SYRIANNEWS — broadcast
20261105 110000 UTC
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[00:00:00] The Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Expatriates stated that the visit of President Ahmed Al-Sharaa to the Kingdom
[00:00:03] of Saudi Arabia constituted an important station for strengthening bilateral relations
[00:00:07] and developing joint cooperation. The Ministry clarified in
[00:00:10] a statement that the visit, which took place on the fourth of November, witnessed
[00:00:14] discussions that addressed regional and international issues
[00:00:17] and ways to de-escalate. It also culminated in the signing of a military
[00:00:22] with different plaintiffs in cooperation agreement and memoranda of understanding that included the sectors of industry, agriculture,
[00:00:25] environment, infrastructure, housing, and financial
[00:00:28] services.
[00:00:32] The Director of the European Affairs Department at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Expatriates, Sally
[00:00:36] Shubbat, discussed with the Chargé d'Affaires ad interim at the Austrian
[00:00:40] willing, this will be in Embassy in Damascus, Christoph Peidenger, ways to develop
[00:00:43] bilateral political relations between the two countries and mechanisms
[00:00:46] to enhance joint cooperation. The meeting discussed the exchange of views
[00:00:49] on a number of issues and files of common
[00:00:53] interest within the framework of discussing prospects for developing relations between
[00:00:56] Syria and Austria.
[00:01:01] judgments, The Director of the International Cooperation Department at the Ministry
[00:01:03] as in the world, of Foreign Affairs and Expatriates, Qutaiba
[00:01:05] that everyone who contributed to this Qadish, discussed with the CEO of the Belgian agency Enabel, Jean
[00:01:09] Van Wetter, in the capital Brussels, areas of joint
[00:01:12] work and prospects for implementing development
[00:01:16] programs and projects in Syria.
[00:01:17] now, in this The Belgian agency reviewed during the meeting a set of
[00:01:21] proposed projects in Syria that included areas of port
[00:01:25] and customs development, strengthening the health
[00:01:26] of the victims in this system, and supporting the transitional
[00:01:28] fund. Meaning these funds are not justice process, in addition to with countries digitalization, governance,
[00:01:32] and modernization of public
[00:01:33] administration.
[00:01:38] used by the regime. So any crime in this The Minister of Transport, Yaarob Badr, discussed with the head of the Egyptian Railways Authority,
[00:01:41] Mohamed Amer Abdel Aziz, ways to enhance cooperation
[00:01:45] and develop the railway transport sector in Syria and benefit from Egyptian
[00:01:49] expertise in rehabilitating infrastructure and modernizing
[00:01:53] operating systems, signals,
[00:01:56] years, and there is an urgency in and safety. The meeting, held
[00:01:58] And this on the sidelines of the Council of Arab Transport Ministers in Alexandria, discussed prospects for technical
[00:02:01] and operational cooperation and training cadres. Minister Badr also reviewed
[00:02:04] during his tour of
[00:02:07] number of Sidi Gaber and Ramses stations the Egyptian experience in station management
[00:02:11] and ancillary investments, which contributes to enhancing revenues
[00:02:15] Recently, there has been a cooperation agreement with and raising the efficiency
[00:02:15] of the sector.
[00:02:19] A security source announced to Al-Ikhbariya
[00:02:25] and penalties and violations in Syria is large, this is no that the General Intelligence Service, in cooperation with the Internal Security Forces, dismantled a cell belonging to ISIS in Aleppo
[00:02:28] governorate after joint operations targeted its activities in
[00:02:32] the governorate. The source clarified that the cell was involved in carrying out a series of
[00:02:36] attacks and assassination operations as part of the organization's
[00:02:39] activities aimed at destabilizing security and stability in
[00:02:42] the region.
