On Wednesday, August 6, 2025, the Supreme Legal Committee in As-Suwayda Governorate, affiliated with the Spiritual Leadership of the Druze Community, announced the appointment of Brigadier General Shakib Ajoud Nasr as commander of the Internal Security Forces in the governorate. This move was described as a “response to the public interest” in light of the institutional collapse caused by the ousted regime.
While the Syrian Future Movement is following this development with deep concern, it notes the following:
First: Rejecting the replication of tools of repression. Brigadier General Shakib Nasr previously served as head of the Political Security Branch in Tartous and was part of a security apparatus linked to serious violations over the past decade, including systematic repression, arbitrary arrests, and torture. His appointment to a security position, just eight months after the fall of the regime on December 18, 2024, blatantly disregards Syrians’ demands for accountability and justice, and reproduces the tools of control they have revolted against since the outbreak of the revolution on March 15, 2011.
Second: Undermining the credibility of the emerging local authority. The Supreme Legal Committee, established on June 12, 2025, was intended as an attempt to establish an alternative institutional model in Sweida, based on law and community participation. However, the appointment of a security figure from the former regime weakens the legitimacy of this committee and threatens to transform it into a formal facade reproducing the logic of the security state, rather than serving as the nucleus of an accountable civilian authority.
Third: Ignoring the transitional justice process. In the absence of a clear legal framework for transitional justice in Syria, any appointment to security positions must be subject to strict criteria, including:
Verifying the person’s human rights record
Involving the local community in the decision
Ensuring that security leaders are subject to independent civilian oversight.
Violating these criteria undermines the chances of building a new security model and perpetuates a culture of impunity.
Fourth: A call to retract and open a community dialogue. We call on the Supreme Legal Committee to review this decision and open a broad community dialogue on the mechanisms for managing the security file in Sweida, ensuring a balance between stability and justice and restoring respect for the sacrifices of the people of the province who rejected oppression and corruption and sought to build an independent local model since the August 2023 uprising.
The Syrian Future Movement emphasizes that building a new Syria cannot be achieved by recycling the symbols of oppression, but rather by establishing accountable civil institutions that uphold the values of citizenship and justice. Southern Syria, with Sweida at its heart, deserves a new security model that expresses the aspirations of its people, not a finished legacy, and seeks to reform the national rift, to prevent the recurrence of the tragedy and the increase of the rift between the Syrian components. Thus, the normal relationship between Sweida and Damascus is restored, the Bedouins return to their homes, and the voice of reason and equal citizenship prevails.
