The Syrian Future Movement is following with great interest and appreciation the judicial proceedings being conducted by the Fourth Criminal Court in Damascus. On Sunday, May 10, 2026, the court issued an in absentia ruling stripping the ousted regime leader, Bashar al-Assad, his brother Maher al-Assad, and seven former senior officials (Fahd al-Freij, Muhammad Ayoush, Louay al-Ali, Qusay Mahyoub, Wafiq Nasser, and Talal al-Asimi) of their civil rights and placing their movable and immovable assets under the administration of the Syrian government. This ruling follows up on the first session held on April 26, 2026.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The Syrian Future Movement is also following the second public session of the trial of Brigadier General Atef Najib (former head of the Political Security branch in Daraa and Bashar al-Assad’s cousin), who faces more than 10 charges, including premeditated murder, torture, arbitrary arrest, and responsibility for the massacres at the Omari Mosque and the Political Security headquarters in Daraa. The session was attended by relatives of the victims, representatives of the National Commission for Transitional Justice, and international organizations.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Based on the Syrian Future Movement’s methodology of “support without endorsement and criticism without hostility,” and in accordance with its unwavering commitment to supporting the transitional justice process as an irreversible strategic option for building a new Syria on the foundations of truth, accountability, and reparations, we issue this statement.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
First<\/strong>, the Syrian Future Movement commends this historic judicial achievement as the culmination of continuous efforts and an embodiment of the principle of accountability that we have long advocated. This ruling represents a significant step forward in the transitional justice process, as the judicial authorities have initiated trials at the national level as a top political priority following liberation from decades of dictatorship that stifled voices and deprived victims of their rights.<\/p>\n\n\n\n It also complements the announcement made by the Ministries of Interior and Justice on April 19, 2016, under the leadership of Ministers Anas Khattab and Mazhar Al-Wais, in cooperation with the Transitional Justice Commission, regarding the development of a comprehensive methodology for identifying and prosecuting those associated with the former regime.<\/p>\n\n\n\n This is a true implementation of the Court of Cassation’s decision and the taking of practical measures on the ground to pursue the symbols of the former regime.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Second<\/strong>, the Syrian Future Movement emphasizes that Stripping Bashar al-Assad, Maher al-Assad, and other convicted individuals of their civil rights and confiscating their property is not merely a symbolic punishment, but rather a restoration of the Syrian people’s rights, which have been plundered for decades, and a crucial step to ensuring that perpetrators do not escape punishment.<\/p>\n\n\n\n In this context, the Syrian Future Movement recalls its warnings contained in the “United Nations Report on the Transitional Justice Process in Syria” (dated April 15, 2016), which emphasized that what has been achieved is not the end of the road but merely the beginning, and that the success of the process depends on a delicate balance between national sovereignty, transparency, and building public trust.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Thirdly, the Syrian Future Movement, as a founding independent civil movement committed to universal human rights principles, directs a clear message to the Syrian government and legal institutions regarding the essential requirements for ensuring the proper progress of this process:<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n <\/p>\n\n\n\n In conclusion, the Syrian Future Movement believes that this ruling is a new page in the book of Syrian justice, and that it is not the end of the road, but rather a promising beginning to a long process that requires patience and perseverance to complete the trials, address the root causes of injustice, and restore rights to their rightful owners.<\/p>\n\n\n\n The Syrian Future Movement, for its part, relies on the awareness of the government and its judicial institutions to maintain this momentum and not allow any political, security, or regional considerations to obstruct the course of justice, because the future of the new Syria for which we are all working will never be built on forgetting, but on truth and accountability that befits the blood of the victims and the sacrifices of our great people.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" Follow the judicial ruling against the symbols of the former regime, the details of their deprivation of civil rights, and its impact on the future of Syria.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":35,"featured_media":64099,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[4843],"tags":[4706],"class_list":["post-64101","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-legal-office","tag-press-release"],"yoast_head":"\n\n