Relatives Taken Hostage by the Assad Government

Inside the Yarmouk Trial of Jihad et al. #2: Setting the Stage

TRIAL OF JIHAD A., MAHMOUD A., MAZHAR J., SAMEER S., AND WAEL S.  Higher Regional Court - Koblenz, Germany Trial Monitoring Summary #2 Hearing Date: December 3 and 4, 2025 CAUTION: Some testimony may include

Inside the Al-Yarmouk Trial of Jihad et al. #1: A Witness Who Witnessed Nothing or a Potential Precedent?

TRIAL OF Jihad A., Mahmoud A., Mazhar J., Sameer S., and Wael S. Higher Regional Court – Koblenz, Germany Trial Monitoring Summary #1 Hearing Date: November 19, 2025 CAUTION: Some testimony may include graphic descriptions of

Inside the Majdi N. Trial #34: Closing Argument of the Civil Parties

TRIAL OF MAJDI N. Court of Assize – Paris, France Trial Monitoring Summary #34 Hearing Date: May 26, 2025 CAUTION: Some testimony may include graphic descriptions of torture, rape or other violent acts.   Note that this

Inside the Majdi N. Trial #33: Requisition of the Prosecution

TRIAL OF MAJDI N. Court of Assize – Paris, France Trial Monitoring Summary #33 Hearing Dates: May 23 and 26, 2025 CAUTION: Some testimony may include graphic descriptions of torture, rape or other violent acts.   Note

Inside the Majdi N. Trial #32: Decision on the List of Questions Asked to the Judges and Jury to Evaluate Majdi N.’s Guilt

TRIAL OF MAJDI N. Court of Assize – Paris, France Trial Monitoring Summary #32 Hearing Date: May 23, 2025 CAUTION: Some testimony may include graphic descriptions of torture, rape or other violent acts.   Note that this

Inside the Majdi N. Trial #31: Interrogation on the Accused’s Involvement in the Military and Policy Office and Movements between Syria and Turkey from 2013 to 2016

TRIAL OF MAJDI N.  Court of Assize – Paris, France  Trial Monitoring Summary #31  Hearing Dates: May 22 and 23, 2025  CAUTION: Some testimony may include graphic descriptions of torture, rape or other violent acts.     Note

Inside the Majdi N. Trial #30: Interrogation of the Accused’s Involvement in Trainings in International Humanitarian Law for Jaysh Al-Islam's Fighters

TRIAL OF MAJDI N. Court of Assize – Paris, France Trial Monitoring Summary #30 Hearing Date: May 21, 2025  CAUTION: Some testimony may include graphic descriptions of torture, rape or other violent acts.   Note that this

Inside the Majdi N. Trial #29: Interrogation on Majdi N.’s Role in Propaganda and the Recruitment of Minors

TRIAL OF MAJDI N. Court of Assize – Paris, France Trial Monitoring Summary #29 Hearing Dates: May 12 and 13, 2025 CAUTION: Some testimony may include graphic descriptions of torture, rape or other violent acts.   Note

Inside the Twana H.S. and Asia R.A. Trial #10: The Secrets of Secret Communication

TRIAL OF TWANA H.S. AND ASIA R.A.  Higher Regional Court – Munich, Germany  Trial Monitoring Summary #10  Hearing Date: September 10 & 11, 2025   CAUTION: Some testimony may include graphic descriptions of torture, rape

Syria/Aleppo: Joint Statement on the Military Escalation in the Sheikh Maqsoud and Ashrafieh Neighborhoods

The Undersigned Syrian Organizations Call For The Immediate Cessation Of Military Operations And The Accompanying Violations, The Protection Of Civilians, And An Urgent Return To Negotiations  The undersigned Syrian organizations express their grave concern over

Inside the Majdi N. Trial #28: Testimony of Civil Party from Douma who Met Majdi N. in Prison and Endured Torture at Age 15

TRIAL OF MAJDI N. Court of Assize – Paris, France Trial Monitoring Summary #28 Hearing Date: May 20, 2025  CAUTION: Some testimony may include graphic descriptions of torture, rape or other violent acts.   Note that this

Inside the Majdi N. Trial #27: Testimony of Civil Party on Detention and Child Recruitment

TRIAL OF MAJDI N. Court of Assize – Paris, France Trial Monitoring Summary #27 Hearing Date: May 19, 2025 CAUTION: Some testimony may include graphic descriptions of torture, rape or other violent acts.   Note that this

Inside the Majdi N. Trial #26: Testimony of Civil Party whose Human Rights’ Activities were Violently Targeted by Jaysh Al-Islam

TRIAL OF MAJDI N. Court of Assize – Paris, France Trial Monitoring Summary #26 Hearing Date: May 16, 2025 CAUTION: Some testimony may include graphic descriptions of torture, rape or other violent acts.   Note that this

Inside the Majdi N. Trial #25: Testimony of Civil Party Mazen Darwish

TRIAL OF MAJDI N. Court of Assize – Paris, France Trial Monitoring Summary #25 Hearing Date: May 11, 2025 CAUTION: Some testimony may include graphic descriptions of torture, rape or other violent acts.   Note that this

Inside the Mahmoud S. Trial #04: Closed Doors

TRIAL OF Mahmoud S. Stockholm District Court – Stockholm, Sweden Trial Monitoring Summary #04 Hearing Date: November 17, 18, and 20, 2025  CAUTION: Some testimony may include graphic descriptions of torture, rape or other violent acts.

