The transformative imperative in Syria. Dismantling the structures of repression and ensuring non recurrence in light of transitional & transformative justice

Abstract

Transitional justice is essential to sustainable peace in Syria, given the scale of systematic human rights violations under authoritarian rule. Beyond documentation, this research argues for understanding the structural roots of violations and dismantling the institutional and legislative frameworks that produced authoritarianism. It applies "transformative justice" as a guiding framework, shifting from top-down to bottom-up approaches and balancing civil-political with economic-social rights to reshape the social contract toward citizenship and rule of law. Methodologically, it uses a qualitative, descriptive-analytical approach examining Syrian prisons (1963-2024), drawing on Foucault and Agamben, with solutions grounded in Gready and Robins' transformative justice framework.