SJAC's 2023 Summer Reading List - Universal Jurisdiction

Universal Jurisdiction Under Scrutiny: A Quantitative Analysis of 250+ Syrian Cases

This report by the Syria Justice and Accountability Centre (SJAC), critically assesses the prosecution of crimes committed in Syria since March 2011. As the conflict entered its twelfth year in 2023, SJAC examined what has been achieved in terms of justice and accountability for Syrian survivors. After an extensive review of terrorism and core international crimes cases prosecuted in various countries around the globe, SJAC analyzed domestic prosecutions to identify emerging themes and lessons learned.

2nd Time’s the Charm: France’s Cour de Cassation Broadens Universal Jurisdiction Law

The French Supreme Court corrected course earlier this month as the full Court reconsidered an earlier panel’s decision to stop the prosecution of war criminals living in France. In a closely followed case concerning the exercise of universal jurisdiction – which allows the prosecution of atrocity crimes even when committed outside of a state’s territorial borders – the French Cour de cassation (the country’s supreme court of appeal over civil and criminal matters) sat in plenary to determine whether an earlier panel of the court had interpreted French law too narrowly when it found that a suspected war criminal from Syria could not be prosecuted.

Germany and the Netherlands Must Improve Psychosocial Support for Survivors in Criminal Trials

The Koblenz Trial – the first major trial against a Syrian government affiliate – took place in Germany from 2020 until 2022. Throughout the proceedings, witnesses and survivors talked in detail about sensitive topics, including their experiences being tortured and subjected to other forms of violence. This adversely impacts the mental health of participants and observers alike. Despite the high risk of re-traumatization, SJAC’s trial monitors who observed each day of the proceedings consistently noticed that witnesses and survivors seemed to lack awareness of and access to psychosocial support services available to them.

Witness List from the Trial of Alaa M.

In January 2022, the Higher Regional Court in Frankfurt a. M. began the trial of a Syrian doctor, Alaa M., for crimes against humanity. This is the first criminal trial worldwide on the role of medical professionals in fostering state torture in Syria. The trial is an important step to hold perpetrators from all sides of the conflict accountable.

SJAC has compiled the following list of witnesses in the trial and corresponding trial reports to assist in understanding the ongoing legal proceedings and assisting those interested in following the trial.

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