The Dark Side of Releasing Dangerous Detainees in Post-Assad Syria

 

The recent uprising that resulted in overthrowing President Bashar al-Assad’s regime has seen many prisoners released from the different detention centers in the Syria. What has been done here is laudable in terms of protecting human rights; however, it may result in the early operation of criminals who may be a threat to the stability of this nation. It is interesting now to observe how people try to enjoy the opportunities of the new liberated life and trying at the same time to find the ways of maintaining the safety of the population.

Like the Saydnaya prison near Damascus, Syrian prisons have long been synonymous with torture and extra-judicial murder. With the collapse of Assad’s reign, revelations of the tortures prisoners have been subjected to have emerged, most had been unlawfully incarcerated for speaking out against the regime. The release of these people is without doubt something to rejoice in, this is because the world has been liberated from the people who perpetudate oppression and human rights violations.

However, among the freed are not only political prisoners but also people who were convicted of a number of criminal offences, some of them being violent radicalists, dangerous criminals. The premature release of such people is dangerous for the future of Syria, and the people living there as well. If there is no correct procedure to weed out and reform these people they may well get up to more mischief given the existing chaos which could easily translate to more violence.

The international community has a responsibility to play during the transitional period of Syria. Help in developing proper judicial procedures and post conviction treatment is needed, so that those that are dangerous are easily recognized and taken care of. This support is critical not only for the protection of the national interest, of Syria’s interest, but also the regional interests as the consequences of releasing bad apples can spill over to neighbouring countries.

In addition, the Syrian opposition, who had recently come to power, needs to focus on the development of the clear and objective legal framework. This for instance involves the development of structures to distinguish between political prisoners and prisoners who have committed heinous crimes. It is for this reason that measures such as these, will assist in ensuring that threats, which may seek to reverse such gains, will be averted.

Thus, having restored the citizen’s right for freedom and liberation of prisoners after the collapse of Assad’s regime, one cannot ignore certain difficulties. This means focusing on the need to address the release of individuals who threaten the society because allowing them to do as they wish might compromise the progress Syria needs to bring on in order to heal. What is more, the actions regarding this highly complex problem have to involve both national and international participants to prevent further degradation of a free Syria.