Overview

• The Syrian Interior Ministry has declassified that more than eight million people, about one-third of the population, were politically targeted by the Assad regime's security services.
• Millions faced prosecution, imprisonment, and torture since the 2011 civil war, with tens of thousands still missing.
• The new Islamist-led transitional government under Ahmad al-Charaa is working to address the legacy of repression and sectarian violence following Assad's fall in December 2024.
• The Interior Ministry has introduced new departments for land and maritime border security to combat trafficking and a tourism police to protect cultural heritage sites, including Palmyra.
• Efforts to rebuild institutions and implement transitional justice are underway as Syria seeks to recover from decades of authoritarian rule and war.