The expansion of reconciliation councils in Syria after the fall of Bashar al-Assad
According to Alhurra, as Syria faces the aftermath of over fourteen years of war, citizens are increasingly turning to reconciliation councils to resolve disputes. In Raqqa, these councils adjudicate cases such as financial disagreements by relying on Sharia law and, at times, local customs. Adel al-Haj, head of the Raqqa Reconciliation Council, told Alhurra that people prefer these councils due to their speed and lack of financial costs. While some human rights activists view these councils as a 'supplement' to the judiciary, concerns have been raised regarding the future of the Syrian legal system and the potential for two parallel systems—civil courts and Sharia-based councils—to emerge. According to the report, some of these councils have roots in experiences from the period when Hay'at Tahrir al-Sham controlled Idlib, and there are now reports of plans to formalize them as state-affiliated bodies, although no official presidential decree has been issued yet.