Documenting Human Rights and Humanitarian Law Violations in Syria

This primer is designed to assist groups engaged in documenting human rights and humanitarian law violations in the context of the Syrian conflict to do their work effectively, safely, and professionally. The focus is on conducting interviews of persons who have been affected by the conflict, referred to throughout this primer as “respondents”. This document is principally concerned with techniques for interviewing victims of, and witnesses to, human rights abuses and violations of the laws of war. It is intended for use by groups working in Syria or among refugee populations in bordering countries to document the human rights and international humanitarian law violations experienced by civilians affected by the conflict in Syria.