Syria's parliament fully abolishes Assad-era terrorism court

Syria's newly elected parliament, the People's Assembly, has unanimously passed a bill fully dissolving the notorious and controversial "terrorism court" set up during former president Bashar al-Assad's rule. With this decision, all the unjust verdicts, sentences and property seizure orders issued by the court during the Assad era stand automatically annulled.

According to state television channel Al-Ekhbariya, the vote in parliament formally sealed the abolition of the court. Bashar al-Assad's government had established this special court in 2012. On the surface it was set up in the name of fighting terrorism, but it was actually used to imprison and file false cases against thousands of political opponents, human rights activists and innocent people who spoke out against the Assad government's policies.

The decision comes in the early weeks of Syria's first democratic parliament, formed after the Assad family's 53-year hold on power ended. The new parliament held its first formal meeting in July. Earlier, in June 2025, President Ahmed al-Sharaa had issued a special decree removing 67 judges who were serving on the court. At the time he had called the institution the "dissolved anti-terrorism court".

Besides this, the new constitutional declaration issued for Syria in March 2025 had made clear that all legal rulings of this unjust Assad-era court would be considered void. It had also explicitly directed that all homes, land and property that had been illegally seized be returned to their rightful owners. Parliament's latest decision has now made it easier for victims to get justice.

The court's functioning has also drawn serious criticism worldwide. The UN Human Rights Committee, in its 2024 report, had raised strong concerns about the 2012 anti-terrorism law. The committee had said the court was neither independent nor impartial, and had completely failed to deliver real justice to people. Through this court, people were arrested without prior notice, subjected to severe mental and physical torture, and handed harsh sentences after secret hearings. This is one of the first major legal decisions taken by Syria's People's Assembly after setting up its own internal committees and rules.

The Assad family's 53-year sole rule over Syria officially ended on December 8, 2024. A sudden and swift offensive by Syrian rebel factions, which lasted just 11 days, toppled Assad's rule and forced him to flee the country. This historic transfer of power brought an end to a brutal police state notorious for torture, an unchecked intelligence apparatus and enforced disappearances. Efforts are now underway through the new parliament and governance system to restore law, justice and human rights in Syria.