Damascus, June 15 (SANA) Interior Ministry Spokesperson Nour al-Din al-Baba said that many Syrian regions have witnessed demonstrations, sit-ins, and popular demands calling for accountability for those responsible for the crimes and violations committed during the deposed regime era. These demands express a legitimate right of the victims and their families, and a natural desire within society to see justice served.
“The Ministry affirms that accountability is not merely a popular demand, but an official commitment of the new Syrian state and a fundamental pillar in the efforts to build a state based on the rule of law and strong institutions,” al-Baba said at a press conference on Monday.
He added that since liberation, the Syrian state has not been lenient in pursuing those involved in crimes and violations. The issue of accountability has never been postponed or secondary. On the contrary, the authorities concerned continue their diligent work in tracking down wanted individuals and gathering evidence.
At the same time, al-Baba stressed the state’s firm rejection of any attempt to turn calls for accountability into acts of revenge, unlawful practices or collective accusations unsupported by evidence, emphasizing that justice requires punishing the guilty in accordance with the law while also protecting the innocent and guaranteeing fair trials for all.
He said transitional justice is a comprehensive national project based on uncovering the truth, holding those responsible for crimes accountable, delivering justice for victims, preserving national memory, providing reparations and ensuring that violations are not repeated.
He added that safeguarding social stability does not conflict with accountability; rather, it is one of the conditions for its success. Experience has shown that societies recover through justice, not revenge, and through the rule of law, not the rule of anger and emotion.
Al-Baba stressed that the rights of victims and the blood of those who lost their lives remain a responsibility entrusted to state institutions, and that accountability will continue without interruption. However, he said it will remain a legal process based on evidence, facts and judicial rulings, not on rumors, emotions or immediate impulses.
“During the past period, the security services achieved a series of significant accomplishments, the most prominent of which we will announce now for the first time; the dismantling of a terrorist security cell linked to the deposed regime’s security apparatus, following a lengthy period of pursuit, surveillance, and investigation,” al-Baba affirmed.
He added that investigations revealed that members of that cell acted as security operatives for the deposed regime within the liberated areas. They were involved in surveillance, intelligence gathering, and determining coordinates, and were implicated in coordinating bombings targeting civilian areas in Idlib and Jisr al-Shughur.
Regarding the case of doctors working in military hospitals affiliated with the ousted regime, al-Baba said that the competent authorities have arrested 12 officers, including one brigadier general, six colonels and two lieutenant colonels. The pursuit and investigation of the remaining individuals involved are ongoing.
The Interior Ministry spokesperson said the ministry is currently holding 5,989 detainees, including one lieutenant general, 42 major generals, 172 brigadier generals, 218 colonels, 112 lieutenant colonels, 73 majors, 160 captains, 126 first lieutenants, 32 second lieutenants, 435 first sergeants, 268 sergeants, 174 staff sergeants, 285 sergeants, 160 corporals and 1,483 enlisted personnel.
MZN