[00:02:48] mentioned in the A new convoy set off for the return of displaced people from displacement camps in
[00:02:51] Hasaka to their original
[00:02:53] We rely primarily on areas in Ras al-Ain. The convoy includes about
[00:02:56] were inspecting 470 families, bringing the total number of families
[00:02:59] with yesterday's convoy to about
[00:03:02] 847 families, as part of efforts
[00:03:05] made for the return of displaced people to
[00:03:11] called committees for inspecting their homes.
[00:03:12] for relying on End of the news summary, a short break and we will return to continue the news hour.
[00:03:30] to initiate the lawsuit. How is the burden on
[00:03:34] The files of the years of the former
[00:03:42] that adapts to track, focuses on of signs of torture on regime's rule still cast a shadow over the judicial scene with the return of a number of cases to
[00:03:42] scope for action, whether with courtrooms and the start of considering facts related
[00:03:47] in Syrian law of '49, there to accusations of theft and abuse organizations or even with of influence, in addition to other victims. We have the ability to files related to grave
[00:03:51] violations, war crimes, and crimes against humanity. In
[00:03:54] Damascus, the Fourth Criminal Court, specialized in transitional
[00:03:57] justice, continues its public sessions.
[00:04:02] it is necessary to proceed with this Amidst procedures aimed at completing judicial investigations and hearing witnesses, in preparation
[00:04:05] for determining responsibilities
[00:04:07] that, before answering this according to the evidence
[00:04:07] including the Syrian Network in the context of this presented. So what are the most prominent files
[00:04:10] that have been presented to the court, and how far have the trial
[00:04:14] law, as mentioned by my colleague, crimes, yes, this procedures progressed? We will discuss these details with you in this
[00:04:17] hour.
[00:04:21] Multiple judicial files return to the courtroom
[00:04:24] as the Fourth Criminal Court, specialized in transitional
[00:04:28] justice, continues.
[00:04:31] looting at In Damascus, to hear cases related
[00:04:34] in the case of Akkach Samis in to different defendants and incidents. On the fourth of
[00:04:36] November, the court held three consecutive public
[00:04:39] sessions dedicated to the trial of Lotfi
[00:04:43] Tawfiq Luze and others within three separate
[00:04:46] judicial files related to accusations of
[00:04:49] theft in wartime and unrest, and abuse
[00:04:52] of influence by joining the Qadish militia affiliated
[00:04:56] with the Republican Guard during the period of the former regime's rule.
[00:05:01] all these In the first file, the court began by reading the lawsuit papers in the presence of the defendant Luze
[00:05:05] before deciding to adjourn the session to the 17th of
[00:05:08] November to summon public witnesses. As for the second
[00:05:12] file, the court considered it in the presence of Luze, concurrently with
[00:05:16] conducting the trial in absentia against Walid Anqa bin Ali,
[00:05:20] Samir Baraa bin Khalil, and Nayef Al-Ashraf bin Muhammad,
[00:05:24] with the session adjourned to the same date and the issuance of
[00:05:27] grace period decisions against those at large. The court also continued
[00:05:31] to consider the same charges
[00:05:34] the third file, where Luze was present, while Mowaffaq Dawood bin Suleiman
[00:05:38] was absent due to receiving treatment in the hospital.
[00:05:42] The trial of Muhammad Asaad bin Abdo and Saad Eddin
[00:05:45] Zaqzaq bin Abdo was conducted in absentia before the case was adjourned to the
[00:05:49] 17th of November 2026.
[00:05:51] These sessions come within
[00:05:55] a series of judicial movements witnessed in Damascus, as
[00:05:58] the court held eight public sessions that also included
[00:06:02] the start of the trial of Tariq Nabat, former assistant head
[00:06:05] of the military public prosecution, on charges
[00:06:08] related to involvement in crimes of premeditated murder, torture leading
[00:06:12] to death, and enforced disappearance, in addition to war crimes
[00:06:16] and crimes against humanity, according to the indictment.
