Justice Minister Mazhar al-Weis issued a new decision forming a special judicial committee to examine requests submitted by individuals who were convicted in absentia on criminal charges due to their revolutionary affiliations or political positions toward the former regime.
According to Decision No. 17057, the committee is chaired by Anas Mansour al-Suleiman, President of the Court of Cassation, and includes judges Khairallah Ghanoum, Abdel-Hay al-Jarad, Hammoud al-Yassin, and Ziad Idris.
The committee has the authority to review petitions submitted by those convicted in absentia across all levels of criminal courts, including felony cases. It may issue rulings annulling convictions and removing all resulting legal consequences. The committee’s decisions are final and not subject to any form of appeal or review, and petitions may be submitted in person or through a legal representative.
This decision comes as part of a series of judicial reforms that have included the dismissal of more than 287,000 legal cases related to various offenses. These measures have led to the cancellation of police notices and search warrants previously issued by military courts, as well as the suspension of related prosecutions and travel bans.
The Ministry explained that these decisions follow the conclusion of the work of the Counterterrorism Courts and the beginning of operations by Military Judiciary Courts. Specialized committees studied the relevant cases and submitted recommendations approved by the Supreme Judicial Council.
The reforms covered a range of offenses, including protests, unlicensed currency exchange, aiding desertion, possession of weapons, and trade in subsidized goods, while excluding serious felonies and cases involving personal rights, which will continue to be handled in accordance with existing legal procedures.
Earlier, the Syrian Arab News Agency (SANA) announced that the Ministry of Justice had issued Decision No. 1812, cancelling legal proceedings in more than 287,000 cases.
According to the agency, the decision aims to address the consequences of exceptional measures that had restricted citizens’ movement in recent years. The decree cancels police bulletins and search warrants issued by military courts under the former regime, thereby suspending the associated prosecutions and travel bans.
Mohammad Samer al-Abd, the Ministry of Justice’s Government Communications Officer, told SANA that the decision followed the end of the Counterterrorism Court committees’ work and the start of operations by the Military Judiciary Courts. He explained that specialized committees had examined the cases and submitted their recommendations to the Supreme Judicial Council, which approved them.
According to the decision, the dismissed cases include charges related to protesting, unlicensed currency exchange, aiding desertion, possession of weapons, and trade in subsidized goods, while serious felonies or cases involving personal rights are excluded and will be reviewed according to applicable legal procedures.
This article was translated and edited by The Syrian Observer. The Syrian Observer has not verified the content of this story. Responsibility for the information and views set out in this article lies entirely with the author.
