In July, a Syrian court sentenced former dictator Bashar Assad to death for crimes against his own people. But after 14 years of civil war, many survivors are demanding more when it comes to transitional justice.

Huda Khayti, a Syrian women's rights activist, survived a 2013 chemical weapons attack on east Ghouta by Assad's forces. Her brother was killed by regime bombs, her women's center was destroyed, and in 2018 she fled Douma for Idlib. Now she regularly travels between Idlib and Douma, where she is working on opening a new women's center.

"Ghouta means so much to me emotionally," she told DW. "But every time I return, I see traces of war everywhere: destroyed houses, infrastructure, suffering." Nearly two years after Assad's overthrow, Syria has begun prosecuting regime crimes in court. In mid-August, a Damascus court sentenced Assad and other senior officials to death in absentia.

The court found Assad guilty of premeditated murder, torture, and deprivation of liberty, classifying these as war crimes and crimes against humanity. Khayti calls the conviction "a good thing," but notes, "It's only on paper. Bashar Assad continues to live his life in Russia." Lina Chawaf, a researcher at Harvard's Center for Middle Eastern Studies, says the verdict resonated widely among Syrians.

However, enforcement remains uncertain. Despite a 2023 extradition treaty between Russia and Syria, observers doubt Moscow will hand over Assad, a longtime ally. The death sentence could also impede extradition. Syria's Deputy Justice Minister Mustafa al-Qassem announced a commission to cooperate with Interpol.

Rana Sheikh-Ali, founder of Daret Salam, views the trial as largely symbolic. She opposes the death penalty on human rights grounds, but many locals see it as just. Transitional justice extends beyond criminal trials to include searching for the missing, investigating crimes, reparations, and institutional reforms.

According to the Syrian Network for Human Rights, over 234,805 civilians were killed during the war, at least 202,000 by Assad's regime. There are 181,312 cases of arbitrary arrest and enforced disappearance, and 45,339 deaths from torture. The regime also conducted 217 chemical attacks.

Khayti recalls the 2013 attack: "I can't forget the screams of victims. I felt scratchiness in my throat, burning in my eyes." She insists victims must participate in every detail of the transitional justice process. She wants convictions not just for Assad but also for those who wrote reports leading to torture in Saydnaya prison.

Sophie Bischoff of Adopt a Revolution says in absentia convictions send an important signal, but remain symbolic without enforcement. "The new Syrian state has yet to fully investigate crimes against humanity," she notes. Two commissions have been established: one for missing persons, another for transitional justice, but the latter only addresses Assad regime crimes, ignoring atrocities by other warring parties.

For Khayti, centering victims is emotionally taxing: "It's difficult to talk about it; I feel like I'm reliving it." She is working to preserve war memories in Douma: "We need to inform younger people so memory doesn't fade." She vows to continue demanding justice: "We will be loud, and we will demand justice."

Source: www.dw.com