Syrian Lawmakers Dismantle Assad-Era Terrorism Tribunal as Fuel Protests and Kurdish Grievances Mount

Syria’s newly convened parliament has enacted legislation to permanently abolish the specialized Counter-Terrorism Court created under former President Bashar al-Assad, invalidating the legal standing of all verdicts issued during its operation. The legislative action marks one of the most substantial legal reforms undertaken by the transitional authorities since the dissolution of the previous regime.

State broadcaster Al-Ekhbariya reported that lawmakers approved the measure on Wednesday, codifying the closure of a judicial body that Syria’s post-conflict leadership had already ceased to recognize in practice. The step serves as a symbolic and legal repudiation of the former administration's judicial mechanisms, which human rights advocates had long condemned as instruments of political repression.

The Counter-Terrorism Court was originally created in 2012, shortly after the onset of the civil war, and was routinely utilized by al-Assad's administration to prosecute thousands of Syrian citizens accused of state-defined security infractions and terrorism offenses. International bodies, including the United Nations Human Rights Committee in 2024, had heavily criticized the legislation governing the court, pointing to severe deficiencies in due process, the routine use of arbitrary detention, pervasive allegations of torture and ill-treatment, and an absolute absence of judicial autonomy.

Wednesday’s vote follows a series of earlier executive and constitutional measures intended to unwind the tribunal's legacy. In March 2025, Syria’s transitional constitutional declaration outlined provisions to invalidate unfair rulings issued by the tribunal, which included mechanisms to restore private assets and properties that had been confiscated from defendants. Several months later, in June 2025, President Ahmed al-Sharaa issued an executive decree terminating 67 judicial officials who had served on the tribunal.

The legislative decision is among the initial major policy actions taken by the assembly, which held its inaugural session in July following the collapse of the previous government. Lawmakers spent their first several weeks in session establishing standard operational protocols, drafting internal rules, and structuring specialized parliamentary committees before taking up substantial legislation.

The legislative milestone comes amid a profound transition following the abrupt conclusion of the al-Assad family’s 53-year dynasty on December 8, 2024. The former government fell after an unexpected 11-day offensive, bringing an end to more than five decades of authoritarian rule defined by strict security controls, systematic disappearances, and documented institutional torture.

Despite the legislative progress in Damascus, the transitional government led by President al-Sharaa faces substantial domestic instability, particularly across the country's northeastern region. Demonstrators on Wednesday staged a blockade along the M4 highway near the town of Tal Tamr, obstructing hundreds of commercial transport tankers hauling crude oil from the Qamishli and Rmeilan fields.

The highway closure was triggered by deep public outrage over escalating fuel costs following Damascus's decision to dismantle longstanding regional price supports. While the northeast was administered by the Kurdish-led Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF), petroleum products were heavily subsidised to maintain local affordability. However, the resumption of central government control over local energy resources led to the swift elimination of those financial protections.

Economic pressures compounded over the weekend when Damascus implemented steep tariff increases, raising petrol costs by roughly 30 percent and diesel prices by 40 percent. Officials attributed the price surges to volatility in international energy markets caused by the ongoing United States and Israeli conflict with Iran, alongside technical maintenance and repair operations at the domestic Baniyas oil refinery on the Mediterranean coastline.

The worsening energy situation has forced political accountability within the capital, with Syrian Energy Minister Mohammed al-Bashir summoned to face formal questioning before members of parliament on Thursday. Meanwhile, local protest organizers near Tal Tamr have maintained that the critical transit route will remain closed until authorities agree to completely revoke the recent fuel price hikes.

The unrest over energy policy intersects with broader social and cultural tensions stemming from the central government's reassertion of authority over Kurdish-majority districts. In the urban centers of Qamishli and Hasakah, student-led demonstrations have erupted in response to a newly introduced state language decree. Although the measure formally recognizes Kurdish as an authorized language of instruction for the first time in Syrian history, it restricts teaching to just three class periods per week—far below the comprehensive Kurdish-medium educational curriculum established during the period of self-governance.

Before the outbreak of conflict in 2011, Syrian Kurds constituted roughly 10 percent of the nation's 23 million residents and endured decades of institutional disenfranchisement under the al-Assad government. During the subsequent 14 years of civil warfare, Kurdish factions succeeded in carving out a largely self-governing regional administration across the northeast.

The central government in Damascus finalized an agreement in August to integrate the SDF into the national military framework, building upon an initial January accord that halted weeks of active fighting between the two sides. President al-Sharaa’s administration has celebrated the security integration as a vital victory for national unification, pledging that future constitutional frameworks will safeguard Kurdish cultural and political rights.

However, the political transition continues to generate sharp debate within the Kurdish community. While certain political representatives view the integration agreement as an essential pathway toward civic participation and constitutional advocacy in the new Syria, other community leaders regard the concession as the product of undue pressure, expressing acute concern over the erosion of regional autonomy achieved during years of self-rule.