UPDATE – Syrian president issues decree forming transitional justice committee

UPDATES WITH MORE DETAILS

By Mohammad Sio

ISTANBUL (AA) – Syrian President Ahmed al-Sharaa issued a decree Thursday evening to form a committee for transitional justice, official media said.

The National Transitional Justice Committee consists of 13 members, with Abdel Basit Abdel Latif appointed as chair and Zahra Najib Al-Barazi as deputy chair, according to the Syrian Arab News Agency (SANA).

The decree stipulates that committee members begin their duties immediately upon notification and that responsibilities will be assigned according to the committee’s internal regulations, SANA said.

The committee will address past regime violations and foster national reconciliation.

Local and international calls for accountability have intensified for violations committed by the ousted regime of former Bashar al-Assad during its crackdown on nationwide protests that erupted in 2011, demanding a peaceful transfer of power.

According to reports by the UN and international rights groups, those abuses included dozens of chemical weapons attacks, widespread aerial bombardment with barrel bombs on populated areas, arbitrary arrests, enforced disappearances, and systematic torture in detention centers, leading to the killing of hundreds of thousands of civilians.

The outcomes of the Syrian National Dialogue Conference, held in February, also underscored the importance of transitional justice and the need to hold accountable those responsible for crimes and abuses committed under the Assad regime.

Assad, Syria’s leader for nearly 25 years, fled to Russia in December, ending the Ba'ath Party regime, which had been in power since 1963. A new transitional administration led by Sharaa was formed in January.