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   CAUTION: Some testimony includes descriptions of torture. Summaries/Highlights:[1] Trial Day 86—August 18, 2021 The Court first heard the testimony of Mr. Okotutsch, a 26-year-old police inspector at the Federal Criminal Police Office (BKA) who […]

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 […]

Why the US Should Expand Sanctions in Northern Syria

  The recent imposition of U.S. sanctions on the Turkish-backed armed group Ahrar al-Sharqiya represents a step forward in protecting human rights in northern Syria. Reactions to the sanctions by affiliates of Ahrar al-Sharqiya and its allies show that the designation may be a powerful tool to change behavior, and the U.S. should extend sanctions […]

Inside the Raslan Trial: The one who is arrested is lost; The one who is released is newborn

TRIAL OF ANWAR RASLAN Higher Regional Court – Koblenz, Germany Trial Monitoring Report 41 Hearing Dates: July 14 &15, 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 82 – July 14, 2021 P40, a 28-year-old […]

Spike in “Honor Killings” Fuels Protests for Accountability in Northeast Syria

  Two recent honor killings in Syria’s northeast have ignited public outrage and started a debate about how these murders should be prosecuted in the community. It is nearly impossible to determine the full scope of honor killings that take place every year in Syria. According to Human Rights Watch, over 200 women were murdered […]