Syria parliament abolishes Assad-era terrorism court in early reform move

Syria's parliament has voted to abolish the Assad-era Counter-Terrorism Court and nullify the legal effects of its rulings, in one of the first major legislative decisions taken by the country's new assembly. The vote formalised a court that the new authorities had already treated as defunct, according to state television. It comes as President Ahmed al-Sharaa faces the challenge of unifying a country emerging from 14 years of conflict.

Sponsored

The court was established in 2012 and was used to prosecute thousands of Syrians for offences described as terrorism-related under former President Bashar al-Assad. The parliamentary decision was taken on Wednesday during the opening weeks of the first parliament formed since al-Assad was toppled. The chamber first convened in July, after the end of the 53-year rule of the al-Assad family on 8 December 2024.

The move also follows earlier steps by the new authorities to dismantle the court's legacy. In June 2025, al-Sharaa issued a decree dismissing 67 judges who had served in what he described as the abolished Counter-Terrorism Court. Syria's March 2025 constitutional declaration had already called for abolishing the effects of what it described as unjust rulings issued by the court, including the return of confiscated property.

The latest vote therefore gives legislative backing to measures that had already been signalled by the new leadership. The decision is significant because the court was closely associated with the former state security system and with allegations of arbitrary detention and abuse. The United Nations Human Rights Committee said in 2024 that the 2012 law establishing the court failed to provide key judicial guarantees and raised concerns over arbitrary detention, torture or ill-treatment, and the court's independence.

Sponsored

By nullifying its rulings, the new parliament is addressing one of the most contested parts of the previous legal order. The vote also comes against a wider backdrop of political and security strain in Syria's transition. Discontent is testing al-Sharaa's ability to unify the country, and tensions have been rising in the Kurdish northeast.

Hundreds of oil tanker trucks were stranded there on Wednesday after demonstrators blocked a major highway near Tal Tamr in protest at rising fuel prices. That unrest has been linked to efforts to integrate the Syrian Democratic Forces into the central army under a deal reached in August. What remains unclear is how quickly the ruling will be implemented in practice, including how authorities will handle cases affected by the court's decisions and whether confiscated property will be returned.

It is also not yet clear how the move will interact with wider negotiations over Kurdish integration and other transitional arrangements. For now, the vote stands as an early test of the new assembly's ability to reshape Syria's legal system after the fall of al-Assad.

#Syria #parliament #CounterTerrorismCourt #AhmedalSharaa #BasharalAssad

Sponsored