Bulletin #13
A Message from Robert Petit, Head of the IIIM
New Landscape, Same Accountability Mandate
After years of supporting justice from outside, the IIIM entered Syria for the first time in December last year, eight years to the day after our creation. That moment felt symbolic of the dramatic shift in possibilities we now face following the fall of Assad’s regime.
During that initial visit, I saw the urgent preservation challenges firsthand. The original Caesar files, while secured in a protected site, remain vulnerable with many documents still stacked in corridors awaiting proper archival. Since then, my team has maintained regular contact with Syria’s interim authorities. Most recently I met with the interim Foreign Minister Asaad Al-Shaibani to discuss our formal request to deploy within the country.
While we wait for official permission, our mandate continues. Our structural investigation and evidence preservation work proceeds steadily, and we have seen a substantial increase in assistance requests from jurisdictions as new opportunities for accountability have emerged.
Our efforts build on the invaluable work of civil society organizations, many of whom are themselves victims and survivors. Through their courageous documentation of violations and their tireless advocacy, they have ensured that those affected are supported and positioned as active participants with expertise in the justice processes.
As I emphasized at the UN General Assembly in April, Syrian justice has transformed from abstract aspiration to concrete opportunity. I thank Minister Shaibani for his constructive engagement and support at the briefing. I also extend my appreciation to Member States for their continued commitment to our mandate, particularly those pledging financial support as we respond to increased demands. This is a historic moment, it now requires collective action by all actors to seize it fully and deliver the inclusive justice that Syrians have waited far too long for.
Thank you for standing with us.
Robert Petit
Report to the General Assembly
Robert Petit’s first briefing to the UN General Assembly as Head of the IIIM was notable for the presence of Syria’s interim Minister of Foreign Affairs, Mr Asaad Al-Shaibani who welcomed the IIIM’s work as “a key component of accountability in Syria,” emphasizing that “without accountability, we are unable to prevent future conflict.” In the past, the regime accused the IIIM as illegal and illegitimate and refused to cooperate.
Presenting the IIIM’s eleventh report to the General Assembly, Assistant Secretary General Petit expressed his appreciation for the constructive dialogue the interim authorities during visits to Damascus and reiterated the IIIM’s readiness to support Syrian-led transitional justice efforts. He thanked Member States for their support through pledges and financial contributions to ensure the work of the IIIM continued.
Damascus missions and engagement with interim authorities
Since the fall of the regime, ASG Petit has met with senior officials from the interim authorities including the Foreign Minister, to explore avenues for cooperation in support of transitional justice. These discussions have focused on advancing a Syrian-led, inclusive approach.
Engaging with Civil society and Victims/Survivors
The IIIM continues to prioritize engagement with Syrian civil society as a cornerstone of its work to support justice and accountability. In recent months, the Head and Deputy Head Michelle Jarvis have participated in several key events that highlighted the voices and experiences of victims, families, and activists.
At a webinar hosted by the Caesar Families Association and the Truth and Justice Charter, ASG Petit reaffirmed the IIIM’s commitment to a Syrian-led, internationally supported justice process. Reflecting on the recent establishment of Syria’s National Commissions on Transitional Justice and Missing Persons, he emphasized:
“The best scenario, certainly the most important, is justice in Syria by Syrians for Syrians.”
In Geneva, during a moving side-event at the 58th Human Rights Council, Mr. Petit joined Syrian families and civil society leaders in honouring the memory of those lost. He expressed deep appreciation for their courage and honesty, which continue to guide the IIIM’s work.
Meanwhile, at the Annual Conference on Chemical Weapons in The Hague, Deputy Head Michelle Jarvis underscored the IIIM’s efforts to support accountability for chemical attacks in Syria. She highlighted the critical role of Syrian civil society in documenting and sharing information, noting that “exceptional crimes demand exceptional justice.”
These engagements along with our annual victim/survivor consultation and Lausanne Platform as convened by the Netherlands and Switzerland, reflect the IIIM’s ongoing commitment to inclusive dialogue and collaboration with Syrian civil society, ensuring their perspectives remain central to the pursuit of justice.
[Latest activities here]
Coordination with Syria Focused UN Bodies
The IIIM continues to strengthen its collaboration with key UN entities engaged in addressing the Syrian Coordination with Syria Focused UN Bodies
The IIIM continues to strengthen its collaboration with key UN entities engaged in addressing the Syrian context. It maintains close coordination with the Commission of Inquiry (CoI) and the Independent Institution on Missing Persons (IIMP), including regular exchanges on addressing the changed circumstances is Syria and proposed support for the comprehensive transitional justice opportunities that have opened up. The IIIM also benefits from regular engagement with the Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR) more generally, particularly its Syria team. While each entity operates under distinct mandates, their efforts are complementary and mutually reinforcing.
