Syria abolishes al-Assad-era ‘terrorism’ court as Kurdish tensions flare

What the report says

Syria’s new parliament has voted to abolish the al-Assad-era Counter-Terrorism Court and cancel the legal force of its rulings, according to Al Jazeera’s report on Wednesday in Damascus. The court, created in 2012, had been used to prosecute large numbers of Syrians on terrorism-related charges under former President Bashar al-Assad. The vote is one of the first major legislative actions by the country’s new assembly after the Assad family’s rule ended in December 2024.

Al Jazeera reported that the decision follows earlier steps by President Ahmed al-Sharaa’s government, including a June 2025 decree removing judges who had served on the court and a March 2025 constitutional declaration that called for undoing unjust rulings and returning confiscated property. The UN Human Rights Committee had previously raised concerns about the court’s independence, due process and the risk of arbitrary detention and abuse. The new parliament had only begun meeting in July.

The report also linked the vote to broader tensions in northeastern Syria, where Kurdish protests have grown over fuel-price increases and the integration of the Kurdish-led Syrian Democratic Forces into the national army. Demonstrators blocked the M4 highway near Tal Tamr, disrupting oil transport, while students in Qamishli and Hasakah protested limits on Kurdish-language instruction. The unrest highlights the challenge facing al-Sharaa as he tries to unify a country still emerging from 14 years of war.