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Caesar Files.. Organization Criticizes Government Attempts to Rehabilitate War Crimes Perpetrators
The "Caesar Files for Justice" organization strongly criticized the Syrian regime’s efforts to rehabilitate individuals involved in war crimes and to grant them social roles through the transitional government efforts in Damascus. The organization stated that these policies reinforce a culture of impunity and fail to achieve true justice or genuine stability.
In a statement, the organization commented on the recent media conference held in Damascus, which was attended by the member of the National Reconciliation Committee, Hassan Soufan, and the spokesperson of the Ministry of Interior, Noor Al-Din Al-Baha. It emphasized that comprehensive justice is the foundation of stability, and that a lasting peace cannot be built without holding the perpetrators of violations accountable during Bashar Assad’s rule.
The organization described the statements linking stability and social peace as a manipulative distortion of concepts, warning that prioritizing stability over justice perpetuates violence and threatens opportunities for sustainable peace. It stressed that justice is not merely a prerequisite for peace but an essential core element in building free and just societies.
The organization further emphasized that the claim “stability precedes justice” is a serious conceptual fallacy, denying the true role of justice as a fundamental value in the foundations of any free society. Ignoring justice leads to ongoing cycles of violence and threatens regional and national peace.
It insisted that no one has the right to absolve war criminals or whitewash their records, considering attempts to portray them as symbols of peace or societal actors as blatant violations of victims’ rights and insults to the principles of justice.
The organization pointed out that the recent Damascus conference failed to calm public opinion; instead, it deepened the trust gap with the victims and reflected a lack of effective dialogue with those who suffered from violations.
Referring to the statements of one participant, Fadi Saqr, who talked about his role in “liberation” before engaging in social peace efforts, the organization reaffirmed that no individual or entity has the right to grant amnesty to war criminals or depict them as peace icons, especially since the blood of victims remains a stark testament to their crimes.
The organization expressed concern about the course of the “transitional authority” in Damascus, considering that protecting war criminals solidifies a culture of impunity and opens the door to chaos and revenge.
In its concluding statement, the organization called for the urgent establishment of a comprehensive legal and legislative framework that ensures accountability for all those involved in violations, based on a clear national plan and principles of justice. It affirmed that “there is no justice without accountability, no lasting stability without justice for the victims, and no forgiveness for the killers.”