Inside the Mahmoud S. Trial #03: Testimonies of Plaintiff

TRIAL OF Mahmoud S. Stockholm District Court – Stockholm, Sweden Trial Monitoring Summary #03 Hearing Date: November 10, 12, and 13, 2025  CAUTION: Some testimony may include graphic descriptions of torture, rape or other violent acts.

Lafarge on Trial – Part 6: What the French prosecution is asking and what the United States obtained

In partnership with Justice Info, international law professor Sharon Weill and 11 students at Sciences Po Paris have provided weekly coverage of the Lafarge trial taking place in the French capital. The trial ends on

Inside the Twana H.S. and Asia R.A. Trial #09: Mobile Phones’ Truth

TRIAL OF TWANA H.S. AND ASIA R.A.  Higher Regional Court – Munich, Germany  Trial Monitoring Summary #09  Hearing Date: September 2, 2025  CAUTION: Some testimony may include graphic descriptions of torture, rape or other

Inside the Twana H.S. and Asia R.A. Trial #08: Credibility – Challenged and Defended

TRIAL OF TWANA H.S. AND ASIA R.A.  Higher Regional Court – Munich, Germany  Trial Monitoring Summary #08  Hearing Date: August 5, 2025  CAUTION: Some testimony may include graphic descriptions of torture, rape or other

Lafarge on trial – part 5: what could possibly lead to this?

In partnership with Justice Info, international law professor Sharon Weill and 11 students at Sciences Po Paris are providing weekly coverage of the Lafarge trial taking place in the French capital.  Originally Published on Justice

Returns to Syria Remain Unsafe: Insights From a Recent German Court Ruling

One year after the fall of the Assad government, the EU has continued to grapple with how to respond to Syrians’ claims for protection. On October 31, 2025, the Cologne Administrative Court in Germany issued

Inside the Mahmoud S. Trial #02: Plaintiffs’ Testimonies

TRIAL OF Mahmoud S. Solna District Court – Solna, Sweden Trial Monitoring Summary #02 Hearing Date: November 5, 6, and 7, 2025 CAUTION: Some testimony may include graphic descriptions of torture, rape or other violent acts.

Inside the Alaa M. Trial #108: Life Sentence, Particular Gravity of Guilt, and Preventive Detention: The End of 3,5 Years of A Truth-Finding Process

TRIAL OF ALAA M. Higher Regional Court – Frankfurt, Germany Trial Monitoring Summary #108 Hearing Date: June 16, 2025 CAUTION: Some testimony may include graphic descriptions of torture, rape or other violent acts. Note that this

Lafarge on Trial - Part 4: re-humanising the hearings

In partnership with Justice Info, international law professor Sharon Weill and 11 students at Sciences Po Paris are providing weekly coverage of the Lafarge trial taking place in the French capital.   Originally Published on Justice

Safeguarding Syria’s Reconstruction: Why Anti-Corruption Must Come First

Syria is entering a new phase, one marked by renewed public engagement and growing international interest in reconstruction. Recent crowdfunding campaigns and early reconstruction initiatives have generated a sense of possibility that has been absent

Lafarge on Trial - Part 3: Tracing the flow of funds to terrorist groups

In partnership with Justice Info, international law professor Sharon Weill and eleven students at Sciences Po Paris are providing weekly coverage of the Lafarge trial in France. Originally Published on Justice Info 1 December 2025

Inside the Twana H.S. and Asia R.A. Trial #7:  Retraumatization and Conflict in Court

TRIAL OF TWANA H.S. AND ASIA R.A.    Higher Regional Court – Munich, Germany       Trial Monitoring Summary #7     Hearing Date: July 29, 30 & 31, 2025         CAUTION: Some testimony may include graphic descriptions of torture,

A Detainee's Journey through Assad's Security System - Detainee #6013

These documents reveal patterns of abuses by the many branches of the Assad military and intelligence apparatus.

Lafarge on Trial - Part 2: White-Collar Terror Trial

In partnership with Justice Info, Professor of international law Sharon Weill and eleven students at Sciences Po Paris are covering the Lafarge trial daily, providing a weekly ethnography of the trial. Originally Published on Justice

Inside the Majdi N. Trial #19: Testimony of Syrian Witness on the Detention of Civilians after the Attack on Adra Al-Omaliya

TRIAL OF MAJDI N.  Court of Assize – Paris, France     Trial Monitoring Summary #19  Hearing Date: May 19, 2025  CAUTION: Some testimony may include graphic descriptions of torture, rape or other violent acts.     Note that this