SNHR and ECCHR Hold a Launch Event for their Joint Report on the Achievements and Blind Spots in Accountability Efforts After 13 Years of Atrocities in Syria

The Hague – The Syrian Network for Human Rights (SNHR)

Thursday, May 16, 2024, the Syrian Network for Human Rights (SNHR) and the European Center for Constitutional and Human Rights (ECCHR) held an online event entitled, ‘Accountability Efforts After 13 Years of Atrocities in Syria’. The event, which was livestreamed via Zoom and SNHR’s channels, featured Michelle Jarvis, Deputy Head of the International, Impartial and Independent Mechanism (IIIM); Linnea Arvidsson from the Independent International Commission of Inquiry on the Syrian Arab Republic (COI); Patrick Kroker from the International Crimes and Accountability Program at the ECCHR; Helena Krüger, a Legal Advisor with the ECCHR; and Fadel Abdulghany, SNHR Executive Director, with Rula Asad, a co-founder of the Syrian Female Journalists Network, serving as moderator.

The event participants discussed the joint report recently released by the two groups, SNHR and the ECCHR, entitled, ‘Patchwork Justice for Syria?’. This report sheds light on the accountability efforts, and the ongoing investigations and trials related to Syria. The report also discusses the role of international mechanisms such as the IIIM, the COI, and non-governmental organizations (NGOs), as well as other actors, including justice facilitators, as well as attempting to outline the role of the criminal investigations, trials, and prosecutions currently underway. In addition, the report pinpoints the existing gaps in accountability efforts, such as prosecuting conflict-related sexual violence crimes, corporate accountably, and targeting other actors who have yet to be held accountable. Additionally, the report provides an outline of potential future developments.