Support Human Rights Activists in Syria

This quarter, SJAC began working on a trial monitoring training for trials related to the Syrian conflict that are taking place in the US, EU, and Syria. SJAC has been monitoring trails since 2020, but the increase of Syria-related trials around the world has left a gap in the organizations and activists who are able to document the proceedings.

Early in the quarter, SJAC presented its training curriculum to a law clinic in Amsterdam which is working alongside SJAC to monitor the Hasna A. Trial. A revised training was also presented to the students at the Loyola Law School in Los Angeles who are monitoring the Samir Al-Sheikh trial.

SJAC is now finalizing a version of this training which is specialized for trials taking place in Syria, specifically the Aleppo trials against perpetrators of crimes that took place during Syria’s coastal uprising.

Finally, lessons learned from these trainings are being used to create a training methodology for external trial monitoring organizations. The methodology which will teach the basics of note taking, drafting reports, protecting witness identities, redactions, objectivity, and decorum in court. SJAC has already shared its draft methodology with partner organizations to get their feedback, with the ultimate goal of adding the methodology to SJAC’s public trainings for human rights activists.

Thank you again for your support especially as we move toward a new phase of trial monitoring which is taking place inside Syria.

Thank you for your support of SJAC's work to promote justice and accountability in Syria.

This quarter, SJAC has been laying the groundwork for several in-person trainings that will take place in Europe and Syria.

The trainings will cover topics related to transitional justice efforts, including the process for monitoring trials in the Syrian legal system. As trials for perpetrators begin in Syria, it is critical that information about the proceedings is accessible to the Syrian public. Additionally, these trials are also a source of vital evidence which needs to be documented for future investigations.

SJAC is also planning to conduct trainings for Syrian lawyers and legal professionals, covering topics related to international law, war crimes, and crimes against humanity. While there are still logistic difficulties to hosting in-person trainings in Damascus, SJAC is hoping to conduct these trainings early in 2026.