By Mustafa Haid
September 2026
The Truth, Justice and Equity Forum has published its first monitoring report on the transitional justice process in Syria, covering developments between 1 May and 31 July 2026.
The report provides an independent civil society analysis of the emerging transitional justice process, examining institutional and legal developments alongside the experiences and perspectives of victims, families of missing persons, women, local actors and Syrian civil society.
The Forum is a non-representative coordination platform of Syrian civil society organisations working on transitional justice, including Synergy Association for Victims. Its work seeks to support a rights-based, inclusive and victim-centred process while preserving the independence of its participating organisations.
The report concludes that Syria’s transitional justice process is showing genuine foundational progress but has not yet developed into a coherent institutional system whose outcomes can be assessed with confidence.
It points to important developments, including the establishment and operation of national transitional justice institutions, discussions around a transitional justice law, the initiation of judicial proceedings, and increasing engagement by victims, families and civil society.
At the same time, the report identifies structural risks that could weaken the process if they are not addressed at an early stage.
Among the central issues highlighted are the definition of victims and the temporal and substantive scope of transitional justice; meaningful rather than symbolic participation; the relationship between transitional justice institutions, the judiciary and international mechanisms; fair-trial guarantees; the protection of evidence and archives; the rights and participation of families of missing persons; and the incorporation of gender and geographical considerations throughout the process.
The report gives particular attention to the issue of missing persons. Interviews and focus groups conducted with families underline that establishing the truth and clarifying the fate of missing persons remain fundamental priorities, alongside clear channels of communication, data protection, complaints mechanisms, legal support and meaningful family participation in policy design.
The report also stresses that early criminal proceedings should be assessed not only by whether trials take place, but by the quality of the proceedings, including the legal basis of charges, rights of defence, protection of victims and witnesses, handling of evidence, legal characterisation of crimes and the availability of appeal.
Moving from Consultation to Meaningful Participation
A recurring finding throughout the report is that the existence of consultations does not, by itself, demonstrate meaningful participation.
The Forum therefore calls for transparent mechanisms explaining who participates, how consultations are conducted, how information is protected, and, critically, how the views of victims and civil society affect laws, policies and institutional priorities.
Among its principal recommendations, the report calls on the relevant national bodies to:
- publish an initial roadmap clarifying mandates, priorities, stages and mechanisms for institutional coordination;
- establish written and transparent standards for victim and civil society participation;
- ensure the inclusion of victims across different periods, regions and perpetrators;
- strengthen public communication and feedback mechanisms;
- establish robust safeguards for evidence, archives and sensitive personal data;
- ensure that accountability processes comply with fair-trial guarantees;
- integrate gender, geography, housing, land and property, documentation, civic space and guarantees of non-recurrence throughout the transitional justice framework.
The report draws on official documents, civil society and human rights materials, legal analysis, individual interviews and three focus groups involving 26 participants. Its methodology distinguishes between verified information, documented allegations, civil society positions and participant experiences, while explicitly recognising the limitations created by gaps in publicly available information.
The Forum emphasises that the report represents the first monitoring cycle rather than a final judgment on Syria’s transitional justice process. Future reports will assess developments and changes against the initial baseline established by this report.
The full report (44 pages) is available in PDF format at the following link: