On the first anniversary of Syria’s liberation
One year after Syria’s liberation, CIJA honours the resilience of its people and the courage of survivors. We also reflect on the years of quiet, often clandestine work of 40 Syrian men and women that make up CIJA Syria to secure evidence and preserve the truth about the atrocities committed by the regime. In this video CIJA’s Shadow Warriors talk about their dangerous work to unmask Regime perpetrators during the war. As Syria moves forward, our commitment remains focused on assisting the Syrian quest to rebuild and strengthen the institutions that will lead the country’s transition to justice.
One year after Syria’s liberation, CIJA honours the resilience of its people and the courage of survivors. We also reflect on the years of quiet, often clandestine work of 40 Syrian men and women that make up CIJA Syria to secure evidence and preserve the truth about the atrocities committed by the regime. In this video CIJA’s Shadow Warriors talk about their dangerous work to unmask Regime perpetrators during the war. As Syria moves forward, our commitment remains focused on assisting the Syrian quest to rebuild and strengthen the institutions that will lead the country’s transition to justice.
Watch “Shadow Warriors” in Arabic: https://youtu.be/ayxbsb96wvo
Watch “Shadow Warriors” in English: https://youtu.be/1VYRnUmwbD4
CIJA organises National Police of Ukraine visit to the United States
CIJA was honoured to organise the visit of our partners from the National Police of Ukraine to the United States last week.
The delegation met with Homeland Security Investigations and the FBI at the Human Rights and War Crimes Center, exchanging insights on innovative methods that combine advanced technologies with traditional investigative practice to document war crimes.
They also briefed the U.S. Helsinki Commission, contributing to essential dialogue on accountability, evidence collection, and the pursuit of justice.
CIJA is proud to facilitate these engagements and to strengthen the collaborative efforts needed to advance justice and accountability for atrocity crimes and is grateful to the Department of State and INL for their support
CIJA was honoured to organise the visit of our partners from the National Police of Ukraine to the United States last week.
The delegation met with Homeland Security Investigations and the FBI at the Human Rights and War Crimes Center, exchanging insights on innovative methods that combine advanced technologies with traditional investigative practice to document war crimes.
They also briefed the U.S. Helsinki Commission, contributing to essential dialogue on accountability, evidence collection, and the pursuit of justice.
CIJA is proud to facilitate these engagements and to strengthen the collaborative efforts needed to advance justice and accountability for atrocity crimes and is grateful to the Department of State and INL for their support
“The fragile fight for justice in a post-Assad Syria”
(Al Jazeera) Hasan Al Hariri, CIJA Syria Director spoke with Al Jazeera’s Sandra Gathmann and Harriet Tathman about the work undertaken by CIJA’s Syrian investigators to collect and preserve more than 1.3 million pages of Assad Regime documents, often at great danger, during the conflict.
(Al Jazeera) Hasan Al Hariri, CIJA Syria Director spoke with Al Jazeera’s Sandra Gathmann and Harriet Tathman about the work undertaken by CIJA’s Syrian investigators to collect and preserve more than 1.3 million pages of Assad Regime documents, often at great danger, during the conflict.
Read more here: https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2025/12/7/the-fragile-fight-for-justice-in-a-post-assad-syria
CIJA Participates in Syria Ukraine Workshop on Ending Impunity and Strengthening Civil Society
On 06 December, CIJA participated in the “Syria Ukraine Workshop on Ending Impunity and Strengthening Civil Society” organised by the Syrian Emergency Task Force, Madaniya and PIJ Lab, in Damascus.
Leading human rights defenders from Ukraine shared their experience in documenting crimes, supporting survivors and building justice mechanisms during wartime, including Nobel Peace Prize laureate Oleksandra Matviichuk, PIJL co-founder Nataliya Gumenyuk and Crimean Tartar activist Leniie Umerova.
Hasan Al Hariri, CIJA Syria Director joined the Ukrainian human rights activists, where he discussed different approaches to war crimes documentation and justice. Drawing on CIJA s experience in both Syria and Ukraine, Hasan called for the shift of focus to rebuilding the national institutions in Syria which will ultimately bear the responsibility for delivering accountability and transitional justice.
