Syria Abolishes Assad-Era Terrorism Court

Syria's parliament voted on Wednesday to abolish the Assad-era Counter-Terrorism Court and nullify the legal effects of its rulings, state-run television channel Al-Ikhbariya reported.

The court was established in 2012 as then-President Bashar al-Assad sought to suppress the uprising against his rule. It was used to prosecute thousands of Syrians for terrorism-related offenses.

The vote formally confirmed the court’s abolition after Syria’s new authorities had already treated it as defunct. In June 2025, President Ahmed al-Sharaa dismissed the 67 judges who had served on the court. A constitutional declaration issued in March also called for abolishing the effects of unjust rulings issued by the court, including returning confiscated property.

In 2024, the UN Human Rights Committee said the law establishing the court failed to provide adequate judicial guarantees. It raised concerns about arbitrary detention, torture or ill-treatment and the court’s independence.

A separate UN body, the International, Impartial and Independent Mechanism, also reported in 2024 that the Counter-Terrorism Court was part of the judicial system through which detainees held by Assad-era security agencies could be prosecuted. It documented widespread and systematic abuse across the government’s detention system.

(Reuters, bak)