MSDBy Lina Al-Ali
Aleppo, Syria (SDC) – With the fall of Bashar al-Assad’s regime in December 2024, Syrians finally experienced a moment of relief after years of brutal repression and violence. But the sense of relief was fleeting. The momentary triumph quickly gave way to difficult, urgent questions: How does a nation shattered by war begin to rebuild its social fabric? How can justice be served for the crimes committed? And is it even possible to imagine a new Syria without reckoning with the wounds of the past?
Transitional justice—once seen as an abstract or distant goal—has now become a moral and national necessity. It is not just about holding trials or issuing compensation. It is a long and painful journey toward healing and reconciliation—one that demands honesty, courage, and the willingness to confront deeply uncomfortable truths.
What challenges lie ahead on this path? And more importantly, can Syria turn decades of suffering into a foundation for hope?
Transitional Justice in Syria: Between Hope and Reality
In the wake of the regime’s collapse, many Syrians imagined justice would arrive swiftly and decisively—like a wave of justice removing those responsible for years of bloodshed. But reality has proven far more complex. Transitional justice, as experts now understand it, is less a dramatic event and more a fragile, intricate process—a process that unfolds step by step, where each phase must proceed in a carefully coordinated sequence. Trials for perpetrators, reparations for victims, and reform of compromised institutions must proceed according to a carefully planned progression. A misstep at any stage risks undermining the entire effort.
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Syrian political analyst Samir Nashar sheds light on the core challenge, “Transitional justice is essential for Syria’s future, but its success depends on building genuine national consensus—across political divides, social groups, and cultural identities. The process must be truly impartial, applied fairly across all regions, regardless of who committed the violations. So far, this foundational consensus remains out of reach. The transitional authorities have yet to engage in serious, inclusive dialogue with the diverse segments of Syrian society, and without that, justice remains an aspiration rather than a reality”.
Nashar’s words get to the heart of the crisis: there is a glaring lack of political will to foster trust or adopt an inclusive national narrative—one that moves beyond entrenched divisions. When justice is applied selectively, it risks inflaming cycles of revenge. And when reforms are superficial—lacking any real accountability—they can easily pave the way for authoritarianism to re-emerge under a new name.
Transitional Justice in Syria: A Path to Recovery or a Political Illusion?
True transitional justice goes far beyond trials or symbolic gestures. It is a transformative process aimed at healing a wounded society—starting with uncovering the truth, ensuring accountability, compensating victims, and establishing safeguards to prevent future abuses. But in Syria, where violations are complex, this process is daunting. Implementing it feels like trying to piece together a shattered mosaic without a clear design.
Hala Al-Yassin, a pharmacist from Aleppo, gives voice to a growing concern shared by many Syrians, “Much of the current talk about transitional justice reduces the conflict to the crimes of one side, while ignoring violations committed by others. It’s often shaped by revenge or political bias. Even recent massacres are judged through polarized perspectives. What we need are neutral, independent bodies to oversee justice—but how can we trust anyone to lead that process when Syrians have lost faith in every institution? Rebuilding trust starts with one principle: unlawful acts must be recognized as such, no matter who committed them”.
Her words reflect the hopes of millions: “We may not all agree on how justice should look—but we know one thing for certain: the new Syria cannot be built on mass graves. It must stand on the foundation of rights”.
Syria’s success depends on remembering past pain together, learning from it, and using that knowledge to create a fair and united future. It’s about collective healing leading to real change.
Al-Yassin’s testimony underscores a critical weakness in Syria’s transitional justice approach: the absence of impartiality. When justice is reduced to payback, it loses legitimacy. After more than a decade living under a suffocating “culture of suspicion,” Syrians now need transparent truth-seeking processes and open, protected spaces for dialogue. Without these vital first steps, trials alone risk reigniting old tensions instead of resolving them.
Mahmoud Hammam, spokesperson for the Aleppo Islamic Cultural Capital Forum, emphasized that Syrians are now entering a delicate phase of recovery. This follows fifteen years marked by what he described as “profound and sustained abuses under a brutal authoritarian regime.” He called for the urgent creation of an inclusive model of transitional justice—one that can guide the country toward a peaceful and democratic future.
“Syrian society is beginning the long process of healing,” Hammam said. “We’re trying to rebuild trust and strengthen the fabric of our communities by acknowledging the truth of our past, rather than ignoring it. Any nation that refuses to learn from mistakes of its past is destined to repeat its tragedies.”
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He stressed that the current moment must be used to lay the foundations for a country that all Syrians feel a part of—a nation they are willing to defend because it defends them in return. This, he added, can only be achieved through legitimate, representative institutions that guarantee freedom, justice, and dignity for every community.
Hammam concluded his remarks by emphasizing the Forum’s belief in culture as a driver of transformation. “We envision a Syria that is free, sovereign, and democratic,” he said—“a country where Syrians can reaffirm a shared sense of belonging in a homeland that embraces everyone, without exception.”
The Fate of Victims: Between Silence and Justice
Amid the noise of political negotiations, the voices of victims often fall into silence. Layla Mahmoud, a 60-year-old woman displaced from rural Aleppo, refuses to accept financial compensation for the disappearance of her son. “No amount of money will bring him back,” she says. “What I need is public recognition—confirmation that he lived and that he disappeared.”
Mahmoud’s words reflect a larger, painful truth: justice means various things to different people. Some people want to honor and remember their lost loved ones publicly, through monuments. Others desire legal proceedings or trials, even if symbolic, to publicly acknowledge wrongdoing and hold people accountable. Many people prefer not to speak out or push for justice actively because they want to avoid further conflict and maintain peace. The challenge lies in honoring these diverse needs while preserving a shared pursuit of truth.
Justice Is a Journey, not a Destination
Though transitional justice is widely accepted in theory as essential to Syria’s future, its practical path forward remains treacherous. Difficult questions loom: How can trials be delayed responsibly, without undermining legitimacy or triggering unrest? Who will fund compensation in a collapsed economy? Can institutions once used to oppress be trusted to deliver justice?
And yet, despite all this, transitional justice remains one of Syria’s most urgent and necessary undertakings. The same people who endured war and repression with unimaginable courage can lead the effort to rebuild—this time, not with weapons, but with truth and accountability.
The road ahead will be long, uncertain, and filled with painful choices. But every truth unearthed, every name remembered, every injustice acknowledged brings the country closer to healing. For Syria, reclaiming memory is not just about honoring the past—it’s about restoring humanity to the nation’s future.
Today, transitional justice is not just an abstract ideal—it is Syria’s most urgent tool for breaking the cycle of violence and laying the groundwork for lasting stability. If pursued seriously, it can combine criminal accountability, reparations for victims, and meaningful political reform into a pathway toward national reconciliation.
Amid the devastation, the Syrian people continue to respond with resilience and determination. Their courage holds the potential to transform pain into progress—making justice not a luxury, but the very cornerstone of a more just and unified future.
