A Call for Transformative Justice: What Syrians Are Telling Us About Their Country’s Transition

One year after the fall of the Assad government, Syria is navigating a fragile but hopeful political transition. New leadership and justice bodies are emerging, yet the path forward remains uncertain. In this context, justice and accountability have become central national concerns—particularly in a society where public trust has been shattered by decades of repression, conflict, and mass atrocities.

A critical question now guides the transition: What kind of justice do Syrians want? (Read our Oped in Opinio Juris)

Although Syrians—especially those in the diaspora—have long driven global accountability efforts, people inside Syria have had limited opportunities to share their views. Years of surveillance, displacement, and insecurity made broad consultation nearly impossible. To fill this gap, Legal Action Worldwide (LAW), Syrian Centre for Legal Studies and Research, and Syrians for Truth and Justice conducted the first nationwide survey on justice perceptions since the regime’s fall. Between July and September 2025, 1,101 Syrians across 13 of 14 governorates participated, offering rare insight into what justice should look like in a transitioning Syria.

The results are clear: Syrians overwhelmingly want transformative justice—a model that restores rights, dismantles discriminatory systems, builds civic trust, and prevents future abuses, rather than focusing only on prosecuting past crimes.

Why This Survey Was Necessary

Despite extensive international attention to Syria, there has been little reliable national data reflecting public attitudes toward justice. Past insights came mostly from organised groups, diaspora activism, or survivors already engaged in legal advocacy. The survey sought to capture voices typically excluded: people in rural and government-controlled areas, survivors with no organisational affiliation, displaced families, and communities with low access to formal justice processes.

The findings aim to support Syrian institutions and international actors as they shape transitional justice mechanisms, ensuring these efforts are grounded in broad, evidence-based public opinion—not only in the priorities of political elites or activist networks.

How the Survey Was Conducted

Field teams reached respondents from all major ethnic and religious communities. The sample achieved near gender parity and included displaced people, former detainees, and families of the missing. While not statistically representative, the demographic and geographic diversity makes the results robust and highly informative.

What Syrians Told Us: A Demand for Transformation

1. Justice is about rights and equality

Syrians define justice primarily as restoring rights (47%), followed by equality and non-discrimination (20%), rule of law (15%), and peacebuilding (13%). This marks a shift away from narrow accountability models toward justice rooted in dignity and protection.

2. Justice is necessary for peace

A striking 91% said justice is essential for lasting peace—rejecting the notion that accountability disrupts stability.

3. Accountability remains central

• 63% ranked punishment of perpetrators as their top priority.
• 83% placed accountability in their top three priorities.
• 84% opposed blanket amnesties.

For Syrians, accountability is foundational to the legitimacy of new institutions.

4. Survivors must shape the process

85% believe survivor participation is important. Former detainees expressed this most strongly.

5. Truth matters

89% value creating an accurate historical record as a safeguard against denial and future abuse.

6. Women and minorities demand structural reform

Women and Kurdish respondents voiced the strongest calls for rights-based, equality-driven justice—highlighting the need for inclusive, gender-transformative approaches.

What This Means: Syrians Want Justice That Transforms

Syrians envision justice not as a retrospective legal exercise but as a forward-looking project that rebuilds institutions, rebalances power, protects vulnerable groups, and embeds equality into the state’s future architecture. Accountability, truth, participation, and reform are seen as mutually reinforcing elements necessary for durable peace.

Translating Findings Into Action: What Syria’s Transitional Authorities Should Do

1. Adopt a National Transformative Justice Strategy

Integrate accountability, reparations, truth, gender equality, and institutional reform into a clear national plan developed through broad consultation.

2. Establish a specialised chamber for grave crimes

Independent, transparent prosecutions must address both individual responsibility and systemic causes.

3. Create reparations programs that reduce inequality

Combine compensation, restitution, healthcare, housing, education, and livelihood support, prioritising displaced families and women.

4. Institutionalise survivor participation

Establish survivor advisory panels and ensure safe, supported involvement in all justice mechanisms.

5. Build a national truth infrastructure

Develop a unified registry of the missing, transparent forensic processes, and public reporting.

6. Reform the judiciary

Implement vetting, transparent appointments, gender inclusion, and repeal repressive laws to guarantee non-recurrence.

Conclusion: A Moment that Must Not Be Missed

Syria stands at a decisive moment. Our survey shows Syrians want justice that transforms the structures that allowed abuses to occur—not just symbolic gestures or isolated trials. If transitional authorities and international partners heed this mandate, Syria has a real chance to build a future in which justice is foundational to peace. The question is whether this opportunity will be seized before the transitional window closes.