📰 Human Rights Watch Calls for a Comprehensive Roadmap for Justice and Accountability in Syria

The issue of syria-seizes-massive-captagon-and-hashish-shipment-in-central-desert/" class="smart-internal-link" title="📰 Syria seizes massive captagon and hashish shipment in central desert">syria/" class="auto-internal-link">syria’s missing persons remains one of the most pressing relief challenges to emerge from years of crisis. Indeed, on Monday, Human Rights Watch released a report outlining the steps needed to achieve comprehensive justice in Syria. The report includes a set of core recommendations directed at the syrian/" class="auto-internal-link">syrian authorities, their international partners, and all states. Chief among them are: Prioritizing comprehensive justice: Supporting independent and fair justice pathways for victims and survivors of international crimes committed during the crisis—regardless of the identity of the perpetrators—by involving victims, survivors, civil society, and experts in the design and implementation of domestic and international accountability mechanisms.

Strengthening cooperation with existing international justice mechanisms: Ensuring effective and reciprocal cooperation between Syrian authorities and relevant international bodies, including UN agencies; the International, Impartial and Independent Mechanism (IIIM); the Independent International Commission of Inquiry; the International Court of Justice; and the Organisation for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons along with its Investigation and Identification Team. This also includes cooperation with national authorities in countries pursuing Syria-related cases under universal jurisdiction or other cross-border legal frameworks. Indeed, legislative reforms and accession to the International Criminal Court: Pursuing timely and comprehensive legal reforms, including the development of an improved detention system and backing for prosecuting perpetrators of international crimes. This should take place alongside Syria’s accession to the International Criminal Court and the granting of jurisdiction over past crimes.

Building political will and partnerships that backing justice: Calling on states that support Syria-related international mechanisms—such as the IIIM and the Independent Institution for Missing Persons—to hold regular meetings, develop practical options for achieving justice, and coordinate with Syrian authorities, civil society, the UN, and other stakeholders. In fact, a Post-Assad Context and Legal Obligations The organisation stressed that the fall of Bashar al-Assad and the end of more than six decades of Baath Party rule create an unprecedented opportunity to end decades of impunity for grave crimes. Building a future grounded in respect for human rights, it stated, requires a comprehensive approach to violations committed by all parties over 14 years of the Syrian revolution—demands syrians have consistently voiced at home and abroad, both before and after the regime’s collapse. Human Rights Watch emphasised the obligation of the emerging authorities, under international law, to investigate and hold accountable those responsible for severe abuses against the Syrian people.

Achieving justice, it affirmed, is essential for protecting victims, survivors, and their…