Transitional justice addresses human rights violations after conflicts through:

  1. Criminal accountability (trials)
  2. Truth-seeking (investigative commissions)
  3. Reparations (compensation for victims)
  4. Institutional reform (restructuring state institutions)
  5. Guarantees of non-repetition (legal and systemic reforms)

Why It Matters for Syria:

  • Addresses violations post-2011 (killings, torture, forced displacement).
  • Achieves reconciliation without impunity.

Global Models:

  • South Africa: Truth and Reconciliation Commission.
  • Argentina: Trials of military officials + reparations for victims.
  • Morocco: Equity and Reconciliation Commission.

Challenges in Syria:

  • Lack of political will.
  • Difficulty forming neutral bodies.
  • Risk of being misused as a cover for impunity.

Transitional justice could be the foundation for a new Syria and a guarantee for victims’ rights.