Syria’s new leaders promise ‘rule of law’ after regime falls

The new leaders of promised, this Thursday (12), to establish a “rule of law” after years of abuses during the president’s regime deposed in a lightning offensive led by Islamists. After an 11-day offensive, a coalition of rebel movements led by the radical Sunni group Hayat Tahrir al Sham (HTS) overthrew Assad, who fled to Russia. The international community is concerned about the treatment that the new rulers may give to the various minorities living in Syria and many countries have called for an “inclusive” government.

Syrian government spokesperson Obaida Arnaut assured AFP this Thursday that the new Syrian leaders want to establish a “rule of law” in the country. “All those who committed crimes against the Syrian people will be judged according to the laws,” he said. The new power will “freeze the Constitution and Parliament” during a transition period, initially lasting three months, he added. “A legal and human rights committee will be formed to examine the Constitution and introduce changes,” he said. Asked about personal and religious freedoms, the spokesperson stated that “we respect cultural and religious diversity in Syria”.

“Inclusive” transition

The G7, which brings together the main Western powers, said it would support an “inclusive” government and demanded that it respect the rights of women and minorities. The Secretary of State for Antony Blinken, traveled to Jordan and Turkey to address the new situation in the country, devastated and divided after 13 years of war, and also called for an “inclusive transition”.

In Ankara, he met with Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, with whom he insisted on the importance of respecting human rights and taking “all possible measures to protect civilians” in Syria. Following Blinken’s visit, Jordan announced that it will host a summit on Syria on Saturday with foreign ministers and diplomats from the United States, Europe, Arab countries and Turkey. In turn, Israel justified the hundreds of bombings in recent days against military installations in Syria as a measure to prevent “terrorist elements” from taking over them.

Blinken assured that Israel does not want Syrian army equipment to fall into the “wrong hands”, but indicated that Washington is talking “with Israel” and “others” about “which path to take”. Additionally, in recent days, Turkish-backed insurgents have engaged in fighting with pro-Kurdish forces in northern Syria, where the Kurdish-dominated and US-backed Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) control large regions. On Wednesday, with US mediation, both parties agreed to a ceasefire. Blinken recalled this Thursday that the SDF are “essential” to prevent the jihadist group Islamic State (IS) from resurfacing in Syria.

“Rebuild”

To calm the fears of the international community, Syrian Prime Minister Mohamad al-Bashir, appointed until March 1, wanted to appear reassuring. “We will guarantee the rights of the entire population and all confessions in Syria,” he promised in an interview with the Italian newspaper Corriere della Sera, published on Wednesday. Bashir also asked the millions of Syrians in exile to return to “rebuild” the country, which has a Sunni Arab majority, but where different ethnic and religious communities coexist.

HTS guarantees that it has broken with jihadism, but remains on the list of “terrorist” organizations in several Western countries, including the United States. Around six million Syrians, that is, a quarter of the population, have fled the country since 2011, when the repression of pro-democracy demonstrations triggered a war that has left more than 500,000 dead.

The United Nations humanitarian agency declared on Thursday that more than a million people, mainly women and children, have been displaced in Syria since the rebels launched the offensive. After the fall of the Assad clan, which ruled with an iron fist for more than half a century, the residents of Damascus cannot hide their happiness. “Seeing people on the streets, we have the impression that we were all trapped underground and now we have come out into the daylight,” said Razan al-Halabi, 38. Since 2011, more than 100,000 people have died in Syrian prisons, the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights (OSDH) estimated in 2022.

“Unimaginable barbarity”

The UN envoy in Syria, Geir Pedersen, called, this Thursday, for the immediate release of the “countless” people still arbitrarily detained and denounced the “unimaginable barbarity” that Syrians have suffered in recent years. The new authorities announced that American citizen Travis Timmerman had been released and said they were willing “to cooperate” with Washington to find other missing Americans, including journalist Austin Tice, kidnapped in 2012 during an army operation on the outskirts of Damascus.

In turn, the UN World Food Program (WFP) made an urgent appeal for 250 million dollars (R$ 1.48 billion) to provide “food aid to up to 2.8 million displaced and vulnerable people” in country.

*With information from AFP
Posted by Victor Oliveira