Syria’s transition hinges on justice for all, UN Human Rights Council hears

A successful and lasting transition in Syria requires comprehensive accountability, inclusion and guarantees that violations will not be repeated, UN independent investigators told the Human Rights Council in Geneva on Tuesday.Delivering their latest update, the members of the UN Commission of Inquiry on Syria commended the Government and people for significant achievements made since the fall of the Assad regime nearly two years ago, including establishing a legislative body and constitutional court.Difficult testThey noted the inherent difficulties in building institutions that respect human rights while simultaneously addressing the legacy of past atrocities and ensuring non-recurrence.The independent investigators’ mandate from the council is to investigate all alleged violations of international human rights law since March 2011, when the country’s brutal civil conflict ignited during the years of the Assad dictatorship. “Comprehensively addressing not only past but also recent violence is an essential step for reconciliation,” said Commissioner Monia Ammar, pointing to violence on the coast and western Syria in early 2025, in Sweida in July 2025, and following hostilities in ...