The main commander of the fighters who toppled Bashar al-Assad said that he would dissolve the security forces of the former regime, close its prisons, and hunt down anyone involved in the torture or killing of detainees.
Syrian rebel leader Ahmad al-Sharaa — better known as Abu Mohammed al-Golani — said in a statement he would “dissolve the security forces of the previous regime and close the notorious prisons.”
Syria ran one of the most oppressive police states in the Middle East during five decades of Assad family rule. Sharaa, whose former al Qaeda affiliate Hayat Tahrir al-Sham (HTS) is now the country’s most powerful force, must balance demands for justice from victims with the need to prevent violent reprisals and secure international aid.
Syrians have flocked to the infamous prisons where the Assad regime is estimated to have held tens of thousands of detainees, desperately looking for their loved ones. Some have been released alive, others were identified among the dead, and thousands more have not yet been found.
Sharma said in a separate statement on the Syrian state TV’s Telegram channel that people who took part in the torture or killing of detainees would be hunted down, and pardons were out of the question.
“We will pursue them in Syria, and we ask countries to hand over those who fled so we can achieve justice,” said Sharma.
