The Syrian Future Movement is closely following the handover by Syrian authorities of former Major General Adel Issa, the former commander of the 17th Division and head of the security committee in Deir ez-Zor, from their Lebanese counterparts. Issa is now facing trial before the Syrian judiciary specializing in transitional justice, where he will be investigated for serious charges related to murder, torture, and other violations committed during the era of the former regime. The Syrian Ministry of Justice announced his appearance before the competent judge after his extradition from Lebanon.
The Syrian Future Movement views this step as a significant development in the transitional justice process, particularly as it establishes a crucial principle in the new Syria: that those accused of crimes against Syrians should not be granted immunity from prosecution based on borders, rank, or previous positions.
We also appreciate the cooperation of the Lebanese judicial and security authorities in this matter and hope that it will mark the beginning of Syrian judicial cooperation with various countries in pursuing and extraditing individuals wanted by the Syrian judiciary, in accordance with legal procedures and applicable agreements, and free from selectivity and political considerations.
The Lebanese judiciary decided to extradite Issa based on the judicial procedures between the two countries.
At the same time, the Syrian Future Movement affirms that the justice Syrians have long awaited cannot be reduced to arresting individuals or issuing verdicts against them. Rather, it must be a comprehensive system for uncovering the truth, ensuring accountability, providing redress for victims, preserving national memory, and guaranteeing that such crimes are not repeated.
Based on this, we in the Syrian Future Movement:
- Affirm the independence of the judiciary and the necessity of respecting the presumption of innocence until a final judicial ruling is issued, regardless of the seriousness of the accusations or the former status of the accused, because we seek justice for the state, not justice for revenge.
- We call for legal trials that fulfill all their guarantees, including the right to defense, legal representation, access to evidence, and the right to appeal verdicts, because the strength of the Syrian cause lies in ensuring that the accused are tried according to the law, which has been denied to their victims.
- We demand that victims and their families be given their rightful place in the transitional justice process, that their testimonies be heard, that they be empowered to participate legally, and that their rights to truth, redress, and compensation be protected.
- We call for the institutional documentation and protection of evidence and testimonies, and for leveraging the vast amount of documents, records, and information that became available after the fall of the previous regime. This will ensure the construction of robust legal cases that cannot be dismissed later due to procedural errors.
- We demand the expansion of international judicial cooperation to extradite all those against whom judicial warrants or charges supported by evidence exist, regardless of their place of residence or former rank, while fully adhering to the legal rules governing extradition and trial.
- We warn against transforming transitional justice into selective justice that targets some individuals while ignoring others, or that focuses solely on the military and security apparatus without reaching the networks that issued, implemented, covered up, and benefited from the system of repression.
- Conversely, we reject the principle of collective responsibility and affirm that criminal responsibility is personal, and that belonging to an institution, sect, region, or family does not, in itself, constitute grounds for accusation or punishment.
- We call on the Syrian authorities to adopt the greatest possible transparency in major trials, and to inform the public of the procedures and evidence within the limits permitted by law and without compromising the course of the investigation. These trials are not merely judicial matters, but rather an integral part of documenting Syria’s history and revealing the truth about what happened to the Syrian people.
The Syrian Future Movement believes that the success of transitional justice will be one of the most important moral and legal tests for the new Syrian state. The revolution that rose up against injustice should not establish a justice system that resembles the justice of those against whom it revolted, but rather a state where the law is above the authority of the state, the judge is above the desire for revenge, and the rights of the victim supersede political calculations.
We do not want impunity, nor do we want extrajudicial revenge. We want the full truth, fair accountability, justice for the victims, and trials whose legitimacy cannot be challenged.
