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

In a historic move, Syria's parliament has voted to abolish the anti-terrorist court established during the Assad regime, which had been used to prosecute thousands of individuals, including peaceful activists, under dubious circumstances. The court, formed in 2012, was criticized for its flawed trials, which often resulted in the confiscation of properties and funds without proper due process or human rights safeguards.

The decision also mandates a committee to help individuals recover properties confiscated by the previous government.

Debate in parliament initially focused on amending the existing counter-terrorism law, but legislators ultimately concluded that the court itself should be eliminated. They argued that the trials conducted by the court were in violation of fair trial principles and human rights. MP Nour Arabo expressed these concerns to Syria's state news agency, stating that the court's rulings were based on security investigations and confessions extracted through torture.

The new legislation exempts individuals whose properties and funds were returned by the old court, field courts, or military courts from the start of the civil war in March 2011 until the fall of President Assad in December 2024. This decision has been met with widespread approval from Syrians and international human rights watchdogs.

Charles Lister, a senior fellow and director at the Middle East Institute, noted that the court was created by Assad in 2012 to ensure mass imprisonment and execution of political prisoners. Joshua Landis, a Syria expert and co-director at the University of Oklahoma's Centre for Middle East Studies, welcomed the decision, hoping that the new regime would not resort to alternative methods of imprisoning opponents without proper charges and transparent legal proceedings.

The court had faced severe condemnation from international rights groups for its flawed prosecutions. In April, the new Syrian government initiated court proceedings against several key figures from the previous regime who had been arrested since the rebel offensive that toppled Assad in December 2024. President Ahmad Al Shara had previously vowed to centralize power to "instill civil peace and pursue the criminals who have spilled Syrian blood and committed crimes and massacres," referring to loyalists of the Assad regime that had ruled Syria since 1970.