CIJA stands ready to support the Syrian efforts to design effective transitional justice mechanisms and is in discussion with the relevant authorities about concrete help that can be offered in the short and long term.
On 06 December, CIJA participated in the “Syria Ukraine Workshop on Ending Impunity and Strengthening Civil Society” organised by the Syrian Emergency Task Force, Madaniya and PIJ Lab, in Damascus.
Leading human rights defenders from Ukraine shared their experience in documenting crimes, supporting survivors and building justice mechanisms during wartime, including Nobel Peace Prize laureate Oleksandra Matviichuk, PIJL co-founder Nataliya Gumenyuk and Crimean Tartar activist Leniie Umerova.
Hasan Al Hariri, CIJA Syria Director joined the Ukrainian human rights activists, where he discussed different approaches to war crimes documentation and justice. Drawing on CIJA s experience in both Syria and Ukraine, Hasan called for the shift of focus to rebuilding the national institutions in Syria which will ultimately bear the responsibility for delivering accountability and transitional justice.
CIJA stands ready to support the Syrian efforts to design effective transitional justice mechanisms and is in discussion with the relevant authorities about concrete help that can be offered in the short and long term.
“Our documents reveal how state terror was organised”
(Qantara) Hasan Al Hariri, CIJA Syria Director spoke at length to Andrea Backhaus on the challenges that transitional justice institutions face in Syria and the urgent need for assistance:“More resources are urgently needed... Syrian investigators and judicial officials still face a severe lack of equipment and resources.”
(Qantara) Hasan Al Hariri, CIJA Syria Director spoke at length to Andrea Backhaus on the challenges that transitional justice institutions face in Syria and the urgent need for assistance:
“More resources are urgently needed... Syrian investigators and judicial officials still face a severe lack of equipment and resources.”
Read more: https://qantara.de/en/article/assads-syria-our-documents-reveal-how-state-terror-was-organised
Indictment of Brig. Genl Khaled Al-Halibi and Mussab A.R. in Austria for Torture, Serious Bodily Harm and Sexual Coercion in Syria
Yesterday, Austrian authorities indicted the former Syrian Brigadier General Khaled Al-Halabi and Mussab A. R on charges of torture, serious bodily harm and sexual coercion. Al-Halibi’s indictment comes ten years after the Commission for International Justice and Accountability (CIJA) located him in Vienna and shared relevant materials with the Austrian authorities.
Yesterday, Austrian authorities indicted the former Syrian Brigadier General Khaled Al-Halabi and Mussab A. R on charges of torture, serious bodily harm and sexual coercion. Al-Halibi’s indictment comes ten years after the Commission for International Justice and Accountability (CIJA) located him in Vienna and shared relevant materials with the Austrian authorities.
Al-Halabi was the head of the General Intelligence Branch 335 in Ar-Raqqa from at least 2009 until 02 March 2013, two days prior to the fall of Raqqa to Syrian opposition forces. He is the highest-ranking former Syrian Regime official to be detained and indicted in Europe for war crimes carried out in Syria during the civil war. Mussab A.R was the head of criminal investigations of the Criminal Security Branch in Raqqa.
Branch 335 was subordinate to the General Intelligence Directorate in Damascus. The CIJA dossier on Al-Halabi is supported by numerous Regime documents, 9 insider witnesses and 39 victim witnesses. Together, the evidence held by CIJA demonstrates that Al-Halabi exercised de jure and de facto control over all aspects of the functioning of Branch 335. The evidence illustrates that crimes against humanity, including murder, torture and offences, were perpetrated in Branch 335 by subordinates of Al-Halabi, with his knowledge. CIJA also responded to further requests for assistance from Austrian authorities, including information and analysis on Mussab A.R., and the security branch that he operated in, as well as internal regime documents and selected witness statements.
CIJA welcomes the indictment of Al-Halibi and Mussab A.R. This development underscores how persistent documentation and evidence-building – including CIJA’s identification of Khaled Al-Halabi in Vienna and the dossier we provided to Austrian authorities in 2016 – helps to move accountability forward even when it might take years.
CIJA was able to build its dossier on Al-Halabi using its unprecedented evidence holdings and rigorous analytical understanding of the perpetrating structures of the Syrian Regime. It has used this information and analytical capacity to support numerous investigations, including through the submission of evidence and testimony in more than 26 cases in Europe and North America. This includes assisting over 76 law enforcement agencies from 20 countries: since 2016 CIJA has responded to over 965 Requests for Assistance, including requests on nearly 3,000 Syrian Regime and Islamic State targets, many of whom are present in Schengen Zone States. CIJA has also identified a further 57 persons of interest and submitted 40 suspect dossiers to relevant authorities.
CIJA will continue to support victim-centred investigations and to provide responsibly collected evidence to competent authorities as Syrian quest for accountability continues.
Al Jazeera Start Here On-The-Road on the quest for justice in Syria
Hasan Al Hariri, CIJA’s Syria Lead Investigator spoke to Al Jazeera’s Sandra Guthmann about the work of his team to preserve 1.3 million Syrian Regime documents. Once a ‘shadow warrior’ working anonymously, she says “this man risked his life to help smuggle 1.3 million documents out of the country with the aim to hold Assad to account”
Watch the full documentary here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9SFG-nYisDg
or the excerpt of Hasan here: https://x.com/AJEnglish/status/1985720137870192755
Hasan Al Hariri, CIJA’s Syria Lead Investigator spoke to Al Jazeera’s Sandra Guthmann about the work of his team to preserve 1.3 million Syrian Regime documents. Once a ‘shadow warrior’ working anonymously, she says “this man risked his life to help smuggle 1.3 million documents out of the country with the aim to hold Assad to account”
Watch the full documentary here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9SFG-nYisDg
or the excerpt of Hasan here: https://x.com/AJEnglish/status/1985720137870192755
Council of Europe Report Recognises CIJA’s Evidence Collection Practices
On 16 October 2025, the Council of Europe launched the report “Comparative Practices on the Use of Information Collected in Conflict Zones as Evidence in Criminal Proceedings.”
Read the full report here: https://edoc.coe.int/en/terrorism/12088-comparative-practices-on-the-use-of-information-collected-in-conflict-zones-as-evidence-in-criminal-proceedings.html
On 16 October 2025, the Council of Europe launched the report “Comparative Practices on the Use of Information Collected in Conflict Zones as Evidence in Criminal Proceedings.”
Prepared by the COE’s Committee on Counter-Terrorism and the International Institute for Justice and the Rule of Law, the report examines how European States identify, obtain, and share information and materials from conflict zones, and how these can be used as evidence in terrorism-related criminal proceedings. The report also provides practical guidance on the lawful and effective use of such information in accordance with national legislation and international standards.
Importantly, it highlights the contribution that CIJA has made to a number of terrorism cases noting that CIJA “has proven a particularly prominent nongovernmental source of conflict zone information.”
Read the full report here: https://edoc.coe.int/en/terrorism/12088-comparative-practices-on-the-use-of-information-collected-in-conflict-zones-as-evidence-in-criminal-proceedings.html
“Accountability for IS Crimes Against the Yezidis”
The Islamic State’s campaign against the Yazidi community – and other minorities – was driven by an ideology of extermination and enslavement which was controlled through a highly-organised and well-regulated bureaucracy. A new TOAEP policy brief by Stephanie Barbour and William Wiley explores how evidence gathered from IS’s own records by CIJA investigators has contributed to a growing number of prosecutions in Europe.
The Islamic State’s campaign against the Yazidi community – and other minorities – was driven by an ideology of extermination and enslavement which was controlled through a highly-organised and well-regulated bureaucracy. A new TOAEP policy brief by Stephanie Barbour and William Wiley explores how evidence gathered from IS’s own records by CIJA investigators has contributed to a growing number of prosecutions in Europe. Courts have increasingly convicted IS members on cumulative charges of terrorism and international crimes, including genocide and crimes against humanity for the enslavement, murder and rape of Yezidis. These trials have served to better capture the crimes perpetrated and more broadly establish the judicial truth concerning the Yezidi genocide. However, in the absence of a comprehensive policy for case selection and prioritization that would enable the prosecution of higher-level perpetrators, they conclude that the full evidence of IS’s genocidal plan to eradicate the Yezidis has yet to be unfurled.
