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A statement by the Western Syria Alliance affirming the need for comprehensive transitional justice that holds all perpetrators of crimes against Syrians accountable without exception, rejecting any selective justice that marginalizes the voices of victims.
PUBLISHED
May 25, 2025
READ TIME
3 min read
SOURCE
Dr. Ed Kh
Issued by the Western Syria Alliance (WSA)
Watching a recent video reflecting the discourse of certain figures affiliated with political jihadist Islam, we were reminded of an ancient wisdom: "The serpent sheds its skin, but never its nature." Despite the new appearances — neckties and polished exteriors — the same doctrine remains, and the rhetoric of hatred and sectarianism continues in different forms.
In the context of continued international support directed toward factions that still embrace takfiri ideology, we ask: Does the West — led by the United States — truly know who their real allies on the ground are? Do they know they are funding and supporting parties implicated in documented crimes against civilian minorities, both religious and ethnic?
Today, a decree on "transitional justice" was issued. The WSA affirms that we stand with justice — but comprehensive justice only: justice that reaches everyone who committed crimes against the Syrian people, without exception:
Issued by the Western Syria Alliance (WSA)
Watching a recent video reflecting the discourse of certain figures affiliated with political jihadist Islam, we were reminded of an ancient wisdom: "The serpent sheds its skin, but never its nature." Despite the new appearances — neckties and polished exteriors — the same doctrine remains, and the rhetoric of hatred and sectarianism continues in different forms.
In the context of continued international support directed toward factions that still embrace takfiri ideology, we ask: Does the West — led by the United States — truly know who their real allies on the ground are? Do they know they are funding and supporting parties implicated in documented crimes against civilian minorities, both religious and ethnic?
Today, a decree on "transitional justice" was issued. The WSA affirms that we stand with justice — but comprehensive justice only: justice that reaches everyone who committed crimes against the Syrian people, without exception:
We have received numerous messages from our people inside Syria expressing widespread discontent with the transitional justice committee, which they see as looking through only one eye — the eye of the executioner. A justice that is incomplete is simply another form of injustice.
In this context, we affirm the urgent need to fully acknowledge the massacres that were committed:
We attach with this statement a testimony from a son of the city of Salamiyah, reflecting the deep pain felt by Syrians who watch perpetrators assume positions of power while the voices of victims are silenced and their right to redress is denied:
"Transitional justice is not a trivial phrase, and it cannot be tailored to fit anyone's agenda. It must be universal, comprehensive, and fair. Every party that bore arms has committed violations — regardless of the scale — because lives were lost, freedoms were violated, and properties were seized, and all of it is documented.
When transitional justice is made to measure, it becomes selective justice.
As someone from Salamiyah, I have a few questions: Will justice pursue those who killed and kidnapped the people of Al-Mab'ouja? Those who brutally killed the youth of the north? Those who shelled Salamiyah and killed dozens? If the answer is yes, then you have my full support. But if the answer is no... then there is no justice.
I want accountability for those who killed my mother and those who gave the order — at the same time that accountability is sought for those who killed and abducted the mothers, fathers, and children of others."
