Rule by decree
CNN
Lacking a constitution or an elected legislature, the rebels ruled Idlib by decree, setting up a hybrid civil-Islamic court structure that included defense lawyers, a prosecutor and an appeals process.
Jolani was pragmatic in adapting to the requirements of the society he ruled over, Drevon said. Responding to the public’s displeasure, he slowly phased out the strict application of Islamic law, turned a blind eye to gender mixing and smoking and allowed protests against him. A Sharia law-based morality unit was disbanded but women were encouraged to cover their hair.
“It was a successful project in practice because there was also some buy in from the population. It was stable, the economy was working better (than the rest of Syria) and even the type of authoritarianism was nothing compared to Assad’s family,” Drevon said.
But there were exceptions. Last year, the SSG issued a “morality decree” instructing children to adhere to an Islamic dress code and limiting music in educational facilities. Jolani intervened to freeze the decree, fearing that an international uproar could affect aid donations, Drevon said.
Another issue was the arrest and alleged torture of dissidents that caused significant protests against Jolani in Idlib last year. Jolani told CNN last week that abuses in prisons “were not done under our orders or directions” and that HTS had already penalized the perpetrators.
Drevon said that Syria’s transition to democracy is going to be a lengthy and complicated process after six decades of dictatorship.
“It was a very new form of governance (in Idlib),” he said. “You can’t expect an armed group in war controlling a region that’s very tiny to create a social democratic system… They had to be realistic on what’s possible at war. Syria hasn’t had democracy in five, six decades. You will not become democratic in one week.”
