The Bar Association prohibits the organization of agencies for figures from the former regime

 On  Wednesday (May 20th), the Syrian Bar Association circulated to its branches in the provinces to prevent the organization, ratification or renewal of any public or private agency belonging to wanted persons or suspected of involvement in crimes against the Syrian people, corruption and looting of public funds, or support for the repressive machine of the ousted regime.

According to the circular published by the Bar on its Facebook page,  the circular includes all types of agencies, regardless of their capacity or subject, provided that any agency related to the covered persons shall be referred exclusively to the Central Council of the Bar Association.

The circular stressed that any agency that does not bear the seal of the Central Syndicate is considered "canceled", stressing that violating these instructions represents a "serious behavioral violation" that requires union and legal accountability.

451 names on the list

The circular also indicated that information and reviews have been received regarding the attempts of some figures associated with or supporting the ousted regime, or who are beneficiaries of war crimes, corruption, and illicit enrichment, to conduct public and private agencies or to reactivate old ones, with the aim of disposing, transferring or hiding funds and property.

The list includes 451 figures linked to the former regime, according to reliable sources, most notably Asma al-Akhras and Bushra al-Assad, in addition to former ministers, prime ministers, and senior army officers, as well as businessmen close to the regime and members of the Assad, Makhlouf and al-Akhras families.

The Syndicate stressed that the circular comes out of "national, legal and moral responsibility" at this stage, and in order to protect the transitional justice process and prevent the exploitation of legal institutions to hide money, smuggle property, or circumvent prosecution procedures.

She added that the next stage is "a stage of accountability and justice for the victims, not a stage of enabling the corrupt and involved in the blood of Syrians to rearrange their interests or dispose of what has been seized illegally."

The Bar Association affirms the right to defend itself in the trials of "Assad's symbols"

The circular excluded the powers of attorney for detainees before the Syrian criminal court, with the aim of guaranteeing the right to a defense, and   the Bar Association issued a statement on May 1 in which it stressed the need to have a lawyer for the accused in criminal cases, stressing that this measure is not a legal luxury, but a prerequisite for the validity of the trial and preventing its invalidity.

The statement came after the start of the first sessions of the trial of a number of figures of the former Syrian regime and the emergence of extensive legal and popular debates about the form of the trial, its guarantees, and the limits of the presence of the defense, in light of the sensitivity of the stage and the popular demands for justice and accountability.

In its statement, the syndicate clarified that the presence of a lawyer – whether he is a lawyer chosen or harnessed by the court – does not mean defending or justifying the crime, but rather represents a legal guarantee imposed under the criminal procedure procedure, which aims to protect the judicial verdict from later appeal.

The statement stressed that any trial before the Criminal Court in which a lawyer is not present on behalf of the accused is considered incomplete and liable to be annulled, no matter how serious the crimes committed.

The Syndicate stressed that the purpose of making it mandatory to have a lawyer is to fortify judicial rulings, so that they are issued according to correct procedures that cannot be questioned, in order to ensure that no defendant - regardless of his position - goes unpunished due to a formal loophole.

The statement explained that the role of the lawyer is limited to guaranteeing the rights of the defense and legal procedures, not to adopt or justify the actions of the accused in front of the public.