Supreme Legal Committee in Suwayda Rejects Government Statement on Crisis Resolution

Welat TV – Erbil

The Supreme Legal Committee in Suwayda issued a statement on Wednesday, September 17, 2025, rejecting the Syrian government’s “roadmap to resolve the Sweida crisis,” describing it as contradictory and failing to open a path toward reconciliation.

The committee criticized the government’s statement, saying it contains “blatant contradictions” and “renders the international investigation meaningless.” It added that the Syrian government and its security apparatus were directly involved in the massacres and violations that affected thousands of civilians in Sweida.

The statement emphasized the lack of trust in the national judiciary and its inability to provide guarantees for fair trials, noting that any accountability through Syrian law “is merely a formal facade to whitewash crimes.”

Regarding the formation of local councils and joint police forces, the committee described these measures as “attempts at internal fragmentation and imposing a new guardianship over Suwayda, sowing discord among the province’s residents.”

Right to Self-Determination

The committee highlighted that the crimes committed in Suwayda, along with decades of marginalization, deprivation, and exclusion, constitute a legitimate basis for claiming the right to self-determination. It stated that the people of Suwayda have the legal and moral right to decide their fate freely and independently, whether through autonomous administration or secession, as a last resort to ensure their security, dignity, and survival.

Independent Investigation

The committee called on international actors not to recognize any arrangements forcibly imposed on the people of Sweida and to guarantee an independent investigation and international accountability mechanisms free from “Syrian government domination.”

The statement concluded with a categorical rejection of the Syrian Ministry of Foreign Affairs’ declaration, stressing that the events of July 2025 constituted “crimes against humanity.”

The announcement comes after a trilateral meeting in Damascus yesterday, which included Syrian Foreign Minister Asaad al-Shaibani, Jordanian Foreign Minister Ayman al-Safadi, and U.S. Special Envoy to Syria Thomas Barrack. The meeting resulted in a roadmap for Suwayda, outlining measures to begin reconciliation, hold those responsible for violations accountable, compensate victims, facilitate the return of displaced persons, and deploy local Interior Ministry forces to secure public movement and protect roads.