Syrian Network for Human Rights Report: Transitional Justice and Civil Peace

Kokcha News Agency – The Syrian Network for Human Rights (SNHR) today published a report titled “Transitional Justice and Civil Peace: Errors of the Civil Peace Committee in Syria and the Need to Correct the Course.” The report examines the theoretical and conceptual framework of the relationship between transitional justice and civil peace, offering a detailed critique of the Civil Peace Committee’s performance in Syria. It concludes with a set of recommendations for relevant stakeholders.

The report emphasizes that the relationship between transitional justice and civil peace is one of the most complex challenges in post-conflict societies, where the need for accountability for grave violations intersects with the necessity of building societal stability. It raises critical questions about reconciling legal accountability with community reconciliation in the Syrian context.

The report defines transitional justice as a system of processes and mechanisms adopted by society to address a legacy of violations, including prosecutions, truth commissions, reparations programs, institutional reforms, and memorial initiatives. It also explores the concept of civil peace as a state of societal harmony and cooperation, encompassing violence prevention, conflict transformation, and the promotion of sustainable peace.

Critical Analysis of the Civil Peace Committee
The report critiques the Civil Peace Committee’s performance, highlighting issues such as overstepping judicial powers, issuing amnesties without clear legal justification, lack of transparency, and undermining the independence of the judiciary. It also documents procedural violations, including the failure to publish criteria for amnesty decisions and ignoring victims’ rights to knowledge and participation.

Negative Impacts on Transitional Justice
The report warns that the committee’s actions have eroded public trust in transitional justice, sent misleading messages to victims, and deepened the risk of impunity, which could reignite conflict.

Recommendations
The report calls for corrective steps, including enacting a transitional justice law, coordinating the four pillars of transitional justice (accountability, truth, reparations, and institutional reform), respecting judicial independence, and leveraging local and international expertise.