The Commission for International Justice and Accountability (CIJA) is a non-profit, non-governmental organisation dedicated to furthering criminal justice efforts through investigations, in order to prevent the loss and destruction of vital evidence for the purpose of supporting prosecutorial efforts to end impunity, whether at the domestic or international level.

CIJA began its work in Syria in 2012, launching what became the most successful documentation effort of an ongoing high intensity conflict. This success led to the replication of CIJA’s model in other conflicts and its adoption by numerous other actors.

CIJA’s aim is to expand opportunities to achieve justice for a broad range of crimes that impact vulnerable populations across the globe, including war crimes, crimes against humanity, genocide, terrorism, human trafficking, and migrant smuggling.

CIJA is apolitical and carries out its investigative activities independently of any government.

TO ACHIEVE THIS GOAL:

    CIJA gathers evidence of crimes that are beyond the reach of international and domestic justice institutions. CIJA places an emphasis on evidence linking specific perpetrators to these crimes.

CIJA builds local capacity to collect evidence in accordance with criminal justice standards and works closely with local actors in pursuit of evidence.

CIJA shares its expertise through technical assistance and mentoring for competent national authorities seeking to investigate international crimes in accordance with criminal justice standards.

CIJA preserves and analyses evidence in order to provide evidentiary and analytical support to international and domestic criminal justice institutions pursuing accountability through investigations, prosecutions, and trials.

Read More: What We Do

IMPACT:

CIJA’s work has expanded from its initial efforts to collect and preserve evidence of potential crimes committed in Syria to include both short-term capacity building and longer-term investigations in cooperation with local authorities and/or affected communities in multiple countries.