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Throughout more than a decade of revolution in Syria, the massacres committed by the former regime constituted one of the most brutal chapters of the war, and in light of the widespread destruction and the absence of local justice mechanisms, human rights documentation emerged as the most important weapon in confronting oblivion and impunity.
Accurate documentation not only preserves the memory of victims, but also contributes to building a documented legal archive that can form an important basis for any future path to accountability and achieving justice.
Systematic Documentation of Violations in Syria
Speaking about this task, Fadel Abdulghany, director of the Syrian Network for Human Rights, told SANA: “Documentation was not just a traditional human rights activity, but a long and complex process aimed at building a reliable record of violations that can be used in international courts and UN reports, while at the same time preserving the dignity of victims and their historical rights.”
These efforts intersect with reports from major international organizations. Amnesty International has confirmed in several reports that the widespread violations committed by the former regime, including the indiscriminate bombing of cities, targeting of civilians, mass arrests and torture, amount to war crimes and possibly crimes against humanity. The organization stressed that the systematic documentation of these crimes is a prerequisite for prosecuting those responsible and protecting evidence from being lost in the context of a long and complex conflict.
First: The Network of Field Sources and Trust Building
Fadel Abdulghany says: “The first pillar of the Syrian Network for Human Rights’ methodology was building a broad network of field sources inside and outside Syria. Since June 2011, we have worked daily to build a network of relationships with victims’ families, eyewitnesses, and local activists in various Syrian governorates. This network was not the result of random referrals, but rather was built over years of mutual trust and systematic work.”
He adds: “The network has gradually become a reference point for Syrians to report violations, especially with its growing presence in international media and verified digital platforms.”
Multi-Source Verification
Abdulghany emphasizes that the network does not record any incident before verifying it through multiple sources. He adds, “When we document an extrajudicial killing, for example, we try to obtain multiple accounts: family testimonies, eyewitness accounts, and photographic evidence from the scene. We also analyze photos and videos from open sources after verifying their authenticity.”
In cases of massacres, the documentation process becomes more complex. Attacks often involve the use of multiple types of weapons, or what is known as a double-tap attack, which targets rescue teams after the initial bombing. Therefore, according to Abdulghany, the network developed an electronic archiving program that records data according to precise criteria, including: geographical location, age and gender, date of the incident, type of weapon used, and the party responsible for the attack.
Data and its Role in Accountability
According to Abdulghany, one of the network’s most significant achievements is the development of advanced databases that allow for cross-referencing between different types of information.
He explains, “The cross-referencing of different databases is what gave our work particular value to the United Nations. We weren’t just collecting reports; we were building an information infrastructure that could be used in criminal investigations.”
This, according to Abdulghany, led to the adoption of the network’s data as a primary source by the Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights in estimating the number of victims in Syria. He noted that the network developed a database of perpetrators containing more than 16,200 individuals involved in violations, categorized according to their positions in the chain of command and their direct or indirect responsibilities.
Documentation as a Tool for International Accountability
Abdulghany believes that documentation aims not only to record crimes but also to pave the way for holding perpetrators accountable. He says, “The cases brought before European courts under the principle of universal jurisdiction relied heavily on the accumulated documentation of arrests and torture in Syria.”
He explains that this path, despite its importance, remains limited because “universal jurisdiction prosecutes individuals, not regimes, and is often restricted to those within the territory of the state where the trial is taking place.”
Limits of Documentation and Witness Protection
Abdulghany acknowledges that the figures documented by the network represent only the minimum number of victims. He points out that many families are still afraid to report the fate of their children for fear of reprisals, and that there are areas that have been virtually inaccessible for years. The network emphasizes its strict commitment to protecting sources, concealing witness identities, and maintaining multiple backups of its databases in different locations to ensure their security.
Human rights documentation remains the cornerstone of any accountability process. As Amnesty International says, preserving evidence and accurately documenting crimes is the first step towards justice. Fadel Abdulghany summarizes the task by saying, “We may not have the ability to stop crimes immediately after they occur, but we have the ability to document them accurately, so that no one can deny them in the future.”
