2025. (Keystone/EPA/Hasan Belal)

The sudden collapse of 53 years of al-Assad family rule on 9 December has been met with celebration across Syria. Yet, jubilation has quickly given way to demand for justice as families seek answers about their loved ones who vanished into the regime’s secretive detention network. Protesters have gathered in Damascus to call for accountability for atrocities.

The new authorities have vowed to deliver. But facing up to the grievances stemming from 14 years of war, persecution and mass rights violations will be no easy feat, holding the perpetrators of such heinous crimes to account and reconciling Syria’s fractured society an even harder one.

Fortunately, for the past decade, Syrian groups like the Free Syrian Lawyers Association (FSLA) have been preparing the ground for that scenario. In 2011, as the civil war broke out, FSLA began outlining a roadmap towards transitional justice so that one day, Syrians could finally address the legacy of widespread violations they have endured and turn the page. FSLA’s plan, which it has presented to the de facto authorities, contains a few key ingredients: the right to truth, accountability for the perpetrators and reparations for the victims.

Read the full story on Geneva Solutions.

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