[00:06:19] These files remain open before
[00:06:22] the judiciary pending the completion of trial procedures,
[00:06:26] hearing witnesses, and determining responsibilities
[00:06:29] according to evidence
[00:06:31] and law.
[00:06:33] Regarding this topic, I am pleased to have with me here in the studio Professor Radif
[00:06:37] Mustafa, member of the National Authority for Transitional Justice and Director of the Accountability
[00:06:40] and Prosecution Department. Welcome, Professor Radif.
[00:06:44] So, three consecutive sessions.
[00:06:47] Tell us more about these sessions and
[00:06:58] let me clarify at the outset that every Monday,
[00:07:01] Tuesday, and Wednesday, we have a set of sessions that may
[00:07:05] sometimes reach more than 10 or 15 sessions.
[00:07:10] number,
[00:07:13] it varies according to the files
[00:07:16] and cases reviewed. This week, we witnessed a large
[00:07:19] sessions on two days: Monday,
[00:07:23] Tuesday, and Wednesday. Some of these trials are in-person,
[00:07:27] some are in absentia, and some are considered
[00:07:31] in-person. As I said, I always emphasize
[00:07:34] that we are pursuing a comprehensive path,
[00:07:37] not vindictive and not selective, based on the
[00:07:41] degree of involvement of these individuals in
[00:07:45] committing grave crimes, war crimes, and crimes against humanity. What
[00:07:49] caught my attention, personally, during
[00:07:52] my follow-up of these recent sessions, was that there were individuals
[00:07:55] who belonged to the military judiciary, or a person who
[00:07:59] even headed the military police in
[00:08:03] Syria. The irony is that these individuals
[00:08:08] bodies and thus concealing the identity
[00:08:12] of the victims and taking them to mass
[00:08:15] graves. These committees in which these
[00:08:18] defendants participated for whom charges have been filed, are committees
[00:08:23] bodies. The bodies belonged
[00:08:26] to civilians who were killed under
[00:08:30] torture. They deny the crimes, but the truth
[00:08:34] that we should focus on here
[00:08:37] is that these people, there are laws
[00:08:41] for inspecting bodies.
[00:08:44] They must first confirm the identity of the victim, and
[00:08:47] then the presence the body.
[00:08:51] They must also determine
[00:08:54] the locations of torture and beating, and
[00:08:58] then they must hand over the body to their families. These
[00:09:01] people did not comply with any of these rules. Rather, one of the judges in a court
[00:09:05] of one of the military fields of military tribunals said, "I
[00:09:08] did not attend trial sessions. They were conducting trials
[00:09:12] for people, and they were not present." He only received
[00:09:16] decisions. These unjust decisions, which
[00:09:20] cannot even be called trials, have no relation
[00:09:24] to courts. He was signing these
[00:09:27] decisions that concern these
[00:09:31] trials that took place in the recent
[00:09:34] period. There was a blatant assault.
[00:09:38] The trials focused on a blatant assault on
[00:09:41] the right to life and the right to liberty. We are talking about crimes
[00:09:44] of premeditated murder and intentional murder of more than one person and crimes of torture
[00:09:48] leading to death. In fact, this
[00:09:51] confirms this, regardless of the individuals.
[00:09:55] All those involved in committing crimes and grave
[00:09:58] violations, their fate is fair public trials. The court,
[00:10:01] despite the enormous pressures and despite the rapid procedures
[00:10:05] in the session dates, ensures
[00:10:09] all
[00:10:11] standards of a fair trial, both for
[00:10:15] the victims and their families
[00:10:18] and their defenders, and for these
[00:10:22] defendants, despite their involvement in violations.
[00:10:25] And their representatives and lawyers in presenting
[00:10:28] their defenses and defending themselves in these sessions. These
[00:10:31] sessions include trials for the defendant Lotfi Tawfiq Luze. Let's talk
[00:10:35] more about this person. Who is he and what is his crime?
[00:10:38] Lotfi Tawfiq Luze was accused, let me just remember,
[00:10:42] of also joining the Qadish militia affiliated
[00:10:45] with the Republican Guard.
[00:10:49] As I said, there are many such cases of those who joined
[00:10:52] militias loyal to the regime and exploited their influence. They
[00:10:56] claim that they entered areas that cannot be entered
[00:10:59] without belonging to military entities or
[00:11:03] affiliations. This Qadish militia, affiliated with the Republican Guard, this person
[00:11:07] entered this area and engaged
[00:11:10] in "looting" in quotation marks. We call it theft in times of unrest,
[00:11:13] as legally described, and informed on individuals
[00:11:17] which led to their disappearance. Therefore, we rely,
[00:11:20] the court generally relies, or the transitional justice process in Syria, on a fundamental
[00:11:23] theory, the theory of criminal contribution,
[00:11:26] which confirms
[00:11:30] criminal project, starting
[00:11:33] from the informant and reaching the highest
[00:11:36] authorities, were aware of this
[00:11:39] crime being committed. They knew, or are presumed
[00:11:42] to know. They planned and
[00:11:45] coordinated within the framework of a systematic and widespread policy
[00:11:49] practiced by the defunct Assad regime against all Syrians.
[00:11:53] Therefore, we are facing cases that may appear to be
[00:11:56] individual cases, like looting someone's house or something, but this
[00:12:00] is a systematic policy
[00:12:03] context, these individuals, the barrier
[00:12:07] and the person who joined this militia, its leaders,
[00:12:11] the militia officials, the intelligence officials, or
[00:12:14] the supposed military officials, all the way to the fugitive
[00:12:18] criminal Bashar al-Assad, they all fall
[00:12:21] within the framework of the criminal
[00:12:33] International law expert joins us from Damascus. Welcome, Mr. Mohamed. So, successive
[00:12:37] sessions
[00:12:39] for the trial of those accused of committing war crimes and crimes against humanity
[00:12:43] during the period
[00:12:45] of the defunct regime. Let's talk about these specific sessions. My guest
[00:12:49] was talking about theft or the term "looting"
[00:12:52] which was prevalent in that period. How
[00:12:56] do you view
[00:13:10] the issue
[00:13:13] of theft and abuse of influence or exploitation
[00:13:16] of influence, why are there more than
[00:13:20] one question? Why is it within the jurisdiction
[00:13:23] of the ordinary judiciary? Why is the court of ordinary justice
[00:13:27] or transitional justice the one that considers
[00:13:30] it? The reason for that is there
[00:13:33] is a link. If not for the joining
[00:13:36] of these accused individuals, their joining
[00:13:39] the popular committees or the Shabiha
[00:13:41] committees,
[00:13:44] the organizations that were fighting with the Assad
[00:13:47] regime, they would not have been able to exploit
[00:13:51] and steal and loot. So transitional justice,
[00:13:56] as it considers crimes against
[00:13:59] humanity and genocide, and
[00:14:02] the incitement that led to crimes,
[00:14:06] it also considers the judiciary,
[00:14:10] the Fourth Criminal Court in Damascus, the issue
[00:14:14] of looting or exploitation, because this exploitation
[00:14:17] or influence was utilized
[00:14:21] to serve the killing machine of the defunct regime.
[00:14:25] If not for their joining
[00:14:28] the Shabiha committees that practiced
[00:14:30] killing and looting against the Syrian
[00:14:34] people, it would not have led to the collection of these
[00:14:37] funds, because these funds were used
[00:14:41] to support these Shabiha organizations
[00:14:45] under the term "Shabiha" as commonly
[00:14:48] known by the Syrian people, or the Fourth
[00:14:51] Division group, which was carrying out operations of
[00:14:56] checkpoints, and
[00:14:59] what was used against the Syrian people
[00:15:02] and to support this killing machine.
