Inside the Raslan Trial: Good Cop – Bad Cop

TRIAL OF ANWAR RASLAN and EYAD AL-GHARIB Higher Regional Court – Koblenz, Germany Trial Monitoring Report 45 Hearing Dates: September 1 & 2, 2021 A full PDF of this report is available, here. All reports and witness lists are available, here.   CAUTION: Some testimony includes descriptions of torture. Summaries/Highlights:[1] Day 90 – September 1, 2021 P48 […]

The New Child Rights Law in Syria will not protect children 

  In August 2021, the Syrian government formally issued a new law (No. 21/2021) expanding the rights and protections afforded to children. However, the reality on-the-ground shows that the new law is largely aspirational and there remains a huge chasm between the rights afforded by Syrian law and the practices of the Syrian government. The […]

A Missed Opportunity: Court Denies Recording of Closing Statements in Koblenz

  The Higher Regional Court of Koblenz has recently denied yet another request to allow for audio recordings of the Koblenz Trial. By that, it maintains its attitude to refuse the documentation and preservation of the trial through the production of original documents. Criminal trials are not generally recorded in Germany, however, German law allows […]

Inside the Raslan Trial: “Impertinence!” Defense Counsel questions the role of Anwar Al-Bunni

TRIAL OF ANWAR RASLAN and EYAD AL-GHARIB Higher Regional Court – Koblenz, Germany Trial Monitoring Report 44 Hearing Dates: August 25 & 26, 2021 A full PDF of this report is available, here. All reports and witness lists are available, here. CAUTION: Some testimony includes descriptions of torture. Summaries/Highlights:[1] Day 88 – August 25, 2021 P46, a […]

Juvenile Justice and Victim Participation in trials of Foreign ISIS Members 

  Two recent cases in Germany raise the question of how to balance the rights of juvenile defendants with the rights of victims to participate in proceedings. The Higher Regional Court in Düsseldorf, Germany, recently sentenced Sarah O. to six and a half years imprisonment for membership in a foreign terrorist organization, commission of crimes […]

Inside the Raslan Trial: No Enforced Disappearances

TRIAL OF ANWAR RASLAN Higher Regional Court – Koblenz, Germany Trial Monitoring Report 43 Hearing Dates: August 18 & 19, 2021 A full PDF of this report is available, here. All reports and witness lists are available, here.   CAUTION: Some testimony includes descriptions of torture. Summaries/Highlights:[1] Trial Day 86—August 18, 2021 The Court first heard the […]

1,000 Families of those Kidnapped by ISIS Ask for Assistance from the United States

  We, the families of those kidnapped by ISIS, are writing to the U.S. administration to ask for support in the search for our loved ones. When ISIS entered Northeast Syria, our loved ones were among the first to stand up against the extremist group, leading to them being kidnapped and disappeared. While information regarding […]

What Afghanistan Portends for Syria

  As of this writing, Afghanistan remains in crisis with victims reeling from ISIS-Khoresan’s attacks on civilians and U.S. soldiers at the Kabul airport. Numerous efforts are underway to evacuate U.S. citizens, as well as Afghans whose assistance was crucial in facilitating the work of the U.S. efforts at state-building. The disturbing reality of the […]

Inside the Raslan Trial: Incidents or a Revolution?

TRIAL OF ANWAR RASLAN Higher Regional Court – Koblenz, Germany Trial Monitoring Report 42 Hearing Dates: July 21 & 22, 2021 A full PDF of this report is available, here. All reports and witness lists are available, here.   CAUTION: Some testimony includes descriptions of torture.   Summaries/Highlights:[1] Trial Day 84 – July 21, 2021 P42, a […]