Northern Syria takes step toward new judicial system

The Turkish-built Palace of Justice and an even larger prison were inaugurated in al-Rai last month with the expectation of a new judicial system to begin functioning in mid-October in place of unsanctioned courts controlled by the Free Syrian Army.
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Mehmet Tekinarslan (C), governor of Kilis, Turkey, cuts a ribbon at the opening ceremony of the Palace of Justice in al-Rai, Syria, in a still from a video recorded Sept. 19, 2018. - YouTube/FHA
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Khaled al-Khateb
@khaleedalkhteb
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ALEPPO — On Sept. 19, the local council of the city of al-Rai, in the northern Aleppo countryside, controlled by Turkish-backed Free Syrian Army (FSA) forces, inaugurated the new building to house the Palace of Justice. Turkey fully funded the construction of the court building and the adjacent prison.

Turkish officials attending the opening ceremony included the governor of Kilis, Mehmet Tekinarslan, his deputy Fahmi Sinan Niyaz and Kilis’ attorney general, Zafar Karaja Oglu. Among local officials were the head of al-Rai’s local council, Ismat Abbas, and a number of municipal dignitaries, police chiefs, general security officers and FSA leaders.

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