[00:15:05] Therefore, the Fourth Criminal Court in Damascus has
[00:15:09] jurisdiction to hear such
[00:15:12] crimes. Okay, Mr. Mohamed, the
[00:15:15] circle of defendants is very large, and there are
[00:15:19] many involved within this system. How
[00:15:23] will
[00:15:26] involved be prosecuted? How will the trials
[00:15:30] take shape?
[00:15:32] Also, what will be the penalties for
[00:15:35] them?
[00:15:38] The Fourth Criminal Court, since
[00:15:41] the beginning of justice being applied and the trial of all
[00:15:45] defendants, has used the application
[00:15:48] of Syrian law in addition to international law. My
[00:15:52] lady, if we look at all the trials that
[00:15:55] took place, meaning war crimes, crimes against
[00:15:59] humanity, in all countries of the world, the trials
[00:16:02] lasted for many years,
[00:16:04] whether in Rwanda, it lasted
[00:16:07] approximately 17 years, and the number of those
[00:16:10] who committed crimes is less than those in
[00:16:13] Syria. In Syria, we have tens of thousands
[00:16:17] of those who committed crimes against the Syrian people. So justice
[00:16:21] has not been applied. So I am one of those who suggested
[00:16:25] that there should be an expansion of the work of the courts, meaning in every
[00:16:28] governorate there should be a special court
[00:16:31] for transitional justice to expedite the procedures
[00:16:35] for trying these defendants, because these defendants
[00:16:37] are many, whether in murder
[00:16:41] against crimes against humanity. There are
[00:16:44] inciters to commit crimes against humanity. And as
[00:16:48] now, there are individuals who exploited their joining Shabiha
[00:16:51] committees and killing to exploit influence by
[00:16:55] exploiting influence and stealing the people's money
[00:16:59] and extorting the people and looting. These people
[00:17:02] must, I mean, there must be in every Syrian governorate
[00:17:06] a special court.
[00:17:13] To Professor Radif Mustafa, the
[00:17:17] defendants are many, between perpetrators of murder crimes, and the "looters"
[00:17:21] in quotation marks, and those who exploit
[00:17:23] influence, and also inciters.
[00:17:27] How can all these be prosecuted? The experiences of
[00:17:31] other countries took many the Syrian case
[00:17:34] for justice and
[00:17:38] achieving justice for victims. How do you work
[00:17:41] today when you discover every day new
[00:17:44] defendants and new cases that
[00:17:48] everyone claims? In fact, the Syrian case is a different case. Transitional
[00:17:51] justice cases all over the world, each case
[00:17:55] has its different national context. The scale of crimes
[00:18:00] secret to anyone. But in the Syrian
[00:18:04] experience, we adopted, even from a legal perspective, or the trials
[00:18:07] that are currently taking place, a hybrid path.
[00:18:11] I cannot acquit a person or leave him if he is accused of crimes
[00:18:14] of genocide, war crimes, or crimes against humanity. This is definitive.
[00:18:18] All international laws, international humanitarian law, or criminal
[00:18:22] laws, or even fundamental human rights conventions that
[00:18:25] Syria ratified, confirm the criminalization of this crime.
[00:18:30] the criminal description and the legal characterization of these crimes according to international
[00:18:34] laws. As for penalties, we rely on Syrian
[00:18:37] law. But we also clearly and frankly state that this
[00:18:41] is an arduous and long path and requires the support of victims
[00:18:44] primarily, and this path relies, within
[00:18:48] the framework of accountability, on crimes and grave violations only. We
[00:18:51] also have non-judicial mechanisms that begin
[00:18:54] with recognition and apology regarding less
[00:18:57] grave crimes, meaning
[00:19:00] misdemeanors or simple crimes or disputes. We can
[00:19:04] encourage a culture of apology and a culture of compensation.
