Syria
This country page describes, in brief, data that TJET has compiled on regime transitions, intrastate conflict episodes, and transitional justice mechanisms. For details on the data included on this page, view the FAQ.
For Syria, TJET has collected information on: 21 amnesties between 1972 and 2020; three domestic trials starting between 1994 and 2019; and 19 foreign trials starting between 2014 and 2020.
Select any transitional justice mechanism in the table below to view a timeline in the figure.
Country Background
Democratic Transition
TJET records no democratic transitions in Syria between 1970 and 2020.
Violent Conflict
Based on the Uppsala Conflict Data Program, TJET records six violent intrastate conflict episodes between 1979 and 2020 (during 14 calendar years), involving five distinct armed opposition groups fighting against the government. Two conflict episodes were internationalized by involvement of external state actors.
Data up to 2020. Hover over column labels for definitions. Source: UCDP Dyadic Dataset version 23.1, https://ucdp.uu.se/downloads/index.html#dyadic.
Transitional Justice Data
As of 2020, Syria ranks 5th out of 174 on TJET’s legacy of violence index. For a full list of country rankings over time, view the index page, and for an explanation of the index, view the Methods & FAQs page.
Amnesties
Syria had 21 amnesties between 1972 and 2020. Five were passed during ongoing internal armed conflict. Four were passed after internal armed conflict. 16 amnesties released political prisoners.
Data up to 2020. Hover over column labels for definitions.
Domestic Trials
TJET has compiled data on three domestic prosecutions between 1994 and 2020. These include two regular human rights prosecutions of state agents, in which one person was convicted; and one intrastate conflict prosecution of state agents, in which one person was convicted.
Click on accused records for data on convictions. Data up to 2020. Hover over column labels for definitions.
Foreign Trials
Nationals of Syria were defendants in 19 foreign prosecutions in Austria, France, Germany, Hungary, and Sweden beginning between 2014 and 2020.
Click on accused records for data on convictions. Data up to 2020. Hover over column labels for definitions.
UN Investigations
Syria was subject to three UN investigations between 2011 and 2022. One investigation aimed to encourage domestic prosecutions. Two investigations aimed to support international prosecutions.
Data up to 2020. Hover over column labels for definitions.