سورية: إجراءات جديدة لتسريع محاكمة مرتكبي الانتهاكات

The National Commission for Transitional Justice in Syria has launched a series of new trials for individuals accused of committing crimes during the rule of the ousted Bashar al-Assad regime, coinciding with the acceleration of the Ministry of Justice's steps in the transitional justice process, following about a week of popular protests demanding a swift accountability for the perpetrators of violations.

In response to public demands

Director of the Accountability and Responsibility Department at the "National Commission for Transitional Justice," Radeef Mustafa, announced the commencement of trials today (Monday) against the accused Abdul Nasser Barak, with a new session for the trial of the accused Atef Najib scheduled for tomorrow, Tuesday.

For the first time, the trial session for the accused Waseem al-Assad will begin next Wednesday, followed by the first session for the trial of the former Mufti of the Assad regime, Ahmad Badreddin Hassoun.

Yesterday (Sunday), the Ministry of Justice held a meeting chaired by Minister Mazhar al-Weiss, attended by all public prosecutors across Syria, to discuss the recent situations and the public demands to expedite transitional justice procedures.

The meeting resulted in decisions, the most notable of which was the allocation of rooms in all provincial courts for the public prosecution, alongside departments for investigation and others for referral, to handle "complaints submitted by citizens regarding violations committed by the remnants of the fallen regime," as clarified by the public prosecutor in Damascus, Hossam Khattab.

Khattab stated that these rooms will enable citizens to file complaints against anyone who has committed violations against them or their families, which will then be directly referred to the investigation department designated for transitional justice, to collect evidence and investigate, and subsequently refer it to the competent criminal court in central Damascus. The public prosecutor in Damascus considered this step a speeding up of the justice process and a genuine response to public demands.

Accelerating litigation and achieving accountability

For his part, Minister of Justice Mazhar al-Weiss confirmed that the meeting engaged with the legitimate demands raised by Syrians and responded to the calls from community and academic elites that placed the ball in the court of the rule of law and referred the matter to the judiciary, noting that "the goal of the meetings is to secure procedures that ensure the smoothness and speed of the required actions so that people can reach the state of justice and accountability required under the rule of law."

He added that it is the duty of the judiciary to be up to the responsibility and to engage with these calls, pointing out that there are mechanisms, means, and methods prepared and arranged in advance to address this phase.