“We Are Not Like We Used to Be”: Syrian Responses to Documentation, Truth, and Reconciliation

  The process of post-conflict reconciliation is understood to go hand-in-hand with truth-seeking and remembrance of human rights abuses, in the hope that they will not be repeated. In Syria, however, the process the government calls “reconciliation” is actually one of forgetting: returning refugees are required to fill out a form disavowing any past oppositional […]

Inside the Raslan Trial: I Abandoned my Memories.

  TRIAL OF ANWAR RASLAN Higher Regional Court – Koblenz, Germany Trial Monitoring Report 33 Hearing Dates: April 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 69 – April 14, 2021 P32, […]

Yazidi Survivors of ISIS are Still Waiting for International Support

  In the aftermath of the territorial defeat of ISIS, harrowing stories of Yazidi survivors of ISIS’s kidnappings and ethnic cleansing were shared around the world. On social media, Yazidi women newly freed from ISIS captivity, were seen receiving assistance and security assurances from the UN and humanitarian organizations. However, despite the promises made, many […]

Inside the Raslan Trial: “The Movie Director’s Funeral.”

  TRIAL OF ANWAR RASLAN Higher Regional Court – Koblenz, Germany Trial Monitoring Report 32 Hearing Dates: April 7 and 8, 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 67 – April 7, 2021 P31 [name […]

Inside the Raslan Trial: An Invitation to Coffee at Al Khatib

  TRIAL OF ANWAR RASLAN Higher Regional Court – Koblenz, Germany Trial Monitoring Report 31 Hearing Date: March 24, 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 66 – March 24, 2021 The witness who […]

Inside the Raslan Trial: Plaintiffs under Scrutiny

  TRIAL OF ANWAR RASLAN Higher Regional Court – Koblenz, Germany Trial Monitoring Report 30 Hearing Date: March 17, 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 65 – March 17, 2021 The plaintiff P30, a […]

Time to Focus on the Victims – on EU Day against Impunity

Trials concerning crimes against humanity, such as the one currently taking place in Koblenz, show that victims of core international crimes often do not know enough about their rights relating to support and participation, as well as consequences of their involvement as witnesses or plaintiffs. In recent years, European Union (EU) agencies such as Europol, […]

Inside the Raslan Trial: “I am not me.”

TRIAL OF ANWAR RASLAN Higher Regional Court – Koblenz, Germany Trial Monitoring Report 29 Hearing Dates: March 10 & 11, 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 63 – March 10, 2021 After the verdict […]

Inside the Raslan Trial: Closing Statements in the Al-Gharib Trial

TRIAL OF ANWAR RASLAN and EYAD AL-GHARIB Higher Regional Court – Koblenz, Germany Trial Monitoring Report 27 Hearing Dates: February 17 & 18, 2021 To read this report as a PDF, click here.   CAUTION: Some testimony includes descriptions of torture.   Summaries/Highlights:[1] Trial Day 60 – February 17, 2021 German translations of three documents […]

Foreign Aid and Demographic Change in Northwest Syria

Recent media reports from Northwest Syria have once again raised concerns about the prospect of forced demographic change in the country and the role of foreign aid in facilitating this process. These reports specifically focus on the role of Kuwait and other regional governments in financing Turkish-led reconstruction efforts on land in Afrin belonging to […]