Read the Policy Brief: https://www.toaep.org/pbs-pdf/192-barbour-wiley/
Stephanie Barbour and William H. Wiley, Accountability for Islamic State Crimes Against Yazidis, TOEAP Policy Brief Series No. 192 (2025)
CIJA Evidence Cited in IIMM Report on Myanmar Military’s “Clearance Operations” Against Rohingya Population
On 29 September 2025, the Independent Investigative Mechanism for Myanmar (IIMM) published a public summary of its report detailing the widespread destruction and dispossession of Rohingya land and property by the Myanmar military during its 2017 "clearance operations" in Rakhine state.
Read the IIMM Report Summary “The Destruction and Dispossession of Rohingya Land and Property During the 2017 Clearance Operations” here:
https://iimm.un.org/sites/default/files/2025/09/Land%20Report%20Public%20Summary%20EN.pdf
Read more about CIJA´s investigation here: https://cija-myanmar.org/
On 29 September 2025, the Independent Investigative Mechanism for Myanmar (IIMM) published a public summary of its report detailing the widespread destruction and dispossession of Rohingya land and property by the Myanmar military during its 2017 "clearance operations" in Rakhine state.
This report is supported by documents and analysis collected by CIJA over the course of a four year investigation between 2018 and 2022.
CIJA's approach to evidence collection and preservation has played a critical role in ensuring that international and national courts, as well as UN mechanisms, have access to high-quality, probative evidence well before they could establish their own investigative presence in atrocity-affected areas.
CIJA´s Myanmar investigation continues to support the proceedings taking place before the International Criminal Court and the International Court of Justice.
Read the IIMM Report Summary “The Destruction and Dispossession of Rohingya Land and Property During the 2017 Clearance Operations” here:
https://iimm.un.org/sites/default/files/2025/09/Land%20Report%20Public%20Summary%20EN.pdf
Read more about CIJA´s investigation here: https://cija-myanmar.org/
UK Minister visits CIJA’s Damascus Office
Damascus, 27 August 2025 — CIJA had the honour of welcoming the UK Minister for the Middle East, Hamish Falconer, to its Damascus office today, recognising over twelve years of dedicated work documenting atrocities committed during the conflict in Syria.
The Minister met with the two lead Syrian investigators Hassan Al Hariri and Husam Sarif who have worked tirelessly often at great personal risk and without public recognition for more than twelve years. Their efforts, along those of over 40 other Syrian CIJA investigators, have been central to preserving evidence of crimes, ensuring that truth and justice remain within reach for the Syrian people.
Damascus, 27 August 2025 — CIJA had the honour of welcoming the UK Minister for the Middle East, Hamish Falconer, to its Damascus office today, recognising over twelve years of dedicated work documenting atrocities committed during the conflict in Syria.
The Minister met with the two lead Syrian investigators Hassan Al Hariri and Husam Sarif who have worked tirelessly often at great personal risk and without public recognition for more than twelve years. Their efforts, along those of over 40 other Syrian CIJA investigators, have been central to preserving evidence of crimes, ensuring that truth and justice remain within reach for the Syrian people.
“This recognition is not only for our organisation, but for every Syrian who has risked everything to make sure the truth cannot be erased,” said Hariri.
CIJA remains committed to pursuing justice and accountability, and today’s visit underscores the importance of international support for these efforts.
CIJA Leadership Meet with Syrian Minister of Justice
This week, CIJA leadership met with the Syrian Minister for Justice in Damascus. During the meeting, Minister Dr. Muzhir al-Wis and Dr William Wiley (Executive Director), Hasan Al Hariri and Husam Sharif (CIJA Lead Investigators in Syria) discussed strengthening cooperation on accountability and justice initiatives, taking a step forward to build trust and advance the rule of law.
