Syria after Assad: Civil society and the road toward justice

A conversation on political reform, justice, and the role of civil society in Syria’s future.

A few months after the fall of Bashar al-Assad's regime, as Syria's interim president, Ahmed al-Sharaa, announces a new, transitional government, critical questions emerge about the country's political, social, and economic transformation. How will the new government implement these changes, and how will it impact the population? How will Syria navigate its relationship with the West, particularly in terms of international aid, foreign investments and diplomatic engagement?

This discussion brings together Brigitte Herremans, researcher at the Human Rights Centre of Ghent University and specialist in Syria and the Middle East, and Lina Ghotouk, a Syrian researcher and human rights specialist, to examine the pressing issues facing Syrian civil society. Moderated by reporter Wilson Fache, who covered recent events in Syria, the conversation will address the fight for truth and justice, the struggles of those advocating for accountability, and the caretaker government’s limited commitment to these efforts.

Photo: ©AFP

speaker

Brigitte Herremans is a postdoctoral researcher at the Human Rights Centre of Ghent University and a guest lecturer at the University of Antwerp. She is part of the inter-institutional iBOF project “Future-proofing human rights: Developing thicker forms of accountability”. She examines the relation between arts and accountability in the Syrian and Palestinian contexts. Her research interests are Syria, the Palestinian-Israeli question, (transitional) justice efforts, accountability, and literature. Brigitte studied Eastern Languages and Cultures at Ghent University and International Relations at l’Université Libre de Bruxelles. She worked as a Middle East policy officer for Broederlijk Delen and Pax Christi Flanders (2002–2018) and at BOZAR (2017–2019).

speaker

Lina Ghoutouk is a Syrian researcher and human rights specialist with ten years of experience in the humanitarian and research sectors. She holds an MA in Human Rights from Saint Joseph University, Beirut. Her research focused on the gendered impact of enforced disappearances, and she has advocated for an intersectional, victim-centered approach to addressing these serious human rights abuses. In her previous role as Syria project manager at Synaps, she advised several European donors and aid organisations on their programming in Syria, with a focus on conflict sensitivity and civil society engagement.

moderator

Wilson Fache is a freelance journalist and winner of the Albert Londres Prize in the written press category. A former correspondent in Iraq (2015-2018) and the occupied Palestinian territories (2018-2019), he has also covered the Russian invasion of Ukraine, the return to power of the Taliban in Afghanistan and the war in Syria. Between December and January 2025, his reports for Libération, RTBF and L'Écho took him from Damascus to Aleppo, from Eastern Ghouta to Homs, from Sednaya prison to Idlib province, where he covered the fall of Bashar Al-Assad's regime.

Syria after Assad: Civil society and the road toward justice

Brigitte Herremans

Lina Ghoutouk

Wilson Fache

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Syria after Assad: Civil society and the road toward justice

Brigitte Herremans

Lina Ghoutouk

Wilson Fache

Become a member

Reach us

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