Trial Monitoring: Methodology

SJAC's trial monitoring and drafting rigorously adhere to the principles of impartiality, independence, and non-interference. SJAC reports with objectivity and accuracy, serving as a vital foundation for fostering judicial transparency. SJAC maintains a commitment to the presumption of innocence and privacy rights, ensuring all outputs comply with the rule of law and prevailing international standards. By operating in good faith and maintaining a self-critical awareness of potential bias or personal opinion, SJAC ensures the integrity of its findings. Furthermore, witness protection remains a paramount priority, ensuring SJAC's methodology meets the highest ethical requirements of international legal observation. 

SJAC’s trial reports are not verbatim transcripts of the proceedings, but merely unofficial summaries of the hearings based on the detailed notes taken by the trial monitors present during the proceedings. Depending on the common practice within a jurisdiction or permission by the court, the monitors take notes by hand, on digital devices such as their laptops or tablets, or transcribe from livestreams provided by courts. Trial monitors do not audio or videorecord the proceedings in whole or in part and only take photographs with the court's permission or from the publicly open court building. 

The trial monitor adheres to the basic principles of trial monitoring during the hearing as well as while drafting of the trial report:

• Impartiality
• Independence
• Non-interference 

Apart from trial monitoring, SJAC also supports authorities seeking to prosecute atrocity crimes committed in Syria by conducting investigative work and connecting witnesses with prosecutors (“case building”). SJAC's trial monitoring team does not share information with SJAC's case building team. Therefore, the latter only has access to the published reports available to the general public.