On May 17, 2025, the President of the Transitional period, Mr. Ahmad Al-Shara’, issued Decree No. (20) of 2025, which stipulates the formation of the National Commission for Transitional Justice under the leadership of Mr. Abdul Baset Abdul Latif. According to this decree, a 30-day period has been set to form the working team and establish the internal regulations. The decree also states that the Commission shall have “legal person and financial and administrative independence, and shall operate throughout Syrian territory.”

We, in the Syrian Women’s Political Movement, view the issuance of this decree as a necessary and significant step at this critical juncture in the country’s history, given its role in achieving justice, building the rule of law, ensuring the rights of victims, and fostering a comprehensive national reconciliation process.

At the same time, we express our concern regarding the wording of the decree, which appears to confine the path of transitional justice to violations committed by only one party among the Syrian actors, while ignoring the violations committed by all parties over the past years. This implies a discriminatory approach toward Syrian victims based on the identity of the perpetrator. Such a selective approach, if adopted, risks deepening the divisions among segments of the Syrian people and hinders the achievement of justice, peace, and national recovery from the legacy of tyranny and oppression. It also threatens to undermine one of the fundamental goals of transitional justice: the guarantee of non-repetition.

Therefore, we, in the Syrian Women’s Political Movement, affirm that transitional justice must include all victims — women and men — regardless of the party responsible for the violations committed against them. All perpetrators whose hands are stained with the blood of Syrians, and whose crimes amount to war crimes and crimes against humanity, must be held accountable. Institutional reform is also essential to ensure such violations are not repeated and to contribute to the establishment of justice, peace, and national reconciliation.

We also stress the importance of expediting the formation of the National Commission for Transitional Justice and the commencement of its duties, given the urgent need to achieve justice, ensure redress for all victims, and build a sound and stable society based on dignity and justice, with no exceptions. In this context, we emphasize the need to adopt a participatory approach in the Commission’s work and to guarantee its independence. Victims must be included in all stages of the Commission’s work and its formation. Women must comprise no less than 30% of the Commission and all of its committees. The Commission must also be open to engaging with Syrian organizations and entities that possess the necessary expertise for its work.

Justice for all those who have suffered oppression and abuse

General Secretariat of the Syrian Women’s Political Movement
Tuesday, May 27, 2025