[00:19:07] And reparations. We are talking about six tracks
[00:19:11] in the National Authority, while the judicial track, the accountability
[00:19:16] grave crimes that are essentially immune from
[00:19:20] neither general nor special amnesty, nor do they expire,
[00:19:23] nor is immunity considered for them, because they are dangerous
[00:19:27] crimes and acts. And you even notice in the court
[00:19:30] decisions that they do not grant these people discretionary
[00:19:33] mitigating circumstances because of the scale of the act, and therefore
[00:19:39] path. In the end, as a transitional justice experience,
[00:19:43] it differs from ordinary justice. We are concerned with
[00:19:46] stability, civil peace, and political transition in Syria. It includes
[00:19:51] looting and theft is accompanied by systematic criminal behavior
[00:19:55] carried out by the regime across all Syrian regions,
[00:19:59] and therefore it is sometimes related to forced
[00:20:02] displacement or related to collective persecution as a crime against
[00:20:06] humanity. When you loot and pass through, for example,
[00:20:11] Hajj or Hujaira, I think, as
[00:20:14] I recall, there are hundreds of houses, hundreds of plaintiffs
[00:20:17] who say that their houses were demolished and their contents looted.
[00:20:20] This also contributes, meaning it is a direct contribution
[00:20:24] to the crime of forced displacement or collective
[00:20:28] persecution of a group of people, and therefore these are war crimes and crimes against humanity.
[00:20:31] So this, as I told you at the beginning, we rely
[00:20:35] primarily, we are courts based on the theory of criminal
[00:20:39] contribution, which is a known international theory. This act
[00:20:42] comes in the context of a series of other serious acts and violations,
[00:20:45] and therefore the court also separates the issue of compensation.
[00:20:49] I mean, you noticed in all the decisions regarding
[00:20:52] those who collected money, the court speaks
[00:20:55] frankly about compensating victims and converting
[00:20:59] precautionary seizure to executive seizure to seize their funds to compensate victims. Now
[00:21:03] they are talking about the public treasury, but it is indeed in the text
[00:21:06] of the decisions that they talk about the issue of reparations
[00:21:09] for victims. How will victims be compensated?
[00:21:13] And what are the criteria with individuals who
[00:21:16] looted their property and exploited their influence? These
[00:21:20] trials, a court decision is issued.
[00:21:23] After the final decision is issued, the
[00:21:26] precautionary seizure is converted to an executive seizure, and thus
[00:21:30] the funds are confiscated initially, because the law has not yet
[00:21:33] approved the transitional justice law and the fund has not been established. They write
[00:21:37] in favor of the public treasury of the state
[00:21:41] in favor of the victims. These victims
[00:21:43] are present
[00:21:45] according to the proportionality of the amount. It is also mentioned in the judicial decisions that
[00:21:49] anyone who suffered damage and was unable to appear before this
[00:21:53] trial can obtain this compensation through new legal procedures.
[00:21:57] Therefore, even the excess funds, let's assume we have 10
[00:22:00] plaintiffs in the Atyaf Najib file or any person,
[00:22:04] and they were, meaning the amount
[00:22:06] due to them as compensation was $500,000,
[00:22:10] but he has millions of dollars. These funds are seized
[00:22:13] in favor of the reparations fund, in favor
[00:22:18] spent elsewhere. There is a huge
[00:22:22] number of victims, so these funds are collected and
[00:22:25] the funds are collected now. Meaning now
[00:22:28] there is a section, meaning their movable and immovable assets have been seized.
[00:22:31] We are waiting, there are judicial procedures. These decisions
[00:22:35] that were issued in the rulings are subject to appeal before the Court of Cassation.
[00:22:39] Some of them have been appealed, awaiting
[00:22:42] the decision of the Court of Cassation.
[00:22:45] As soon as the judgment becomes final, the executive mechanism will certainly
[00:22:48] begin. I return to you, Mr. Mohamed. So, these
[00:22:52] trials are also awaiting
[00:22:55] the transitional justice law, which must be
[00:22:59] approved by the People's Assembly. How do you view this point?
