A group of activists and rights advocates organized a protest today, Monday, June 29, in front of the Justice Palace in Damascus, demanding the activation of Article 49 of the Constitutional Declaration, which criminalizes glorifying or defending the former regime. They also called for accelerating the completion of the transitional justice process and holding accountable those responsible for violations committed over the past years.
Participants raised banners and slogans demanding the adoption of legislation that criminalizes the promotion of the former regime or the justification of its crimes. They stressed that achieving justice and holding those responsible for violations accountable are essential conditions for building a state governed by law and preventing the experience from being repeated.
Calls to Activate Article 49
Syrian activist and journalist Fares Zein al-Abidin told Enab Baladi that what is required today from the Syrian government is the activation of Article 49 of the Constitutional Declaration, considering it a fundamental step toward achieving justice and redress for the victims of years of conflict.
He added that applying this article should include all those involved in violations, without exceptions or settlements, whether financial, tribal, or regional. He stressed that holding those responsible for crimes accountable represents the minimum level of redress for the families of those killed, detained, and displaced.
Zein al-Abidin believes that the continued appearance of figures linked to the former regime in public life, more than a year and a half after its fall, reflects the need to activate existing legal provisions. He called for issuing a law that criminalizes glorifying or defending the former regime, similar to European legislation that criminalizes the promotion of Nazism.
Demonstrators in Damascus demand the completion of transitional justice and accountability for those responsible for violations under the former regime, June 29, 2026. (Enab Baladi/Ahmed Muslimani)
Demonstrators in Damascus demand the activation of Article 49 of the Constitutional Declaration, which criminalizes glorifying the former regime, June 29, 2026. (Enab Baladi/Ahmed Muslimani)
Demonstrators in Damascus demand the activation of Article 49 of the Constitutional Declaration, which criminalizes glorifying the former regime, June 29, 2026. (Enab Baladi/Ahmed Muslimani)
Demonstrators outside the Justice Palace in Damascus demand legislation criminalizing the promotion of the former regime, June 29, 2026. (Enab Baladi/Ahmed Muslimani)
Demands for Justice
Afaf al-Sayed Hassan, one of the participants in the protest, told Enab Baladi that the protesters’ demands focus on holding accountable all those responsible for crimes committed against Syrians and activating justice institutions to ensure that no person involved escapes punishment.
She added that the demands also include activating the People’s Assembly so it can perform its legislative role in enacting the laws needed to complete the transitional justice process and provide redress to the families of victims and missing persons.
Hassan emphasized the need to pass legislation criminalizing the promotion of the former regime or defending it, considering this step a guarantee that violations will not be repeated. She stressed that the protest’s demands do not target any specific region or group, but are based on the principle of justice and the rule of law.
Redress for Victims
Yasser Faqiyeh, coordinator of the al-Shaghour Coordination, told Enab Baladi that the protest aimed to send a message to the president and the Ministry of Justice to expedite the activation of Article 49, which criminalizes the promotion of the former regime.
He added that the priority in the current stage should be holding those responsible for committed crimes accountable and providing redress to victims, considering that the continued emergence of voices glorifying the former regime or justifying its practices is an insult to victims and their families.
Faqiyeh stressed that participants reject any attempts to reproduce discourse supportive of the former regime, calling for clear legal measures to prevent glorifying or promoting the regime in line with the transitional justice principles stipulated in the Constitutional Declaration.
The protest comes in the context of similar actions witnessed in several Syrian areas over the past weeks, raising demands related to transitional justice and accountability for those involved in the former regime’s violations.
On June 16, the Mezzeh 86 neighborhood in Damascus witnessed a demonstration demanding the removal from the neighborhood of those the participants described as “shabiha and remnants of the former regime,” before General Security forces intervened to disperse the protesters.
Several cities and areas also witnessed similar actions, including Aleppo, Idlib, the Damascus countryside, Raqqa, and Deir Ezzor, where participants demanded accountability for those responsible for violations, preventing the reintegration of figures linked to the former regime into state institutions, and strengthening the transitional justice process and anti-corruption efforts.
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