A seminar on justice and accountability in the Syrian political transition was held in Paris on February 12, 2025, organized by a civil society organization, with the aim of preparing for the ministerial meeting organized by the French Ministry of Foreign Affairs on February 13.
The seminar sought to highlight the main priorities in justice and accountability, based on the outcomes of the Justice Conference held in Damascus in late January 2025, in order to ensure that the voices of Syrian victims are heard in international discourse and decision-making processes regarding Syria.
The seminar was attended by prominent figures from Syrian civil society, including Alaa Al-Marai from the Civil Peace Group in Homs, Amina Khoulani from the “My Justice” organization, Ezz El-Din Saleh from the “Taazur” Association, Mazen Darwish from the Syrian Center for Media and Freedom of Expression, Farouk Habib from the “White Helmets” organization, and Lubna Al-Qanawati from the “Women Now” organization, who moderated the session.
Lubna Al-Qanawati opened her talk with a controversial statement, saying that “justice should not be an obstacle to the transitional process in Syria,” a statement that surprised many, especially in light of the belief that justice and accountability are the cornerstones of any political transition.
Although the symposium was supposed to be a platform for the voices of victims, many essential issues were ignored or referred to in passing.
One of the most prominent of these issues is the political isolation law, which is a major demand of Syrians, and aims to isolate the first rank of the Syrian regime’s leaders from politicians, military personnel, security personnel, diplomats, and businessmen who have contributed to the continuation of the Syrian tragedy for more than 14 years.
In the last minute of the meeting, Amina Khoulani touched on the issue of criminalizing the glorification of Assad, a sensitive issue for Syrian victims who are demanding the enactment of a law criminalizing any glorification or denial of the crimes committed by the Syrian regime. However, discussion of these essential issues seemed largely absent from the symposium.
Coordination and Ambiguous Invitations
What also caused controversy was the way in which the meetings that followed the symposium were coordinated. While the Syrian Foreign Minister Asaad al-Sheibani met in the morning with a group of Syrian human rights activists selected by a civil society organization, in the evening, random invitations were sent to attend another meeting with the minister.
The invitations were made via telephone calls, and it was noted that Lubna al-Qanawati, who moderated the symposium, played a key role in organizing these meetings, in addition to the Syrian embassy in Paris.
Ayman Asfari's role
Amidst all these events, there was a strong impression among those present that Ayman Asfari, a prominent Syrian economic figure, would have a special role in the near future of Syrian politics, as many of the figures the Syrian Foreign Minister met appeared to have been carefully selected by a network linked to Madani, a platform that includes nearly 200 Syrian organizations operating inside and outside Syria and funded by Asfari.
These observations have accumulated to leave a general impression that Asfari could be the next prime minister of Syria, and a human rights activist residing in Europe as the Minister of Justice, a conclusion shared by many attendees at the February 12 symposium and subsequent meetings.
Asfari’s influence was evident in the selection of figures close to him or from “Madaniyeh” to play current roles as advisors in the Syrian Foreign Ministry.
The symposium between justice and political interests
Despite the importance of the symposium in terms of timing and level of attendance, it seemed more like a political platform than a real discussion about justice and accountability.
The fundamental issues that concern Syrian victims, such as the political isolation law and criminalizing the glorification of the former regime, were absent, while impressions about the role of Ayman Asfari and the formation of foreign policy dominated the course of events.
As these dynamics continue, it seems that the next stage will witness a reordering of political and human rights roles in Syria, as new indicators emerge in determining the country’s future. The question that arises is: Will these moves serve the aspirations of the Syrian victims, or are they merely a reproduction of a pattern of political understandings at the expense of true justice?
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