Justice and Accountability drowned in “Operation White Milk”

In mid-November, Austrian media shed light on a scandal involving Austrian authorities and the Israeli intelligence service Mossad. Leaked documents from, Austria’s national intelligence service (BVT) (the Office for the Protection of the Constitution and Fight against Terrorism), reveal that the BVT made a deal, so-called “Operation White Milk,” with the Israeli Mossad by agreeing to […]

Consideration of a “Pooled Jurisdiction” Tribunal for Syria

The Open Society Justice Initiative (OSJI) has initiated a discussion with Syrian civil society groups about the creation of a Nuremberg-like tribunal for the prosecution of Syrian war criminals. While SJAC is generally supportive of all efforts that could bring a measure of justice and accountability for the atrocities committed in Syria since 2011, there […]

Hunger and COVID-19: Syrians are Facing Overlapping Humanitarian Crises

While the number of COVID-19 cases continues to rise in Syria, the country is also fighting a pandemic of hunger. In late October, images spread online of those waiting for bread in caged pedestrian walkways, a symbol not only of the country’s increasing economic crisis but also the government’s irresponsible pandemic response. The World Food […]

Inside the Raslan Trial: “There was Gandhi, Mandela and I am the third”

TRIAL OF ANWAR RASLAN and EYAD AL GHARIB Higher Regional Court – Koblenz, Germany Trial Monitoring Report 10 Hearing Dates: August 26-27, 2020[1] Full PDF of the report can be found here. CAUTION: Some testimony includes descriptions of torture.  Summary / Highlights: Trial Day 26 – August 26, 2020 Riyad Mossallam Saif, a 73-year-old man […]

Decisions in Denmark Risk Protections for Syrian Refugees

This past summer, the Danish Refugee Appeals Board, a quasi-judicial body that processes complaints about asylum-related decisions in Denmark, confirmed the Danish Immigration Service’s (DIS) decision to revoke or refuse to extend residence permits for many Syrian refugees from Damascus. The decision reflects a fundamental misunderstanding in Europe that the Syrian capital is a safe […]

It’s time to stop impunity for crimes against journalists in Syria

Since 2014, November 2nd has been dedicated to remembering all journalists who have been killed, harmed, or detained while pursuing their profession and to continuing the fight against impunity for all crimes against journalists. Last year, on the occasion of the fifth anniversary of the International Day to End Impunity for Crimes Against Journalists, SJAC […]

Inside the Raslan Trial: The Musician and the Blogger

TRIAL OF ANWAR RASLAN and EYAD AL GHARIB Higher Regional Court – Koblenz, Germany Trial Monitoring Report 9 Hearing dates of August 19 and 20, 2020  Full PDF of the report can be found here. CAUTION: Some testimony includes descriptions of torture. Summary / Highlights:[1] Trial Day 24 P11, a 35-year old man, testified about his […]

Obtaining Justice and Accountability: Recent Transitional Justice Developments

A number of recent developments regarding justice for Syrian war crimes highlight the need for a more comprehensive solution. These include an action likely to begin at the International Court of Justice, a criminal complaint in Germany, and an indictment of ISIS fighters in the U.S. Each of these actions has potential to achieve a […]

Deteriorating Security Conditions in Al-Hol Camp Necessitate Repatriation Programs

A spate of recent murders at Al-Hol Camp in Northeast Syria raises safety and security questions concerning its nearly 70,000 residents. Sixteen murders were committed between August 1 and October 11, 2020 of whom nearly two-thirds were Iraqis. The growing security risks display the need for states to implement repatriation programs. The camp’s administration has […]