"Monitor" 18.12.2024:
HTS' amnesty program for Assad's soldiers
A Syrian woman looks at notes for missing people posted by relatives looking for loved ones, at Marjeh Square in Damascus, on December 18, 2024. (LOUAI BESHARA/AFP via Getty Images)
The new Syrian administration led by Hayat Tahrir al-Sham announced on Tuesday the creation of centers for former government officials to resolve their status, Adam Lucente reports, as the Islamist group commits to amnesty for Assad's soldiers.
What we know: Syria’s official news agency SANA first reported that “settlement centers” were opened in several cities for “members of the Assad regime.” The individuals were instructed to bring in all their equipment and documents and have their mug shots taken to receive temporary identification cards, per reports.
More than 600 people turned up to the center when it first opened Sunday in Latakia, a longtime Assad stronghold on the Mediterranean coast, the New York Times reported, highlighting that the HTS has now collected thousands of handguns, AK- 47s and other military hardware.
The news follows HTS leader Abu Mohammed al-Golani saying, “There must be a social contract between the state and all religions to guarantee social justice,” and calling on rebel factions to disband and fighters to be integrated into one unit under the Defense Ministry.
Worth noting: While Golani appears to be eschewing separatism and vigilante justice in pursuit of social cohesion, reconciliation in the war-torn country remains an uphill battle as thousands continue to search for the disappeared. While HTS announced general amnesty for all conscripts in Assad’s forces, some nongovernmental organizations have called on the group to involve local communities in transitional justice programs similar to those established in Rwanda after that country’s 1994 genocide. For now, a post-conflict process for justice and reintegration of Assad forces in society remains unclear.
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