Options for Justice and accountability processes in Syria, led by Syrians

The fall of the Assad regime in Syria after 54 years of brutal dictatorship, systematic torture and the forced disappearance of hundreds of thousands of people has now opened up a historic opportunity to document these crimes and hold the perpetrators accountable.

Syrian lawyers and survivors, as well as a network of international civil society organizations, have been preparing for this situation in recent years. The United Nations has set up two mechanisms to investigate the crimes, one of which has an explicit mandate to secure evidence and prepare indictments. National law enforcement agencies in Germany and elsewhere have collected large amounts of evidence. Pioneering trials under the principle of universal jurisdiction have already taken place.

With the fall of Assad on December 8, the possibility has arisen that the investigation and prosecution of the regime's crimes, internationally and locally in Syria, will now be led by Syrians.

In our roundtable on January 14 from 1-4 pm CET

we would like to discuss the following questions with relevant actors from Syrian civil society, government officials, and experts on Syria and international criminal law under Chatham House Rules:

• What should an appropriate legal response to the international crimes committed in Syria look like?
• Which international criminal law mechanisms could be used in a future Syria?
• What international support is needed to facilitate criminal accountability and transitional justice in Syria?
• What influence do the concluded and ongoing proceedings in Germany have on this? How can the achievements of the accountability process outside of Syria be utilized from now on?

Contact: 

Birgit Arnhold 
Heinrich-Böll-Stiftung Berlin
Mail: Birgit.arnhold@boell.de

Lina Schneider
Heinrich-Böll-Stiftung Berlin
Mail: Lina.schneider@boell.de