Syria: Syria's People's Assembly unanimously approved a bill Thursday to abolish the Assad-era 'Terrorism Court,' according to state-run SANA news agency. The move is to reverse the effects of rulings in more than 90,000 cases handled by the court and restore confiscated property and other rights to those affected.
According to Anadolu Agency, the court was established under Law No. 22 of 2012 during the rule of Bashar al-Assad and had jurisdiction over cases involving civilians and military personnel. SANA reported that the exceptional legal framework under which the court operated had drawn criticism because of fair-trial guarantees and the right to defense.
Abdul Nasser Houshan, head of parliament's Constitutional and Legislative Committee, stated that the bill abolishes the law establishing the court and assigns the Supreme Judicial Council responsibility for addressing the consequences of its rulings. Specialized judicial committees will be formed to nullify the effects of previous rulings, including returning confiscated property. Pending cases will be closed or transferred to the competent judicial authorities.
At least 90,560 cases were brought before the court, according to figures cited by SANA from the Syrian Network for Human Rights (SNHR). The rights group documented at least 40,602 property seizure and confiscation orders between 2012 and 2024, affecting 320,000 people under the broader seizure and confiscation system established by the Assad regime.
SNHR indicated that the court relied on security reports and confessions extracted under torture in some cases, while imposing restrictions on the right to defense and lacking transparency in its rulings. The bill also exempts those recovering confiscated property from taxes, fees, and other costs associated with transferring ownership back to them. This provision covers property confiscated under rulings by the 'Terrorism Court,' Military Field Courts, and military courts between March 15, 2011, and Dec. 8, 2024.
The Assad regime abolished the separate Military Field Courts in 2023 and transferred pending cases to the military judiciary. Following Assad's fall in December 2024, authorities began reviewing the legacy of the 'Terrorism Court.' In 2025, the Justice Ministry referred judges who had served in the court for investigation and established a specialized judicial committee to review rulings and procedures issued by the court and other exceptional judicial bodies.