Syria’s Golani has vowed to penalize those who were culpable for torture under Assad

The chief leader of the troops that overthrew Bashar al-Assad declared on Wednesday that pardons were not an option and that anybody responsible for the torture or murder of captives under the former Syrian president’s administration will face consequences.

A statement posted on the Syrian state TV’s Telegram channel stated, “We will pursue them in Syria, and we ask countries to hand over those who fled so we can achieve justice,” said Abu Mohammed al-Golani.

After a 13-year civil war that was waged along sectarian and ethnic lines ravaged Syria, the world is closely watching to see if the country’s new authorities can stabilize it without retaliating violently.

During the 50 years of Assad family dominance, Syria operated as one of the most repressive police nations in the Middle East. Golani, whose former al Qaeda offshoot Hayat Tahrir al-Sham (HTS) is currently the most powerful group in the nation, must strike a compromise between the necessity to stop bloodshed and obtain foreign funding and the demands of victims for justice.

Golani’s soldiers put Mohammad al-Bashir in charge of an interim government, and he stated that his goals were to provide basic services, foster unity, and repatriate millions of refugees. But with few funds, reconstruction would be difficult.

“The only currency in the coffers is Syrian pounds, which are worth very little or nothing. 35,000 of our coins are worth one US dollar,” Bashir told the Italian newspaper Il Corriere della Sera.

However, given the recent unrest, the safety argument around flying over the area is that “we have no foreign currency and we are still gathering data on loans and bonds.” Bashir, a former head of a tiny rebel-led government in a region of northwest Syria, acknowledged that the country was in dire straits financially.

Following a terrible war that claimed hundreds of thousands of lives, rebuilding Syria is an enormous undertaking. International sanctions have destroyed the economy, bombed cities to ashes, and depopulated large areas of the countryside. Following one of the largest displacements in recent history, millions of refugees remain in camps.

Despite HTS’s continued designation as an international terrorist group by Washington, the UN, the EU, and others, foreign diplomats are cautiously interacting with the former rebels.

“The new administration must “uphold explicit obligations to completely protect the rights of minorities, enable the flow of humanitarian assistance to everyone in need, and prevent Syria from being exploited as a base for terrorism or posing a danger to its neighbors,” according to U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken.

“It is our responsibility to do everything in our power to assist the various Syrian leaders so that they can come together and ensure a smooth transition,” stated U.N. Secretary General Antonio Guterres.

He continued: “The alternative doesn’t make any sense.”

The former rebels are prohibited from engaging in terrorism, and Syria is still subject to financial sanctions imposed by the United States, Europe, and other countries against Damascus under Assad.

In a letter, two prominent U.S. congressmen—one a Democrat and the other a Republican—urged Washington to halt certain penalties. The former rebels told Reuters they are in contact with Washington about perhaps lowering the harshest wartime U.S. restrictions, which are set to be renewed this month.

After decades of state control, the new administration has promised business leaders it will embrace a free-market model and join the global banking system, Bassel Hamwi, the chairman of the Damascus Chambers of Commerce, told Reuters.

TORCHED HAFEZ ASSAD MAUSOLEUM

After decades of repression, frequently along sectarian and ethnic lines, and a civil war, the world will be keenly monitoring Syria’s new authorities to see whether they can prevent retaliatory strikes.

The green, black, and white flag that Assad’s opponents have flown throughout the civil war and a white flag with the Islamic oath of faith in black writing, which is usually flown by Sunni Islamist fighters, were the backdrops for Bashir’s first brief speech on state television.

According to a resident of Qardaha, where Assad’s family hails from, Sunni Islamist rebels had set fire to the tomb of Assad’s father Hafez during the last two days, frightening the Alawite villagers who had vowed to cooperate with the new authorities.

The idea of going home has made refugees feel both happy and sad about the hardships they have endured while living in exile. Speaking of their hopes for a better life after what for many was a decade of suffering in Turkey, Syrians lined up at the Turkish border on Wednesday to return home.

“No one is present. At the Cilvegozu border crossing in southern Turkey, Mustafa remarked, “We are heading back to Latakia, where we have family,” as he got ready to enter Syria with his wife and three boys. There were still dozens more Syrians waiting to cross.

Washington was in the process of determining how to interact with the former rebels. Washington is still wary.

“We have seen over the years any number of militant groups who have seized power, who have promised that they would respect minorities, who have promised that they would respect religious freedom, promised that they would govern in an inclusive way, and then see them fail to meet those promises,” Matthew Miller, a spokesperson for the State Department, said.