Paris, Dec. 8 (SANA) The former regime employed two methods to eliminate its opponents: physical assassination through killing and torture, and administrative assassination through “security erasure,” which removed thousands of Syrians from civil registries, stripping them of legal identity as if they had never existed.
A report by Franceinfo highlighted how this practice turned many into “unregistered” individuals, preventing them from documenting life events such as births and causing long-term legal and social harm.
Among those affected is journalist Samer al-Ahmad, who returned to Syria after liberation only to discover he was “administratively dead,” with an official death certificate issued in his name during the former regime’s rule.
Thousands of Syrians faced similar administrative elimination, which disrupted their daily lives and restricted their ability to work, move, or access basic services.
In response, the state has begun corrective measures, and a central committee reviewing the cases of employees dismissed since 2011 reported that around 80,000 workers were arbitrarily fired, with 75,000 applying for reinstatement—an effort considered a national priority and part of the broader transitional justice process.
Meanwhile, the Syrian Bar Association continues reinstating lawyers who were expelled for participating in the revolution, with 3,000 already restored and more cases under review.
