Damascus Hosts Dialogue on Establishing National Victims Registry
The National Authority for Transitional Justice recently convened a dialogue session at its headquarters in Damascus to deliberate on the technical and administrative framework for the upcoming National Victims Registry. The meeting focused on aligning the registry’s operational mechanisms with the Authority’s internal regulations and the constitutional declaration to ensure a cohesive and standardized approach.
The proposed registry is designed to function as a specialized central unit responsible for building and managing a comprehensive national database of victims and instances of grave violations. According to the Authority, the project will be developed in coordination with the National Authority for Missing Persons, adhering to strict, secure, and unified criteria. The stated objectives of this initiative are to formally recognize the rights of victims, ensure the preservation of their dignity, and support broader national transitional justice policies aimed at transparency and the non-recurrence of violations.
During the session, the Authority prioritized the inclusion of affected individuals, hosting discussions with various victim groups and associations. These stakeholders provided critical feedback on the registry’s construction, emphasizing that their involvement is foundational to the project’s legitimacy and future success. The participants also worked on developing a preliminary vision for the implementation phase, building upon extensive groundwork already completed by the Authority.
This development is the latest in a series of outreach efforts undertaken by the Authority, which has conducted over 300 field visits and direct meetings with victims and their families across 11 Syrian governorates to gather input and assess needs. The field research is intended to ensure that the registry reflects the realities faced by survivors and their families across the country.
Complementing the efforts of the registry, the Damage Reparation Department of the Authority also organized a separate dialogue session on August 5 at the Sheikh Jaber Mosque in the Qaboun district of Damascus. That session focused on the launch of community recovery centers, which are envisioned as direct contact points for victims. These centers are designed to foster trust between the victim community and national institutions, with a specific mandate to prioritize support programs for the most vulnerable segments of the population. By integrating the national database with local community recovery programs, the Authority aims to create a more robust and accessible framework for transitional justice that directly addresses the long-term needs of those impacted by the conflict.