Strengthening Cooperation
Building on its longstanding cooperation with the CoI, formalized through a Memorandum of Understanding, the IIIM signed a similar agreement with the Institution on Missing Persons on 30 May 2025 in Geneva. This agreement formalizes structured collaboration and information exchange in support of shared objectives.
In response to priorities expressed by victims and survivors, the IIIM had, from the commencement of its work, implemented a missing persons strategy to tag relevant information during its own review of the material in its holdings. As Mr. Petit noted regarding the MoU with the IIMP: “The partnership between our two entities reflects our shared commitment to address the profound suffering of families searching for their loved ones. Together we aim to foster a more comprehensive and coordinated approach to justice and truth for the Syrian people.”
The IIIM remains committed to deepening its collaboration with these entities and other UN actors, both in current efforts and future initiatives on the ground in Syria.
International Accountability in Action – The IIIM in Numbers
Transforming information gathered into court-ready evidence requires substantial resources and specialised expertise. Jurisdictions continue to value the IIIM’s assistance, making use of our contributions to investigations and prosecutions in pursuit of accountability for perpetrators of Syria’s most serious crimes.
The fall of the Assad Regime triggered an increase in requests from jurisdictions, seeking support to access previously unreachable evidence and witnesses in order to hold individuals criminally accountable.
While the IIIM awaits formal authorization to operate within Syria, we continue fulfilling our mandate through close engagement with Syrian civil society and support to jurisdictions meeting international standards for fair and independent legal processes.
Growing Demand
[infographic: RFA Growth 2020-2025]
Demands for the IIIM’s assistance are greater than ever before, with 467 requests from 16 national courts worldwide—including 41 new requests in 2025 alone. The IIIM currently manages 167 active requests and has supported 227 investigations through evidence sharing, analysis, and witness engagement.
These requests span 322 separate investigations covering atrocities committed by multiple perpetrator groups since March 2011. Despite resource constraints, we have proactively shared critical information and analytical products with prosecuting authorities on 40 occasions this year. [Infographic: IIIM Impact]
Operational Capacity
- 280 terabytes of data in our central repository. To give an idea of the volume, if printed it would fill the entire Burj Khalifa from ground to the top 163rd floor.
- 154 collection activities conducted in 2024 alone (35% increase from previous year)
- 40 analytical products shared with jurisdictions on our initiative
- 100 cooperation frameworks established with States, UN bodies, international organizations, and civil society
Interactive justice map
The cases below represent only proceedings that jurisdictions have permitted the IIIM to publicly disclose. These examples illustrate only a small sample of IIIM’s most recent contributions to broader international justice efforts.
| France | Paris Assize Court, 29 April – 23 May 2025 Trial of Jaysh al-Islam former spokesperson Majdi Nema for war crimes (child soldier recruitment). The IIIM provided critical evidence, legal brief on Syrian conflict classification, and expert testimony. January 2025: Arrest warrant issued against former Syrian President Bashar al-Assad for attacks against civilians in Daraa (June 2017) including the killing of French-Syrian citizen Salah Abou Nabout. This is the fifth arrest warrant issued in this case. The IIIM contributed information, evidence, and legal analysis. |
| Germany | March-April 2025 (Ongoing): Ossama A. (former ISIL leader) on trial for terrorism, war crimes, genocide, and crimes against humanity involving Êzîdî women. IIIM conducting investigative activities and witness engagement. Stuttgart Higher Regional Court, October 2024 (Ongoing): Ammar A. (alleged Hezbollah militia member in Busra Al Sham) on trial for crimes against humanity and war crimes (2012-2014). The IIIM assisted the investigation with supporting information. Koblenz Higher Regional Court, April 2024 (Ongoing): Moustafa M. on trial for ISIL membership and war crimes in al-Sawana (2015). The IIIM has been involved in assisting the investigation and continues supporting the trial.Dusseldorf Higher Regional Court, April 2024 (Ongoing): Mohammad A. and Asmael K. on trial for ISIL membership and war crimes in South Damascus (2013). The IIIM provided evidence leading to the war crimes charges and continues supporting the trial. The Hamburg Higher Regional Court, December 2024: Ahmad H. convicted for crimes against humanity and war crimes (torture and enslavement) as a member of a pro-government militia. The crimes took place in Tadamun district of Damascus. He was sentenced to 10 years. The IIIM provided the investigation with information, evidence and geo-analysis of execution sites. |
| The Netherlands | The Hague District Court, December 2024: Conviction of Hasna A., a Dutch national and former ISIL member, for slavery as crime against humanity against a Êzîdî woman. The IIIM provided information and evidence to support the investigation. |
| Sweden | Stockholm District Court, February 2025: Conviction of Lina Naina Ishaq for genocide, crimes against humanity, and war crimes against Êzîdî victims. This is Sweden’s first genocide conviction. The IIIM identified provided evidence and court testimony. Swedish Prosecution Authority, January 2025: Detention order issued against Swedish national Osama Krayem on charges of terrorism and war crimes for taking part in the staged execution by ISIL of a Jordanian pilot in 2015. The trial is expected in summer 2025. The IIIM conducted geolocation analysis and provided evidence. |