This week, CIJA leadership met with the Syrian Minister for Justice in Damascus. During the meeting, Minister Dr. Muzhir al-Wis and Dr William Wiley (Executive Director), Hasan Al Hariri and Husam Sharif (CIJA Lead Investigators in Syria) discussed strengthening cooperation on accountability and justice initiatives, taking a step forward to build trust and advance the rule of law.
Watch “Shadow Warriors”
For over a decade their names were not known, their faces never seen. Now the war is over, and they can speak. Hasan Al Hariri and Husam Sharif are the investigators that lead the CIJA teams, who for years worked in the shadows, securing critical evidence of Regime crimes. They worked silently and diligently, without recognition, because their safety and mission required it. In this short documentary, they speak for the first time about their work in the past and their hopes for the future.
Watch Shadow Warriors: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1VYRnUmwbD4
For over a decade their names were not known, their faces never seen. Now the war is over, and they can speak. Hasan Al Hariri and Husam Sharif are the investigators that lead the CIJA teams, who for years worked in the shadows, securing critical evidence of Regime crimes. They worked silently and diligently, without recognition, because their safety and mission required it. In this short documentary, they speak for the first time about their work in the past and their hopes for the future.
This documentary was first screened at the WARM Festival in Sarajevo on the fringes of the commemorations of the 30th anniversary of the Srebrenica genocide.
Watch Shadow Warriors: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1VYRnUmwbD4
CIJA’s Syria Investigators Join Srebrenica Genocide Commemorations
CIJA Syria team took part in the official events to commemorate the 30th anniversary of the Srebrenica genocide in Bosnia and Herzegovina.
CIJA Syria team took part in the official events to commemorate the 30th anniversary of the Srebrenica genocide in Bosnia and Herzegovina.
On Thursday, Dr William Wiley (Executive Director) and Husam Sharif (CIJA Lead Investigator – Syria) joined Hasan Nuhanovic (Srebrenica genocide survivor and human rights activist) and Emir Suljaqic (Director, Srebrenica Memorial Center) to discuss the role of documents in constructing cases and preserving truth. In parallel, Nerma Jelacic (Director of Management and External Relations) moderated a panel discussion on the importance of truth seeking, collective memory and the enduring need to remember, alongside Kathryne Bomberger (Director General, ICMP), Amore Masovic (Former Head of Missing Persons Institute, BiH) and Mariia Mykhalko (Representative, ICMP Ukraine).
At the 30th anniversary of the Srebrenica genocide, Hasan and Husam stood alongside survivors, legal experts, archivists, and atrocity museum leaders to honour the victims—and reflecting on the road ahead for Syria.
Srebrenica is among the most thoroughly documented mass atrocities in history. As Bosnia continues to confront denial, Syria begins a similar struggle. The message is clear: the work must begin now.
Hasan and Husam recognised the Mothers of Srebrenica, women who lost their sons, fathers and husbands and transformed their grief into resilience:
“You have built something with your grief. We hope to do the same,” they said. For Syria, Srebrenica reflects both the path ahead and the long journey towards justice
“Shadow Warriors” Documentary Launch and Discussion in Sarajevo
On Wednesday, CIJA´s lead Syrian investigators, Hassan Al Hariri and Husam Sharif stepped out from the shadows to speak about their work securing critical evidence of the Assad Regime crimes in Sarajevo, Bosnia and Herzegovina. Standing in front of an international network of journalists, artists, historians, researchers and activists gathered for the annual WARM festival commemorating war reporting, art and memory Hasan and Husam gave voice to the courage and dedication of over 40 of their colleagues who have spent years documenting war crimes and crimes against humanity inside Syria.
On Wednesday, CIJA´s lead Syrian investigators, Hassan Al Hariri and Husam Sharif stepped out from the shadows to speak about their work securing critical evidence of the Assad Regime crimes in Sarajevo, Bosnia and Herzegovina. Standing in front of an international network of journalists, artists, historians, researchers and activists gathered for the annual WARM festival commemorating war reporting, art and memory Hasan and Husam gave voice to the courage and dedication of over 40 of their colleagues who have spent years documenting war crimes and crimes against humanity inside Syria.
