2021-12-09

DAMASCUS - Every month, crimes committed in Syria since 2011 have repercussions on European soil and lead to new actions, thanks to the involvement of Syrian lawyers and human rights defenders. Mazen, Maryam, Anwar, and Hadi and many other defenders of justice and human rights track down suspected criminals, collect evidence and documents to bring these criminals in front of European courts in the name of the principle of universal jurisdiction.

For this investigation, a cross-border team of journalists accompanied these Syrians on a journey of hunting criminals to achieve justice. From behind the walls of offices and screens of computers to European streets, they cooperate with the war crimes units of the judicial system in the countries they live in. It is estimated that more than 1000 suspected war criminals are hiding in Europe.

Like the Nazis' hunters, these Syrians try to achieve justice and follow war criminals along the way from Syria to Europe. They archive evidence, documents, videos from the internet, monitor social media posts, and collect testimonies.  Suspects of war crimes against civilians in Syria could be jihadists, policemen, intelligence officers or civilians. They belong to a different kind of armed political groups.

Achieving justice is a duty that these Syrians take upon themselves. Their task is challenging, but despite its difficulty, these Syrians of all ages are working hard and at the expense of their own lives to achieve the mission and show the human desire for justice. Without justice for Syrian crimes, stability and security cannot be reached. 

Photo image: Syrian Archive
 

Team members

Guillaume Perrier

Guillaume Perrier is a French journalist, working since 20 years on the Middle East.

Daham Alasaad

Daham Alasaad is an investigative journalist and filmmaker focusing on human rights violations, immigration and corruption. 

Supported
€9.000 allocated on 15/04/2020
ID
ECB/2020/JA3A/581

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