Press Release
The Civil Peace Conference in Damascus
A Prelude to Exonerating Regime Loyalists and Normalizing with Symbols of Repression and Criminality
(Translated)

The press conference held by the Civil Peace Committee at the Ministry of Information building in Damascus on Tuesday, June 10, 2025, chaired by committee member Hassan Soufan, sparked a wide wave of intense anger and resentment among Syrians, especially among the families of martyrs and the missing, and the children of the revolution. Many viewed the conference’s statements as a provocation to the victims' families, a disregard for the sacrifices of the revolutionaries, a belittling of the blood of martyrs, a denial of undeniable facts, and an open justification of war criminals. The event was seen as an attempt to normalize relations with symbols of the defunct regime under the banners of "civil peace," "nation-building," and "bloodshed prevention."

This widespread outrage followed Soufan’s remarks during the conference, in which he defended the policy of releasing former regime officers without legal accountability or public trials, foremost among themFadi Saqr completely ignoring their bloody records. Soufan even went so far as to consider some of them partners in victory, claiming that they contributed to “preventing Syrian bloodshed” and “cooperated with military leadership during liberation battles,” demanding that critics present "reliable evidence" of their involvement in crimes.

Soufan asserted that the released officers had been active since 2021 and had voluntarily surrendered at the Iraqi border under what is known as a “safe-conduct” arrangement. He stated that those detained underwent legal investigations that did not prove any war crime charges against them, stressing that continuing to detain them served no national interest and lacked any legal legitimacy. Shortly after, social media and news pages flooded with video evidence and documentation confirming the involvement of several released individuals most notably Fadi Saqr and Socrates Al-Rihiya in killings and blatant violations against civilians.

Soufan further claimed that figures like Fadi Saqr play a role in resolving crises, solving problems, and confronting national threats, adding: “We understand the pain and anger felt by the families of the martyrs, but we are forced to make decisions that secure relative stability at this stage.” He affirmed that the release included only those "whose hands were not stained with Syrian blood," framing it as "part of the civil peace process." He argued that transitional justice does not mean holding everyone who served the regime accountable, but rather only the top criminals who committed severe violations. He warned that rushing the transitional justice process or implementing it individually would lead to chaos and make the state appear incapable of fulfilling its duties thus opening the door to foreign interventions. He stressed that revenge and retaliation would not bring about transitional justice, and that including controversial figures in the reconciliation process was an attempt to address structural crises in the country. He stated that granting amnesty to Fadi Saqr was based on a general assessment of the situation and was intended to prevent bloodshed in tense areas and reassure local communities.

Anyone who followed the events of this press conference would see it as confirmation of the current administration’s direction during the transitional phase its policies regarding regime remnants, its shifting stance on the revolution’s core principles and goals, and its handling of the demands for justice and accountability for those who shed innocent blood. This has led many to declare that no party has the right to relinquish the rights of victims, forgive on their behalf, or equate the executioner with the victim. There were also warnings about escalating tensions due to the disregard for the feelings of families of martyrs and the missing, who are witnessing the release of criminal regime figures one after another viewing such pardons as “complicity in the crime.”

The issue of lifting sanctions has long been a point of pressure by the U.S. and Europe on the current administration, aiming to impose their vision for Syria’s governance from "counterterrorism" to enforcing secularism, to violating its sovereignty by tying it to the West's decisions and dictates, and gradually reintegrating regime remnants into state institutions under various flimsy pretexts and slogans.

Moreover, the public whitewashing of Fadi Saqr and his ilk, with no sense of shame, is a blatant provocation to the Syrian people, especially his appearance beside the governor of Damascus, with all the implications and messages that carries. Instead of trying the perpetrators under a clear and swift criminal law, authorities are resorting to numbing initiatives under the names of dialogue, national unity, civil peace, and social reconciliation, as if the 14-year-long events were a civil war and not one of the greatest revolutions in history.

It must also be remembered that while many with criminal histories against the revolution are taking center stage today, numerous da’wah carriers, opinion detainees, revolutionaries, and mujahideen remain unjustly imprisoned in Idlib for years. Meanwhile, many of our people in displacement camps still cannot afford to rebuild their homes destroyed by those who have now changed their skin and assumed new roles.

In the same vein, the emergence of Fadi Saqr and other leading figures from the defunct regime as champions of civil peace, with secure protection, alongside major businessmen and notorious war criminals returning recently to Damascus along with pro-regime militias, celebrities, and public figures who for years supported the fleeing tyrant and called for killing and destruction, and who remain untouched and unaccountable under the pretext of “civil peace” all of this fuels the anger and bitterness of the families of the martyrs and the missing.

Allah Almighty has warned against oppression and the fate of oppressors. The Syrian revolution will not end, nor will its compounding crises be resolved after the fall of the defunct regime, unless the core principles of our revolution are fulfilled. The downfall of the regime must be a prelude to justice, security, reassurance, and dignified living. That cannot be achieved through a secular system that separates religion from life, the state, and society, as the West seeks to impose on us, but rather by establishing a system rooted in our core beliefs, sone that fulfills our aspirations and achieves the goals of our revolution. It is only through the laws and rulings of Islam, and through an Islamic state, that true justice, safety, and security will be realized. For such a great good, let the sincere ones strive.

Media Office of Hizb ut Tahrir
in Wilayah Syria