Syria forms transitional justice body amid criticism of inaction over disappeared detainees

Syrian President Ahmed al-Sharaa announced on Thursday that he had issued a decree to form a transitional justice committee, amid growing criticism and calls from rights groups for the government to do more for the families of detainees forcibly disappeared by the ousted Assad regime.

According to official media reports, the new National Transitional Justice Committee consists of 13 members. Abdel Basit Latif has been appointed as the chair of the committee, and Zahra Najib al-Barazi as the deputy chair.

They are tasked with addressing human rights violations committed by the ousted Assad regime as well as fostering national reconciliation following outbreaks of violence in the country in recent months.

In February, the Syrian National Dialogue Conference stressed the importance of transitional justice and the need to hold individuals accountable for crimes and abuses committed under the regime of former President Bashar al-Assad.

Organisations and individuals have for weeks been calling for accountability and investigations into atrocities carried out by the Assad regime as well as during flare-ups of conflict that followed his ouster.

Abuses under the Assad regime ranged from the use of chemical weapons to widespread bombardment of civilian areas with barrel bombs and detention and forced disappearance of tens of thousands of people. Many detainees were tortured to death

Amnesty International on Friday issued a statement demanding that the government demonstrate "its unequivocal commitment to establishing truth, justice and reparations for the tens of thousands of disappeared persons by prioritising an inclusive national search for those still missing and delivering on accountability".

The rights group said that months after the ouster of Assad, survivors from Syria’s notorious detention centres are still searching for answers.

"The new government is facing a myriad of challenges, including dire economic conditions and a deteriorating security situation amid growing sectarian violence. It cannot move forward to build a future founded on accountability and the rule of law without acting decisively now to ensure an inclusive process towards truth, justice and reparations for those disappeared by all of Syria’s warring parties," the organisation’s deputy regional director for the Middle East and North Africa said.

According to the rights group, over 100,000 people in Syria are estimated to have been disappeared between 2011 and 2024.

Amnesty International also said that the mandate of the Syrian government’s National Commission for Transitional Justice must be expanded, to include not only crimes committed by the Assad regime but also violations committed by anti-Assad armed groups.

"Without truth, justice and reparations, Syria’s people will never truly heal. The government must conduct prompt, thorough, independent, impartial and transparent investigations into all crimes under international law," Amnesty’s Kristine Beckerle said.

In a related development, a Syrian delegation representing the government cancelled its scheduled visit to Beirut on Thursday. The meeting was set to see leaders discuss the issue of Syrian prisoners held in Lebanese jails.

According to local media reports, the meeting was cancelled over Syrian discontent with what it perceived as a weak response from Lebanese authorities on the matter.

Lebanese ministerial sources, cited by Al-Akhbar, indicated that Lebanon continues to reject settling the status of all Syrian prisoners.