Syria's abolition of Assad-era terrorism court 'welcomed'

The abolition of an Assad-era terrorism court by Syria's parliament has been described as a "welcome and necessary step", rights advocates told The New Arab, though warned that without effective implementation, the decision risks becoming a symbolic announcement.

Syria's parliament abolished the court, founded through the passing of Law No. 22 in 2012 during the height of Syria's civil uprising, on Wednesday. The abolition of the court also saw the abolition of its legal rulings.

The court's purpose was to issue legal verdicts in line with Law No. 19, which pertained to counter-terrorism, used by the Assad regime to prosecute activists and dissidents in a bid to stifle the uprising against the regime.

Fadel Abdul-Ghany, Director of the Syrian Network for Human Rights, told Syria's state news agency SANA that 90,560 cases were brought before the court, alongside 10,767 people, since its founding.

This includes 3,970 cases of property seizure, and 40,602 cases of seizure and confiscation orders affecting 320,000 people between 2012 and 2024.

Kholoud Helmi, a non-resident Fellow at TIMEP, told The New Arab that the move is a "welcome and necessary step."

"This court was never an instrument of justice; it was used to criminalise peaceful opposition, legitimise arbitrary detention and confiscate Syrian's property, often on the basis of confessions extracted under torture."

However, Helmi said that Article 48 of the constitutional declaration already required the abolition of exceptional laws, unjust rulings by the Terrorism Court and a restitution of property.

"Parliament's decision should therefore be understood as the implementation of an existing constitutional obligation, rather than an entirely new measure."

She added that the significance of the ruling will depend on several things, including, "whether it establishes clear, accessible and time-bound procedures for reviewing judgements, restoring property and providing remedies when restitution is impossible".

If this is done, it could become a significant step in the country's transitional justice process that is key to moving the country away from the period under Assad, as well as healing it from the traumas of dictatorship and civil war.

"If it merely repeats Article 48 without delivering tangible remedies, it risks becoming a symbolic announcement," Helmi said.