Legal expert: Absence of justice threatens stability in Syria, fuels social chaos

Amid the spread of crime, kidnappings, killings, and violations in Syria, ANHA Agency conducted an interview with lawyer and specialist in state affairs and human rights in Sweida, Nawaf Hattoum, to examine their legal and social repercussions.

Hattoum explained that security is not limited to the absence of crime, but is closely tied to individuals’ sense of protection, noting that the loss of this feeling drives society into a state of constant anxiety.

He added that the recurrence of violations contributes to the “fragmentation of the social contract,” whereby citizens relinquish part of their freedoms in exchange for protection. The absence of this balance, he said, shakes a fundamental pillar of the state, pushing society toward withdrawal or the search for alternative means of protection.

On the causes behind the repetition of such incidents, Hattoum stated that security failure and lack of accountability are “two sides of the same coin.” He clarified that while crime can occur in any society, its continuation without accountability transforms it from an isolated incident into a protected phenomenon, granting perpetrators a dangerous implicit sense of impunity.

He further noted that among the most serious violations currently threatening civilians are kidnapping, enforced detention, and killing, stressing that these crimes do not only target individuals but are also used as a tool to intimidate society as a whole, aiming to paralyze people’s will and destroy their human dignity, which is safeguarded by divine laws and international legislation.

On the impact of fear on people’s ability to demand their rights, Hattoum explained that fear is one of the main obstacles to achieving justice. When a sense of threat prevails, individuals tend toward silence, accepting injustice or feeling unable to confront it in the absence of protection guarantees.

He warned that such silence leads to the concealment of truth and the accumulation of grievances, contributing to the continuation of the crime without deterrence.

He also pointed out that fear significantly reduces citizens’ ability to claim their rights or report violations, as the sense of threat leads to silence and the accumulation of injustices, allowing the cycle of violence to continue unchecked.

On solutions, Hattoum stressed the need to restore the authority of the law by ensuring judicial independence, activating witness protection mechanisms, and conducting transparent investigations whose results are made public, in addition to aligning national laws with international human rights standards.

He emphasized that the absence of justice threatens civil peace, as it drives societies toward individual retaliation and escalating conflicts, stressing that achieving stability requires justice for victims and holding those responsible accountable, so that the law remains the primary reference for all.

a.k

ANHA