[00:23:03] I mean, should we wait for the law, or can trials be decided, and some
[00:23:07] of the trials have been
[00:23:10] decided and laws issued
[00:23:15] issued for the defendants?
[00:23:19] Of course, my dear sister, regarding the Syrian law
[00:23:22] that was issued in 1949,
[00:23:26] it did not mention any of the crimes committed by
[00:23:30] the Assad regime: crimes of genocide, crimes against
[00:23:33] humanity. Many
[00:23:35] crimes were not
[00:23:38] Syrian law. I am one of those who
[00:23:42] have, more than once, raised the issue that transitional
[00:23:45] justice or the courts should begin
[00:23:49] after the issuance of the justice law so that it includes these crimes.
[00:23:52] For example, crimes
[00:23:54] of
[00:23:56] murder committed against the people are crimes against
[00:23:59] humanity. Syrian law punishes them according to Article
[00:24:03] 535, killing more than one person. But there
[00:24:07] is, in international law or the classification of international law, they are crimes against
[00:24:10] humanity or crimes of genocide that it did not mention. So we,
[00:24:14] to protect the rights of Syrians, to protect the rights of Syrians,
[00:24:17] as, I mean, now we mention Rwanda or
[00:24:21] we mention Yugoslavia, we mention the International Criminal Court where crimes were committed
[00:24:24] and people were tried for crimes against
[00:24:28] humanity. A law was put in place
[00:24:32] international law. Now in Syria,
[00:24:37] is no such thing as crimes.
[00:24:40] Yes, it seems we lost connection with Mr. Mohamed. I return to
[00:24:44] you, Professor Radif.
[00:24:47] How will you deal with the fugitive
[00:24:50] defendants and those hiding from sight who did not attend the sessions?
[00:24:54] I mean, let me before
[00:24:57] question, clarify the issue of the law.
[00:25:00] Yes, certainly, Syrian
[00:25:04] does not address these crimes fundamentally. But we
[00:25:07] adopted from the beginning, in order not
[00:25:10] to obstruct the path of transitional justice in Syria or the path
[00:25:13] of trials, because we have a huge number of
[00:25:17] detainees, and these must be tried. We are talking about a state
[00:25:21] of law. We chose a hybrid path that relies on international
[00:25:24] conventions ratified by Syria, and on
[00:25:28] the rules of customary international and humanitarian law, and on a fundamental
[00:25:31] document ratified by Syria, which is the International Covenant on Civil
[00:25:35] and Political Rights, which is the basic umbrella for these crimes
[00:25:38] and the mechanism for prosecuting them, in addition to
[00:25:41] the Rome Statute as an essential part.
[00:25:44] But on the other legal side, we adopted Syrian law in
[00:25:48] imposing penalties. The law is necessary, and now we are
[00:25:52] in the process of putting the final touches because this law is
[00:25:55] not only for the Authority, it
[00:25:58] is for the Syrian people generally, the victims.
[00:26:05] Yes, yes, and in terms of guarantees of non-recurrence. Now, before I came
[00:26:09] to the studio, we had a meeting with,
[00:26:12] well, we put the final touches between us and the gentlemen in the Ministry of Justice, especially
[00:26:15] the legislative department, regarding the
[00:26:18] wording in order to facilitate
[00:26:21] the work of the People's Assembly. We
[00:26:24] received fundamental observations from the Ministry of Interior, from the National
[00:26:28] Authority for the Missing, because our work
[00:26:31] overlaps.
