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Syrians protest in Damascus demanding accountability for Assad-era actions
🇸🇦 Saudi Arabia /Culture & Society

Syrians protest in Damascus demanding accountability for Assad-era actions

From Asharq Al-Awsat · () English

Translated from English, summarized and contextualized by DistantNews.

At a glance

News Named sources Ongoing story
  • Syrians in Damascus protested overnight, demanding accountability for supporters of ousted ruler Bashar al-Assad.
  • The demonstrations follow vows by new authorities to provide justice for Assad-era atrocities.
  • Protesters seek retribution for actions by "shabiha" militiamen and demand restitution for displaced individuals.

Dozens of Syrians took to the streets in Damascus overnight, demanding accountability for those who supported the ousted ruler Bashar al-Assad.

Assad's shabiha forced us to leave in green buses

— Abdel-Rahman al-QadriA protester describing the forced displacement during the Syrian civil war.

These demonstrations represent the latest in a series of protests in a country still grappling with the aftermath of years of civil war. Syria's current authorities have pledged to deliver justice and accountability for atrocities committed during the Assad era. They have announced arrests of former military and security figures, initiating trials for some while cautioning against acts of revenge.

Video footage circulating on social media, confirmed by the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, showed protesters in the Mazzeh 86 neighborhood. A similar protest occurred near a mosque before security forces intervened. An AFP photographer observed another demonstration on Monday night on the capital's outskirts.

We deserve the houses they live in, we deserve the positions and public sector jobs.

— Abdel-QadriA protester expressing a desire for restitution and justice.

"Assad's shabiha forced us to leave in green buses" for displacement camps, said 38-year-old protester Abdel-Rahman al-Qadri, a former opposition fighter. He referred to militiamen who suppressed dissent under Assad and to evacuation deals imposed on opposition-held areas during the civil war that began in 2011. Qadri, who is unemployed, stated, "We deserve the houses they live in, we deserve the positions and public sector jobs."

the state categorically rejects turning the demand for accountability into an act of revenge

— Noureddine al-BabaSyrian interior ministry spokesperson on the government's stance on justice.

Protests have also occurred in strongholds of the former authorities in Aleppo and Idlib, with calls to put "regime remnants" and "shabiha" on trial. Local residents reported vandalism of private property during some demonstrations, escalating tensions and fears of vigilantism. Interior ministry spokesperson Noureddine al-Baba affirmed the authorities' commitment to legal avenues for justice but rejected turning accountability into revenge. President Ahmed al-Sharaa also warned against using transitional justice as a pretext for revenge, while lawyer Aref al-Shaal noted the authorities' challenge in balancing street pressure for immediate accountability with efforts to prevent chaos through a legal framework.

it is important not to use transitional justice as a pretext for revenge

— Ahmed al-SharaaSyrian President warning against misuse of transitional justice.
DistantNews Editorial

Originally published by Asharq Al-Awsat in English. Translated, summarized, and contextualized by our editorial team with added local perspective. Read our editorial standards.

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