"Transitional Justice Commission" ignores crimes of ISIS, Turkey
The Damascus authorities have ignored the crimes committed against Syrians throughout the course of the Syrian crisis, chief among them the crimes of Turkey and its mercenaries, as well as ISIS and the victims of those crimes. Instead, they have merely formed a committee named the "Transitional Justice Commission," whose mission is limited to uncovering and investigating the crimes of the Ba'athist regime.
On Saturday, Damascus authorities announced the formation of what they called the “National Commission for Transitional Justice” under a decree issued by Ahmad al-Shara, in a move described by many observers as “selective” rather than genuine “transitional justice.”
According to the text of the decree, “The formation of this commission comes based on the provisions of the Syrian constitution and out of belief in the necessity of achieving transitional justice as a fundamental pillar for building a state of law and ensuring the rights of victims, and as a step toward achieving comprehensive national reconciliation.”
The decree states that the commission aims to “uncover the truth about grave violations committed under the former regime, hold those responsible accountable in coordination with relevant bodies, seek to compensate victims and offer reparation, while adopting the principles of non-impunity and societal reconciliation.”
However, this announcement overlooks the crimes committed against Syrians throughout the duration of the crisis, including those carried out by ISIS, the Turkish occupying state and its mercenaries, as well as the crimes committed last month on the Syrian coast. This includes those documented in a recent Amnesty International report and another by Human Rights Watch.
In its report issued on May 17, Amnesty International called on the Damascus authorities to take immediate and tangible steps in the area of transitional justice, uncover the truth, compensate victims, and prevent the recurrence of violations. The organization also highlighted the challenges facing the country due to Turkish and Israeli airstrikes, which have resulted in civilian deaths and the destruction of infrastructure.
In a report issued on May 14, Human Rights Watch stated that the mercenaries of the occupying force, the “Syrian National Army,” continue to detain, extort, and abuse civilians in northern Syria, even after being integrated into Damascus’s military structure and with some of their leaders appointed to high-ranking positions without accountability. The report called on Turkey to stop supporting them, and on the Damascus authorities to stop appointing their leaders to official posts.
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