In Sarajevo, a city that endured a 3.5-year siege, the auditorium was filled with cheers and teers in recognition of the important work and sacrifice they did.
They visited the sites of crimes and memorials marking the innocent lives lost during the war in Bosnia and Herzegovina that ended 30 years ago. As Syria makes its first steps on the road to accountability, Bosnia stood as an example that memory can be preserved and justice pursued even if it takes time.
Watch Shadow Warriors: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1VYRnUmwbD4
Delegation from The Commission for International Justice and Accountability Visits SANA
SANA, Damascus | A delegation from The Commission for International Justice and Accountability(CIJA), visited the Syrian Arab News Agency (SANA) and met with a number of its staff, and gave a presentation on the commission’s most prominent tasks, statistics, and documentation of crimes and violations perpetrated by the Assad ousted regime over the past years.
Read more:
SANA, Damascus | A delegation from The Commission for International Justice and Accountability(CIJA), visited the Syrian Arab News Agency (SANA) and met with a number of its staff, and gave a presentation on the commission’s most prominent tasks, statistics, and documentation of crimes and violations perpetrated by the Assad ousted regime over the past years.
Read more:
BBC Today interview with Bill Wiley
BBC | Bill Wiley, Executive Director of the Commission for International Justice and Accountability, joined Nick Robinson on BBC Radio 4’s Today programme to discuss the current security situation in Syria, aired on 01 May 2025.
BBC | Bill Wiley, Executive Director of the Commission for International Justice and Accountability, joined Nick Robinson on BBC Radio 4’s Today programme to discuss the current security situation in Syria, aired on 01 May 2025.
Global Justice honors US Ambassador for War Crimes Stephen Rapp in Damascus
Sana News, Damascus | The Annual Global Justice Award conference was held Wednesday to honor honoring of US Ambassador for War Crimes Stephen Rapp.
“CIJA is proud to share that our Chair, Ambassador Stephen Rapp, has been recognised for his outstanding contribution to advancing justice in Syria. This honour reflects his unwavering commitment to accountability and exposing the former regime’s crimes against the Syrian people. Our heartfelt thanks to all of our partners and communities whose continued support makes this work possible. CIJA remains steadfast in our mission to help build a just and peaceful Syria grounded in the rule of law.”
Sana News, Damascus | The Annual Global Justice Award conference was held Wednesday to honor honoring of US Ambassador for War Crimes Stephen Rapp.
From CIJA LinkedIn:
“CIJA is proud to share that our Chair, Ambassador Stephen Rapp, has been recognised for his outstanding contribution to advancing justice in Syria. This honour reflects his unwavering commitment to accountability and exposing the former regime’s crimes against the Syrian people. Our heartfelt thanks to all of our partners and communities whose continued support makes this work possible. CIJA remains steadfast in our mission to help build a just and peaceful Syria grounded in the rule of law.”
Five jihadists found guilty of holding French journalists hostage
Sky News | Report on the conviction and life sentence of Mehdi Nemmouche, a terrorist linked to Daesh, by the Paris Special Court. Nemmouche and four others were convicted for kidnapping and holding four journalists hostage. CIJA played a vital role in securing this conviction by providing physical evidence and courtroom testimony.
Sky News | Report on the conviction and life sentence of Mehdi Nemmouche, a terrorist linked to Daesh, by the Paris Special Court. Nemmouche and four others were convicted for kidnapping and holding four journalists hostage. CIJA played a vital role in securing this conviction by providing physical evidence and courtroom testimony.
Canadian-led team is building a case against al-Assad over his regime’s war crimes in Syria
Globe and Mail | Detailed interviews with "Adel", CIJA’s Chief Investigator in Syria and Bill Wiley on the opportunities to preserve evidence now available across the country, by Mark Mackinnon
https://www.theglobeandmail.com/world/article-syria-bashar-al-assad-regime-war-crimes-case/
Globe and Mail | Detailed interviews with "Adel", CIJA’s Chief Investigator in Syria and Bill Wiley on the opportunities to preserve evidence now available across the country, by Mark Mackinnon
https://www.theglobeandmail.com/world/article-syria-bashar-al-assad-regime-war-crimes-case/