Syrian women's rights activist Huda Khayti survived a 2013 chemical attack on the east Ghouta region by Bashar Assad's forces and lost her brother, home, and women's center as a result. A Damascus court sentenced Assad to death in absentia in mid-August for war crimes and crimes against humanity, but many Syrians, including Khayti, feel that this is not enough punishment since Assad continues to live in Russia. The conviction has been celebrated by some, but its practical impact is uncertain due to a lack of extradition agreement with Russia. Mustafa al-Qassem, Syria's Deputy Justice Minister, stated that the country will cooperate with Interpol and other countries to extradite fugitive suspects.
Written by the local model on 2026-09-05,
using this article's own text rather than the other coverage of the
same event (that is the story summary below).
Huda Khayti often finds herself returning to the place where she lost almost everything.
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she → find → everything
Khayti, a Syrian women's rights activist, survived a 2013 chemical weapons attack on the east Ghouta region by forces of the former Syrian dictator Bashar Assad.
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Khayti → survive → dictator
Her brother was killed by the bombs of the Assad regime and its allies.
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brother → kill → regime
Her women's center was destroyed along with her home and in 2018, she had to leave her hometown of Douma — a major city in Ghouta — and flee to Idlib, a rebel stronghold in northern Syria.
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she → destroy → Syria
Today, Khayti regularly visits her hometown, which is about 10 kilometers (about 6 miles) northeast of the country's capital, Damascus.
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which → visit → capital
Since the Assad regime was overthrown in late 2024, Khayti has traveled regularly between Idlib and Douma, where she's even working on opening a new women's center.
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she → overthrow → center
"Ghouta means so much to me emotionally," she told DW.
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she → mean → DW
But every time she returns there, she is also confronted with remnants of the civil war.
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she → return → war
"When I'm traveling through the country I see traces of war everywhere, so many houses and so much infrastructure destroyed.
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houses → travel → war
Almost two years since the overthrow of the Assad regime, Syria has started a process to examine the crimes of the regime in court.
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Syria → start → court
In mid-August a Damascus court sentenced Bashar Assad and other high-ranking members of his regime to death in absentia.
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court → sentence → absentia
Assad is currently living in Russia, where he fled after his government was overthrown.
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government → live → Russia
Many senior officials are also there or hiding elsewhere.
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officials → hide → ?
Among other things, Assad was found guilty of premeditated murder, torture and depriving individuals of their liberty.
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Assad → find → liberty
The court said these were war crimes and crimes against humanity.
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these → say → humanity
"Of course, this conviction of Assad is a good thing," Khayti said.
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Khayti → say → Assad
Bashar Assad may have been convicted but he just continues to live his life in Russia — like so many other Syrian criminals who fled to Russia.
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who → convict → Russia
"
Justice served in Syria?
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Justice → serve → Syria
The court's conviction had a big impact in Syria anyway.
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conviction → have → Syria
"The verdict had a lot of echoes by people, they were so happy," said Lina Chawaf, a Syrian journalist, media expert and researcher at Harvard University's Center for Middle Eastern Studies.
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Chawaf → have → Studies
"Many media celebrated the verdict on the statement day as a victory and consider it as part of transitional justice."
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media → celebrate → justice
Still, it remains unclear whether there will be any actual punishment following the conviction.
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it → remain → conviction
Although Russia and Syria agreed on an extradition treaty in 2023, observers say it's unlikely Russia would send Assad, a long-time ally, back to Syria.
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Russia → agree → Syria
Additionally, according to the treaty, if the death penalty is likely, that could prevent extradition too.
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that → accord → extradition
In August, Syria's Deputy Justice Minister Mustafa al-Qassem said the country had established a commission to cooperate with Interpol and that cooperation with other countries in extraditing fugitive suspects would speed up legal proceedings.
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cooperation → say → proceedings
Rana Sheikh-Ali, founder of Daret Salam (Peace Circuit in English), which uses technology to build peace and empower women, believes the Assad trial in August should be seen as largely symbolic.
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trial → use → August
From a human rights perspective, she opposes the death penalty, but at the same time she says many locals saw the death sentences as just.
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locals → oppose → sentences
But the prosecution of high-ranking regime members is only one aspect of the transitional justice process.
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prosecution → rank → process
Other aspects include searching for missing people, investigating crimes, deciding on reparations and formulating institutional reforms.
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aspects → include → reforms
Numbers supplied by the Syrian Network for Human Rights indicate just how big the task is.
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task → supply → Rights
In an article, the advocacy network reports that over 234,805 civilians were killed during the civil war, at least 202,000 of them by the Assad regime and its allies.
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civilians → report → regime
It's thought that the actual numbers are likely far higher.
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numbers → think → ?
The network has also documented 217 chemical weapons attacks by the Assad regime.
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network → document → regime
"I remember it like it was yesterday," she recounted.
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she → remember → it
"I can't forget the screams of the victims.
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I → forget → victims
I kept thinking we were next.
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we → think → ?
I felt that scratchiness in my throat, that burning in my eyes.
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I → feel → eyes
For a system of transitional justice that is truly victim-centered, it's not enough to just have survivors act as witnesses in court.
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survivors → center → court
"Victims must also participate in every detail related to the transitional justice process," she explained.
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she → participate → process
Additionally, those who were impacted by the crimes must be able to participate voluntarily and be protected as they do, Sheikh-Ali added.
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Ali → impact → crimes
…and 27 more, not listed.
