The Syrian Women’s Authority continues its series of activities and training aimed at supporting and strengthening the role of Syrian women in the political, social and in media fields. In partnership with the Stabilization Support Unit in the town of Azaz, the Authority organized a symposium under the title “Accountability in the Constitution.” Participants included Vice President of the Syrian Opposition Coalition (SOC), Ruba Habboush, and member of the Constitutional Committee, Tariq Al-Kurdi.
The session brought together Syrian women activists in political affairs and civil society. The participants stressed the importance of the legal efforts to confront the Assad regime and seek to form an alliance between human rights and civil organizations with the aim of ensuring accountability. They also stressed the need to overcome the legal failure to hold the Assad regime accountable and to think of legal mechanisms to end the violence and the culture of impunity that the regime has pursued since its seizure of power in Syria.
Al-Kurdi spoke about the possible pathways for accountability in Syria. He gave an overview of the International Criminal Court, the special courts, and the mechanisms for referring Syria to these courts. He also gave an overview on the previous experiences, stressing the work of representatives of the Syrian revolution and opposition to include the issue of transitional justice in the Syrian constitution so as to ensure justice. He stressed that transitional justice will ensure revealing the truth, redress for victims, reparations and reforming institutions after a democratic political transition has been achieved.
For her part, Habboush, stressed the importance of the presence of women in the path of transitional justice and accountability as crucial to ensuring the achievement of societal peace. She expressed the hope that these efforts will launch the long march to liberate Syria from the regime’s corrupt practices and usher in a new era that begins with accountability for criminals and an end to decades of impunity so as to build a new state of justice and the rule of law.
(Source: SOC’s Media Department)
