Justice Ministry defends law abolishing Syria’s Terrorism Court after parliament vote
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What happened
The People’s Assembly passed a bill on 2026-09-16 abolishing the Terrorism Court, and the Justice Ministry defended the measure on 2026-09-20. The move shifts attention from passage of the law to its execution, including the status of existing case files, detainees, and past rulings.
Why it matters
Abolishing a special court changes how politically sensitive security cases are processed and reviewed. The implementation phase will determine whether Syria’s regular judiciary, prisons, and ministries can absorb those files without legal confusion, administrative delay, or resistance from parts of the security-judicial system.
Syria’s People’s Assembly unanimously approved a bill on 2026-09-16 to abolish the Terrorism Court, and the Justice Ministry publicly defended the move on 2026-09-20. That creates a live follow-on test of implementation rather than a closed legislative story: the government now has to decide how to handle prior verdicts, detainee files, and appeal or compensation mechanisms tied to the court. The next 24-72 hours matter because any implementing decree, file-transfer order, or clarification on past cases will signal whether the state is dismantling an exceptional judicial channel in an orderly way or opening a contest with actors tied to it.
Watch for
Syrian Justice Ministry publication of implementing instructions on case transfers or review procedures by 2026-09-25 People’s Assembly release of the final promulgated text in the Official Gazette by 2026-09-25 Syrian Bar Association or Supreme Judicial Council notice naming the competent courts for former Terrorism Court files by 2026-09-25 No Justice Ministry list of detainee-file review mechanism or file-transfer committee by 2026-09-25
Sources
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