The recent United Nations visit to Damascus by the Commission of Inquiry on Syria (COI) marks a pivotal moment in the country’s fragile transition, probing whether the new authorities are committed to dismantling a legacy of systematic abuses or merely perpetuating them under a new guise. This mission, completed in early March 2026 ahead of a Human Rights Council briefing, underscores the tension between promises of reform and persistent violations, with the COI demanding transparency, accountability, and deep structural changes to security institutions. As Syria navigates this critical juncture, the visit reveals both opportunities for genuine progress and risks of entrenched impunity.
Historical Context of the COI Mandate
Documenting a Decade of Atrocities
Established by the United Nations Human Rights Council in 2011, the COI has spent nearly 14 years investigating violations since the Syrian conflict’s onset, compiling evidence from over 2,000 testimonies, including more than 550 torture survivors. These accounts detail crimes against humanity—arbitrary detentions, torture, enforced disappearances, and unlawful killings—perpetrated across conflict phases, with methods like electric shocks, rape, mutilation, and deaths in squalid cells. The COI chair has described these as
“some of the worst systematic violations of international law”,
highlighting the impunity that defined the prior regime.
This historical weight frames the current transition: public trust in institutions remains shattered, making verifiable reforms essential to prevent recurrence. The United Nations views Syria at a crossroads, where half-measures could entrench abusive patterns rather than resolve them.
Details of the Damascus Mission
Key Meetings and Core Demands
Commissioners Monia Ammar and Fionnuala Ní Aoláin engaged senior officials and stakeholders in Damascus, prioritising
“transparency, accountability, security sector reform, and engagement with impacted communities”
as non-negotiable for legitimacy. They stressed the need for a legal framework to address both historical atrocities and recent abuses, insisting on “equal protection” of all rights—civil, political, economic, social, and cultural. Ammar noted the discussions revealed
“the depth of the challenges facing Syria, but also demonstrated the extraordinary strength of Syrians working to rebuild their institutions”,
balancing critique with recognition of engagement.
The mission’s timing—amid regional clashes—amplified its urgency, with the COI warning that transitional legitimacy hinges on implementation, not rhetoric. This direct access to Damascus represents one of the COI’s most significant in-country engagements since the power shift.
Persistent Violations and Reform Gaps
Ongoing Abuses in Key Regions
Despite transitional rhetoric, violations persist in governorates like Homs, Hama, Latakia, and Tartus, including extrajudicial killings, ill-treatment, detention deaths, disappearances, and property abuses. While arrests of 14 suspects signal initial action, the COI deems them inadequate without vetting senior commanders or overhauling security structures. The report ties credibility to comprehensive disarmament, demobilisation, reintegration, human-rights screening, and training for all forces.
These gaps echo the COI’s long-standing call for systemic change, where episodic prosecutions fail to address command responsibility or institutional cultures bred by years of repression. True accountability requires not just punishment but prevention through reformed institutions.
Official Responses and Transitional Promises
Welcoming UN Engagement with Conditions
Syrian authorities “welcomed the latest report”, citing it as affirmation of “positive steps” in investigations, amnesties for non-culpable individuals, faction integration, and civilian protections by Interior and Defence Ministries. They highlight a constitutional declaration “enshrining rights and freedoms” from international treaties, alongside growing media and civil society activity, as evidence of progress. The response frames recommendations “positively” for “institutional and serious dialogue”, pursuing a “national path that balances justice and stability” with “responsible international support”.
Yet this narrative coexists with concerns over terrorism and destabilisation, potentially justifying robust security measures. The United Nations acknowledges such steps—like evidence preservation at mass graves—but insists they must pair with broader rule-of-law reforms.
Civil Society’s Role in Accountability
From Encouragement to Unrestricted Space
The COI expressed encouragement at
“the growth of Syrian civil society organizations, including groups returning from exile”,
vital for documentation, victim support, and advocacy. However, it demands they operate “without restriction”, with victims safely participating in truth-seeking and reparations. This emphasis counters risks of managed participation, where civic actors become tokens rather than independent checks on power.
In post-conflict settings, unrestricted civil society is a litmus test for accountability, ensuring state narratives face scrutiny and survivors shape justice processes. The mission underscores this as central to rebuilding trust eroded by years of abuse.
Regional Dynamics and Spillover Risks
External Pressures Complicating Transition
The visit occurred against regional escalation, including civilian casualties from US-Israeli strikes on Iran and “direct Israeli activity in southern Syria” hindering stabilisation. Authorities decry these as potential
“grave breaches of international humanitarian law and could constitute war crimes”,
alongside civilian detentions. Such externalities allow deflection from domestic failings but compound vulnerabilities for border populations facing multi-actor abuses.
The United Nations warns that external volatility tests internal resilience, making security reforms even more urgent to shield civilians amid spillover.
Analysis: Measuring True Commitment
Institutional Steps Versus Systemic Change
Positive signals include national bodies on transitional justice, missing persons, and coastal investigations launched in 2025, which the COI views as potential foundations. Ammar highlighted governmental “positive engagement and our open discussions” on past and recent violations, urging implementation of coastal violence recommendations. Yet analysis reveals a core tension: while authorities prosecute low-level actors and tout constitutional rights, the COI insists on vetting entire security chains, judicial independence, and civic freedoms to break impunity cycles.
This United Nations analysis posits that embracing accountability means redistributing coercive power—opening archives, protecting whistleblowers, and empowering non-state voices—beyond rebranding. Early metrics like impartial trials and unrestricted NGO operations will determine if the visit catalyses transformation or stalls in controlled reform.
The Damascus mission tests whether Syria can pivot from repression to rights-based governance. The COI’s roadmap—full recommendation uptake, security overhauls, victim-centred processes—sets benchmarks against which transitional claims must be judged. With violations ongoing and trust fractured, the path ahead demands not dialogue alone but demonstrable shifts in how power is exercised and abuses addressed.
Ultimately, this United Nations intervention challenges Syria’s authorities to prove their embrace of accountability through actions that prioritise victims, reform institutions, and foster inclusive justice—ensuring the transition heals rather than repeats the wounds of the past.
