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Families of Prisoners and Detainees Demand Refunds for Legal Fees
Some families of former prisoners and detainees in Syria are seeking to recover the legal fees they paid for the efforts to liberate their relatives. This comes after significant changes in the country led to the release of the majority of prisoners following the fall of the former regime and the escape of its ousted president on December 8, 2024.
According to several lawyers in Damascus, families of former detainees have begun demanding that lawyers refund the fees paid for following up on their children's cases before the regime's collapse. Lawyer Noor Jazairly noted that the families' expectations that the process of freeing detainees means the dropping of charges is legally incorrect.
She added, "The intention of the revolutionaries was to free political detainees, and it does not necessarily mean exonerating criminals." Jazairly clarified that even in the case of a general amnesty, personal rights related to criminal offenses do not fall.
For his part, lawyer Tahseen Hassan from Latakia stated that there were mistakes made during the release of prisoners, leading some to believe that their cases ended simply because they were released. He pointed out that some detainees broke down prison doors, which was evident at the Adra Central Prison.
Hassan considered the demands for refunds of legal fees to be a result of a misunderstanding by the detainees' families. He also noted that there have been assaults and threats against some lawyers from the families of the detained.
The Syria TV website contacted a relative of a detainee, who indicated that there were no achievements from the lawyer assigned to them and affirmed that the cases did not conclude with the release. Lawyers have also confirmed that the Syrian judiciary has begun issuing police notices for those released who have criminal cases, urging them to submit requests to avoid being detained again.
The legal situation appears to be complex during this transitional phase, and over time, more may become clear regarding the outcomes of these cases affecting many families.