| United States | Federal court in the Northern District of Illinois, November 2024: Indictments issued against Syrian intelligence officials Jamil Hassan and Abdul Salam Mahmoud. They are charged with conspiracy to commit the war crime of cruel and inhuman treatment against detainees, including U.S. citizens, held at the Mezzeh Military Airport (2012-2019). The investigation was supported by the IIIM through the provision of information, evidence and analytical products. District Court in Washington D.C., December 2024: Motion for default judgment filed against Syria, seeking legal recognition that the former Syrian government is responsible for torture carried out in its detention facilities. The plaintiff’s argument draws on the IIIM’s public report “The Syrian Government Detention System as a Tool of Violent Repression.” |
Joining the Dots – the IIIM’s Analytical Products
not just what happened, but who is responsible
The IIIM supports prosecuting authorities by developing specialized briefs that transform thousands of individual evidence pieces into comprehensive legal and factual analyses. These products answer specific legal and factual questions by synthesising a wide range of evidentiary materials, including witness statements, documents, and photographs into coherent narratives.
Rather than leaving prosecutors to piece together hundreds of disparate pieces of evidence, an IIIM analytical product builds an overall picture of key events, such as how orders flowed from Damascus to local facilities, which can be used to establish the legal responsibility of different officials within the chain of command for systematic violations. Below are summaries of some publicly disclosed IIIM analytical products.
The Detention Report: Assad Government’s Detention System as a Tool of Violent Repression
Two days before the fall of the regime, the IIIM publicly released a redacted version of its comprehensive analysis of the former government’s detention system. The report is based on over 300 witness interviews, forensic medical evidence, government documentation, expert reports, and other evidence., Iit demonstrates patterns of torture, ill-treatment, and related violations across more than 100 government facilities of the former regime.
The unredacted version of the Detention Report has been made available to support the proceedings before the International Court of Justice initiated by the Netherlands and Canada. An Arabic version of the report is underway.
The public redacted version of the report is available at: https://iiim.un.org/the-syrian-government-detention-system-as-a-tool-of-violent-repression/
ISIL’s Systematic Indoctrination of Children
The IIIM has completed a comprehensive report on ISIL’s systematic recruitment, training, and use of children in hostilities in Syria.
This detailed analysis examines:
- The ideological foundations underlying ISIL’s practices;
- The varied tactics employed to recruit children;
- The formal military training programs and their distinctive features;
- The different ways children were used in hostilities; and
- The range of harm suffered by these children as a result of their experiences.
To accompany the report, the IIIM developed legal analysis examining applicable crime categories, profiles of training camps in specific Syrian governorates, and a dataset identifying persons of interest who played a role in these crimes. The report and accompanying material have to date been shared with 10 jurisdictions to support their accountability efforts.
The NIAC Brief: Establishing Legal Foundations
One of the first analytical products the IIIM produced is a legal brief that establishes the start date of the non-international armed conflict (NIAC) in Syria.
The brief focuses on the fighting between the Syrian Government and the armed opposition that emerged in the early phases of the conflict. War crimes can only be committed in the context of an armed conflict, a legal determination that requires evidence of organised armed groups and fighting of a certain intensity.
By establishing the legal status of the conflict, the NIAC brief offers prosecutors and courts the legal basis to prosecute war crimes. Courts have referenced the NIAC brief in multiple criminal proceedings.
Looking Forward
The changing situation in Syria presents unprecedented accountability opportunities that the IIIM is uniquely positioned to support. Our priorities for the coming months include:
- Securing operational authorisation in Syria to access and preserve evidence at risk of loss or destruction.
- Supporting Syrian-led transitional justice efforts, including the recently announced National Commission,
- Expanding engagement with Syrian civil society and victims/survivors to ensure their voices remain central to the design of accountability processes.
- Implementing thematic strategies on gender, children and youth to address the specific impacts these populations faced and ensure inclusive justice process.
Achieving these priorities requires sustained cooperation. With continued support from Member States, civil society partners, and the broader international community, we remain committed to ensuring that this opportunity translates into meaningful accountability outcomes.
Frequently Asked Questions since December 8
A: Our core activities remain the same, however we now face great opportunities for evidence preservation and advancing justice efforts with potential access to previously unavailable documentation.
