A leading Syrian rights group has issued a strongly worded report criticizing the Civil Peace Committee’s conduct, warning that its current trajectory threatens the integrity of Syria’s transitional justice process and undermines prospects for lasting peace.
The Syrian Network for Human Rights (SNHR) issued a report, titled “Transitional Justice and Civil Peace: Errors of the Civil Peace Committee in Syria and the Need for Course Correction,” which argues that the committee’s overreach into judicial and executive functions risks derailing efforts to build a rights-based post-conflict society.
Defining Transitional Justice
The SNHR defines transitional justice as a suite of mechanisms and processes adopted by societies to confront past human rights violations. These include criminal prosecutions, truth commissions, reparations, institutional reform, and initiatives to preserve collective memory. The report explores the delicate balance between achieving justice and maintaining civil peace in post-conflict societies, offering both analysis and recommendations.
Overreach and Structural Concerns
At the heart of the SNHR’s critique is the Civil Peace Committee’s assumption of powers beyond its intended remit. Chief among these is its authority to release detainees and issue amnesties — actions traditionally reserved for judicial or executive branches and, in this context, undertaken without a clear legal mandate. The report stresses that many of the committee’s decisions are not accompanied by public explanations or legal justification, thereby eroding transparency and public confidence.
The committee, originally intended to facilitate dialogue and community reconciliation, is accused of blurring the line between civil engagement and formal state authority. This conflation, the SNHR contends, undermines the principle of judicial independence — a critical pillar in any functioning justice system.
Impacts on Victims and Justice
The SNHR identifies several negative consequences stemming from the committee’s current practices:
- Loss of Public Trust: Operating outside a defined legal framework has weakened public confidence in the transitional justice process.
- Marginalization of Victims: Victims’ rights to truth, justice, and participation have been sidelined in favor of vague goals such as “deterring aggression”.
- Impunity Risks: The committee’s preference for stability over accountability sends a damaging message that justice is negotiable.
These shortcomings, the SNHR warns, risk fostering a culture of impunity — the very antithesis of what transitional justice aims to achieve.
Key Recommendations
To address these concerns, the report outlines a series of recommendations:
- Legislate a Transitional Justice Framework: Draft and implement a law, developed through inclusive public consultation, to govern the transitional justice process.
- Clarify the Committee’s Mandate: Limit the Civil Peace Committee’s role strictly to community-level dialogue and reconciliation and prohibit it from exercising judicial or executive functions.
- Safeguard Judicial Independence: Prevent interference from non-judicial bodies to ensure due process and uphold the rule of law.
- Ensure Transparency: Require that all amnesty and release decisions be published with full legal justification.
- Integrate Transitional Justice Mechanisms: Establish a coherent strategy that incorporates all four pillars of transitional justice — accountability, truth-seeking, reparations, and institutional reform.
A Call for Realignment
The SNHR emphasises that transitional justice and civil peace are not competing objectives but interdependent components of post-conflict recovery. However, it cautions that any deviation from legal norms and human rights principles — including the Civil Peace Committee’s current trajectory — risks sabotaging both.
The report concludes with a call on all stakeholders to realign the committee’s work with international standards and best practices, in order to place Syria firmly on the path to a just, lawful, and reconciled future.
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.
