HTS leader Jolani says no pardons for prison torturers, will 'pursue' them in Syria and beyond

Ahmed Hussein al-Sharaa, also known as Abu Mohammed al-Jolani, the leader of Hayat Tahrir al-Sham (HTS), has declared that those responsible for torture and killings in Syria’s notorious prison system will face justice, both within the country and abroad. Jolani said that no pardons or amnesties would be granted for implicated officials of Bashar al-Assad’s regime.

“We will pursue them in Syria, and we ask countries to hand over those who fled so we can achieve justice,” Jolani stated in a message shared on the state broadcaster’s Telegram channel, as per a report in The Guardian.

This declaration comes in the wake of a major HTS offensive that led to the collapse of Assad’s government and ended nearly 14 years of brutal civil war. Jolani’s forces swiftly captured the northern city of Aleppo, bringing down what has long been considered one of the world’s most oppressive police states. Since then, Assad’s commanders have been hunted across Syria, with many believed to have fled abroad or gone into hiding along the traditionally pro-regime coastal areas.

The scale of the regime’s abuses has come into sharper focus with the opening of detention centres. Families continue to search for clues about disappeared loved ones, with an estimated 130,000 people still missing, many believed to have perished in Assad’s prison system.

At least 300,000 Syrians were killed during the civil war, and new horrors continue to emerge. On Wednesday, 35 bodies showing signs of recent torture were delivered to a Damascus morgue, reportedly detainees from the infamous Sednaya prison, described as a “human slaughterhouse” by Amnesty International, the report added.

Meanwhile, thousands of Syrians gathered at the Masnaa border crossing into Lebanon, attempting to flee despite HTS assurances that civil rights and sectarian differences would be respected. Rebel fighters at the border reportedly searched for regime officials attempting to escape.
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In Damascus’s al-Midan neighborhood, rumors that one of the perpetrators of the 2013 Tadamon massacre would be publicly executed drew thousands to al-Ashmar Square. Masked fighters led chants for freedom and justice, while opposition and Palestinian flags waved in the crowd. The 2013 massacre, revealed by the Guardian, involved Assad’s soldiers blindfolding and executing at least 288 civilians, including 12 children, before setting the bodies on fire.

Elsewhere, Syria’s situation remains fluid, with renewed clashes in some areas. Fighting between Turkish-backed Arab rebel groups and the Kurdish-led Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) in Manbij has killed 218 people since Sunday, while Israel has escalated operations in Syria with a record 480 airstrikes targeting regime infrastructure.

With inputs from agencies.