A: Following our first deployment in December 2024, the IIIM has formally requested permission to commence operations within Syria. We maintain regular contact with the interim authorities, including Foreign Minister Al-Shaibani, and the new National Transitional Justice Commission.
While awaiting formal authorization, our core mandate continues without interruption.
A: While respecting that transitional justice should be Syrian-led, the IIIM can support such efforts through our expertise – whether it be preservation of physical material or transferring technical knowledge and expertise developed over eight years of working on crimes committed in Syria. We maintain ongoing discussions with the interim authorities about the scope and nature of that support and how the IIIM can most effectively contribute to advancing our joint objectives of holding accountable those most responsible for serious international crimes committed.
A: The IIIM’s mandate requires impartiality and independence. We investigate and preserve evidence of serious crimes committed by all parties to the Syrian conflict since March 2011, regardless of affiliation of the perpetrators or group. The IIIM supports prosecutions that meets international standards for fair and independent legal processes (including non-application of the death penalty), ensuring victims/survivors of all backgrounds can access justice regardless of who harmed them.
A: Unlike other Syria-focused entities, the IIIM’s mandate centres specifically on criminal accountability. It functions as a quasi-prosecutorial body, meaning it does work similar to a prosecutor’s office, excluding the authority to file charges, issue arrest warrants or put suspects on trial.
Maintaining a secure information and evidence repository, allows the IIIM to support ongoing investigations and prosecutions in national, regional and international jurisdictions. Its work uniquely bridges the gap between the documentation of crimes and the investigation and prosecution of those crimes in a court of law.
Our work is confidential, focused on supporting investigations, building legally robust case files and analytical products that can with stand scrutiny in criminal courts.
Like a prosecutor’s office, the IIIM applies criminal law standards to every stage of its work including:
- – Collects and preserves evidence according to strict legal standards, making it ready for use in court.
- – Conducts witness interviews applying a duty of care, information gathered is treated as evidence and relationships are maintained long-term.
- – Conducts legal analysis to support key elements of criminal proceedings.
- – Investigates crimes systematically and builds cases.
The IIIM’s specialised expertise on Syria has led to it developing frameworks that allow it to provide legal products that can be used across different jurisdictions.
It is able to assist investigations and prosecutions by:
- Responding to requests for assistance (RFAs) – jurisdictions looking for information, material or support for their cases with make a formal request for assistance to the IIIM. The IIIM is able to assist based on the jurisdiction meeting certain criteria, and subject to consent associated with the material requested.
- Proactive sharing – the team identifies cases and investigations that may benefit form relevant IIIM material or support.
- Technical assistance – the IIIM has specialised expertise and is able to support jurisdictions with multi-lingual products that explain crimes patterns, structures, policies and systems.
- Providing access to its central repository of evidence and information collected from a wide range of sources.
A: Evidence in our central repository (currently 280 terabytes) is preserved, analysed in the context of strategic lines of inquiry, and made available to jurisdictions (pending consent of the information provider) investigating and prosecuting serious international crimes committed in Syria. Strict confidentiality and evidence handling protocols are always maintained.
A: We support national courts through various forms of assistance, including running searches in our central repository, analysing data, conducting open-source investigations, developing analytical products and case files, identifying sources, collecting additional targeted evidence, identifying and locating witnesses, conducting witness interviews, and facilitating in-court testimony.
A: Our funding needs have grown considerably since our establishment, due to increased requests from jurisdictions requiring expanded response capacity, new opportunities in Syria requiring additional operational resources, no increase in our regular budget since 2020 despite expanded workload, and exhaustion of our voluntary contributions in 2024.
Glossary of Key Terms
- Analytical Products: Specialized work that synthesize large volumes of evidence into comprehensive legal analyses answering specific questions for prosecutors.
- Beyond Reasonable Doubt: The highest standard of evidence required in criminal courts – evidence must be so convincing that there is no reasonable explanation of the events other than the defendant’s guilt.
- Central Repository: The IIIM’s secure digital archive that stores, organises and makes searchable (currently) 280 terabytes of evidence and information.
- Evidentiary Standard: The level of proof required to establish facts in legal proceedings, varying from civil cases (balance of probabilities) to criminal cases (beyond reasonable doubt).
- Request for Assistance (RFA): Formal requests from prosecuting authorities to the IIIM for specific information, evidence, analytical or other legal support for their investigations and prosecutions.
- Universal Jurisdiction: Legal principle allowing countries to prosecute serious crimes (like war crimes, crimes against humanity, genocide) regardless of where they were committed or the nationality of perpetrators or victims.
Keep in Touch
For more information on the IIIM visit our website at www.iiim.un.org
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