Almost two years after the fall of the Assad regime, Syria has initiated proceedings to prosecute regime crimes, culminating in a mid-August in absentia death sentence for former dictator Bashar Assad. However, for survivors like Huda Khayti, a women’s rights activist who endured a 2013 chemical attack in eastern Ghouta, the verdict feels insufficient.<\/p>\n
Khayti, who lost her brother to regime bombardment and fled her hometown of Douma to Idlib, now commutes between the two cities to help reopen a women’s center. She described the pervasive trauma remaining across the country, noting that while the conviction is positive, Assad continues to live freely in Russia, echoing the fate of many other fugitive officials.<\/p>\n
The Damascus court found Assad guilty of war crimes and crimes against humanity, including premeditated murder and torture. Legal observers note that extradition is unlikely due to Russia\u2019s alliance with Assad and potential conflicts with the death penalty under existing treaties.<\/p>\n
Lina Chawaf, a researcher at Harvard University\u2019s Center for Middle Eastern Studies, noted the verdict resonated strongly with the public, with many media outlets celebrating it as a victory for transitional justice. Yet, Rana Sheikh-Ali, founder of Daret Salam, argued the trial is largely symbolic and emphasized that true justice requires more than criminal convictions.<\/p>\n
Transitional justice involves identifying the missing, investigating crimes, determining reparations, and reforming institutions. The Syrian Network for Human Rights reports that over 234,805 civilians were killed during the 14-year conflict, with at least 202,000 deaths attributed to the Assad regime and its allies. Additionally, there are over 181,000 cases of arbitrary arrest and enforced disappearance, alongside tens of thousands of deaths from torture.<\/p>\n
Khayti stressed that victims must be central to the process, not merely witnesses. She called for the prosecution of lower-level individuals, such as those who authored arrest reports leading to Saydnaya prison, arguing they are equally culpable. Sophie Bischoff of Adopt a Revolution highlighted that systematic state documentation of these crimes is only beginning, having previously been driven by civil society.<\/p>\n
While the government has established two commissions, including one for missing persons and another for transitional justice, critics point out significant gaps. The National Commission for Transitional Justice, formed in May 2025, has so far focused exclusively on Assad regime crimes, excluding atrocities committed by militias and the Islamic State. Bischoff argued this approach falls short of a comprehensive reckoning.<\/p>\n
For survivors, the pursuit of justice often requires re-traumatization. Khayti described the difficulty of recounting her experiences, feeling as though she is reliving the past. Despite these challenges, she remains committed to preserving the memory of the war for younger generations and demanding full accountability.<\/p>\n
“We will continue to be loud,” Khayti said. “And we will continue to demand justice.”<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
Despite the death sentence for Bashar Assad, Syrian survivors and experts argue the verdict is symbolic without actual accountability and broader investigations into all war crimes.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[2],"tags":[2201,67,414,327,2202,10],"class_list":["post-1062","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-world","tag-assad","tag-germany","tag-human-rights","tag-syria","tag-transitional-justice","tag-world"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/yovao.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1062","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/yovao.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/yovao.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/yovao.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/yovao.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=1062"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/yovao.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1062\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/yovao.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=1062"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/yovao.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=1062"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/yovao.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=1062"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}