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In September 2020, the Netherlands invoked Syria’s responsibility for human rights violations  committed during more than a decade of conflict and violence under the UN Convention against  Torture and Other Cruel, Inhuman or Degrading Treatment or Punishment (CAT). Canada joined them  in March 2021. Over the past three years, both states undertook the steps required […]

What is The Hague Court, or the International Court of Justice?   The International Court of Justice, as stated in Article 1 of its statute, is a court that was established in accordance with the Charter of the United Nations to be the main judicial body of the United Nations and operates in accordance with

Civil Society Organizations Urge UN Member States to Vote in Favor of Independent Institution on Missing Persons in Syria At the end of June, the UN General Assembly will be called to vote on a resolution to establish an independent institution to clarify the fate and whereabouts of missing people in the Syrian Arab Republic,

This was the title of the silent march in which thousands of people took to the streets of Montevideo to denounce the crimes of the military dictatorship that took place in Uruguay (1973-1985). Relatives of those who have been forcibly disappeared marched silently, holding banners with pictures of their loved ones, demanding truth, memory, and

Syrian families and human rights groups call for release of 135,000 still detained as US court opens landmark case into Syrian-state torture Syrian activists and human rights groups launch a new campaign today calling for the release of the more than 135,000* Syrians forcibly disappeared or arbitrarily detained by the Assad regime in government detention

A civil suit was filed in the US District Court for the District of Columbia against the government of Syria for the detention, interrogation, and torture of a Syrian-American citizen at the Air Force Intelligence Branch at the Mezzeh Military Airport, which houses the presidential plane of Bashar al-Assad. The suit alleges that the plaintiff’s

In 2011, inspired by the “Arab Spring” spreading across the Middle East, mass civilian protests erupted in Syria calling for democratic reforms, economic opportunities, and an end to corruption. In response, the government of the Syrian Arab Republic, led by President Bashar al-Assad, developed a nationwide strategy to suppress protesters and perceived opponents to his authoritarian

Nous, survivants, survivantes et familles des plus de 100,000 Syriens et Syriennes disparus de force depuis 2011, estimons que la recherche des disparus est une étape essentielle permettant de construire la paix en Syrie. Mais, c’est un processus complexe qui nécessite une grande capacité, ainsi que des efforts de coordination entre les institutions étatiques, les

Nosotros, los supervivientes y familiares  más de 100.000 sirios desaparecidos forzosamente desde 2011, creemos que la búsqueda de los desaparecidos es un paso esencial hacia la construcción de la paz en Siria. Pero es un proceso complejo que requiere grandes recursos, así como esfuerzos de coordinación entre instituciones estatales, organizaciones internacionales, grupos de víctimas, organizaciones

We, the survivors and families of the more than 100,000 Syrians who have been forcibly disappeared since 2011, regard the search for the missing as an essential step towards building peace. But the work of determining the fate and whereabouts of the disappeared is complex, requiring considerable resources as well as coordination between state institutions,