Damascus, June 15 (SANA) Syria’s Attorney General Hassan al-Turba affirmed Monday that the transitional justice process in Syria is not built on a single mechanism but on an integrated legal, human rights, and political framework, stressing that it is proceeding normally and at pace in accordance with Syrian law.
Speaking to Alikhbaria News Channel, al-Turba said the Ministry of Justice is working in coordination with the Ministry of Interior, the National Commission for Transitional Justice, and the National Commission for Missing Persons (NCMP) to pursue all those who committed violations and crimes against the Syrian people and bring them to justice. He said several measures have been taken to prevent suspects from fleeing, including the issuance of arrest warrants in absentia, alongside witness protection measures to encourage testimony.
A long and rigorous legal process
Al-Turba said Syria is applying its 1950 Code of Criminal Procedure — the established legal framework known to all jurists — under which a case moves from the Ministry of Interior and police records, to the public prosecution, to an investigating judge who interrogates the accused, gathers evidence, and hears witnesses, before reaching a referral judge who serves as an appellate authority and the gateway to criminal courts.
He said the referral judge’s decision to indict is subject to cassation, and no case is transferred to a criminal court without completing this lengthy and precise process — one that was followed in prominent cases such as that of Atef Najib.
Al-Turba noted that crimes spanning roughly 14 years — including war crimes and crimes against humanity — require sufficient time for thorough investigation, evidence collection, and interrogation of suspects, with thousands currently detained and a significant number still in hiding, demanding major efforts from all relevant authorities. He stressed that the Ministry of Justice is working around the clock to accelerate these trials.
Judiciary purged of ousted regime-era figures
Al-Turba said the Ministry of Justice has dismissed all judges who served on the terrorism court, judges who had been seconded to the People’s Assembly on the day of liberation, and all those proven to have aided the deposed regime in suppressing the Syrian revolution.
He stressed that accountability within the ministry is ongoing and that anyone found under suspicion or facing charges will be held accountable immediately and may be dismissed, adding that no one who committed violations against the Syrian people will be permitted to return to work in the ministry.
On suspects who have fled the country, al-Turba said the ministry has held numerous meetings with the International Impartial and Independent Mechanism and the International Commission of Inquiry in Damascus and in Arab and foreign countries, including France and Geneva, to support the transitional justice process and exchange evidence. He said arrest warrants in absentia have been issued and fugitives are being pursued through Interpol, international conventions, and diplomatic channels to secure their extradition to Syrian justice.
A call for restraint
Al-Turba called on all Syrians to exercise restraint and turn to judicial institutions rather than seeking revenge or retribution, saying: “Revenge does not build a state.” He added that the ministry acknowledges the feelings of the Syrian people, who endured years of injustice under the deposed regime.
On reparations, he said accountability and punishment represent a form of moral redress, while material reparation takes the form of the right of victims to claim compensation before a criminal judge based on evidence and at the request of the civil claimant. He noted that other forms of reparation may be provided by institutions outside the Ministry of Justice, such as rebuilding destroyed villages and homes or naming a street or school after a martyr.
KhA
