How Europe Can Support Justice in Post-Assad Syria: Recommendations for the Brussels Conference

As European states gather in Brussels this month for the annual Brussels Conference on Supporting the future of Syria and the region’s ministerial meeting on Syria, they will have an unprecedented opportunity to support an inclusive and democratic transition in the country. Such a process needs to be centered on transitional justice that seeks accountability for the crimes of Assad and other parties to the conflict, identifies the fates and whereabouts of the tens of thousands of Syrians who remain missing, and ensures lasting institutional reform to prevent the reoccurrence of these crimes. The interim government has given mixed signals on its interest in supporting such a process: at times voicing support, while simultaneously issuing amnesties and hiring known criminals. The government has also shown a worrisome lack of willingness to accept technical support from Syrian civil society organizations as well as from international experts and entities, which will be necessary if Syria is to conduct justice processes on a meaningful scale.