[00:26:35] The President of the Republic ordered cooperation and coordination between the Authority and the relevant
[00:26:39] ministries. Very soon, God
[00:26:42] the law. It will be ready before the Secretary
[00:26:46] General's office. And frankly, members of the People's Assembly are moving
[00:26:49] at maximum speed and have
[00:26:51] become, well,
[00:26:54] eagerly awaiting the law to reach them. And we currently have
[00:26:57] ongoing discussions about the matter. As for the fugitive defendants,
[00:27:01] in absentia judgments are issued. These
[00:27:05] do not grant the person against whom an in absentia
[00:27:09] judgment was issued the right to object to any legal procedure unless he surrenders
[00:27:13] himself or
[00:27:15] is arrested. In that case, the trial is restarted. But
[00:27:20] process, the relevant authorities are issuing
[00:27:24] international Interpol warrants, in addition to the diplomatic
[00:27:27] and legal efforts we are making to
[00:27:31] extradite these criminals. And you noticed that in some
[00:27:34] files now, very soon, Daas Ali
[00:27:38] Daas, accused of genocide in
[00:27:41] Deir ez-Zor, and Adel Younes, who was in Lebanon, will appear
[00:27:45] together in the Fourth
[00:27:49] Criminal Court soon. This means that this file
[00:27:52] is improving. This is not only related
[00:27:56] to the legal aspect. There are political issues, there
[00:27:59] is the issue of international relations that intervenes,
[00:28:02] and most of the countries to which these criminals fled,
[00:28:06] We say that the accused are rogue states that do not respect much
[00:28:09] They will not hand them over, meaning
[00:28:12] speaking of cooperation between you and the commission
[00:28:17] the Syrian Network for Human Rights. How
[00:28:20] will information exchange serve the path of
[00:28:23] uncovering the truth between you?
[00:28:26] We are with, not with the Syrian Network. The Syrian Network, in fact,
[00:28:30] historically provided a distinguished effort, especially in documentation, and we
[00:28:33] know the network, meaning since
[00:28:36] the beginning of the revolution at least, or the beginning of its establishment.
[00:28:39] And we said, we have open minds and extended
[00:28:43] hands to deal with all Syrian organizations that have worked in it. The Syrian Network
[00:28:46] I think documented 16. Yes, the Syrian
[00:28:50] Network, meaning it is perhaps the entity that
[00:28:54] worked most in the field of detainees
[00:28:57] and victims,
[00:28:59] and
[00:29:02] martyrs and those killed under torture. And it is natural for us,
[00:29:05] meaning, we even in the transitional justice courts, you for the first time
[00:29:09] noticed in the history of Syria that judicial
[00:29:11] rulings are issued and praised
[00:29:15] such and such organization, including the Syrian Network, that they
[00:29:17] provided data and information. Our
[00:29:21] primary role is to collect this data and collect this
[00:29:24] evidence and build comprehensive judicial files in order
[00:29:27] to submit them to the specialized transitional justice prosecutor's office in order
[00:29:33] the judicial institution that we
[00:29:36] continuously support, whether in terms of providing evidence, building files, presenting
[00:29:39] witnesses, or presenting plaintiffs? We in the commission have a wide
[00:29:45] organizations or with international
[00:29:49] communicate. We have relationships, trust
[00:29:53] that we build, and therefore we are truly more capable
[00:29:57] through these local communities of collecting information, evidence,
[00:30:00] and data and submitting it. And the Syrian organizations, just
[00:30:04] one last sentence, the Syrian organizations have indeed made a wonderful effort,
[00:30:10] documentation, and this is ultimately a national Syrian ownership that
[00:30:13] we need and we invest in
[00:30:17] redressing victims and prosecuting criminals. I want to apologize to Professor Mohamed
[00:30:20] Khalifa who returned to us. Meaning, in brief, because time is pressing,
[00:30:24] the discussion about how to pursue
[00:30:28] fugitives and, I mean, those who are being pursued.
[00:30:41] I mean, Professor Radif, regarding
[00:30:43] the criminals, Bashar al-Assad's regime and Bashar
[00:30:47] al-Assad fled to a country that does not respect
[00:30:51] international law and does not respect humanity.
[00:30:55] And it is known that even
[00:30:57] the Russian President is wanted by the court.