Syria abolishes Assad-era 'terrorism' court and voids rulings

Syria's parliament has voted to abolish the anti-terrorism court established by ousted President Bashar Al Assad, which was used to prosecute thousands of individuals, including peaceful activists, during his regime. The decision nullifies the court's rulings and orders a committee to help people recover properties seized by the previous government.

Initial discussions in parliament focused on amending the existing counter-terrorism law, but legislators ultimately decided that the court should be eliminated entirely. They argued that the trials conducted by the court violated due process and human rights. "The court issued thousands of rulings and ordered the confiscation of funds and property without adequate safeguards for fair trials, relying on security investigations and confessions allegedly obtained through torture," said MP Nour Arabo.

The new legislation excludes individuals who had their money and properties returned by the old court, field courts, or military courts between March 2011, when the civil war began, and December 2024, when Assad was overthrown. The vote received praise from Syrians and human rights organizations. Charles Lister, a senior fellow at the Middle East Institute, described the court as a mechanism to rubber-stamp mass imprisonments and executions of political prisoners.

Syria expert Joshua Landis expressed hope that the new regime would not find alternative ways to jail opponents without proper charges and transparent legal proceedings. The court had faced widespread condemnation from international human rights groups for its flawed prosecutions. In April, the new Syrian government initiated legal proceedings against several former regime officials arrested since the rebel offensive that toppled Assad in December 2024.

President Ahmad Al Shara had previously stated his intention to centralize power to "instil civil peace and pursue the criminals who have spilled Syrian blood and committed crimes and massacres."