Geneva, 13 January 2022 – The International, Impartial and Independent Mechanism – Syria (IIIM) welcomes the landmark judgement against Anwar R, at the Higher Regional Court in Koblenz, Germany. The former high-ranking Syrian official was found guilty of crimes against humanity and sentenced to life imprisonment for his role in torture, murder and sexual violence in his previous position as Head of the Investigation Department of Branch 251 of the Syrian intelligence services.
This verdict concludes a trial that saw many survivors of Branch 251 give witness testimony, and prosecutors make use of evidence and information that many actors and particularly Syrians, have bravely documented, collected and shared with accountability bodies.
Catherine Marchi-Uhel, the Head of the IIIM, said “The Koblenz ruling is highly significant not only for the direct victims and survivors these crimes, but also for the victims and survivors of the many unaddressed past and on-going violations in Syria. We must acknowledge that there is still much work to be done for justice to be delivered. This verdict reminds us all of what is possible and should leave perpetrators of serious crimes in no doubt that there will be accountability for their actions.”
Germany’s use of universal jurisdiction holding perpetrators of international crimes committed in Syria accountable, shows the vital role national jurisdictions play in providing paths to justice for victims/survivors of crimes committed in Syria. While no international court currently exists, national jurisdictions must continue to uphold international law by bolstering their own laws and processes. The IIIM’s Central Repository of Information and Evidence is a powerful resource for national war crimes units seeking to investigate and prosecute suspects.
“Sharing evidence and analysis is one leg of what is essentially a lengthy relay race of many accountability actors,” Ms. Marchi-Uhel stated “Our role at the IIIM is justice facilitation. We make use of information and material we have collected from many others and share it along with legal analysis and other support to jurisdictions, with the hope that it leads to many more trials and verdicts like those in Koblenz.”
While the IIIM does not comment on its involvement in specific cases, it is a matter of public record that the IIIM is supporting German jurisdictions. The IIIM seizes all available avenues for justice and prepares for those that may emerge in the future. Its primary purpose is to assist competent jurisdictions seeking to investigate and prosecute alleged perpetrators of international crimes committed in Syria since 2011.
To download the Press Release, click here.
#IIIMSyria
Al Jazeera Op-ed about barriers to universal jurisdiction
This op-ed examines the possibility of carrying out investigations into the war crimes that have been committed in Syria internationally, and how investigations at the national level have been more feasible yet remain marred by several barriers. To access this op-ed, click here.
Conversation with Catherine Marchi-Uhel at a conference on international justice in Dakar
Catherine Marchi-Uhel, the Head of the IIIM, attended an international justice conference on October 26 2021, in Dakar. In conversation with Philipp Ambach, the ICC’s Chief of the Victims Participation and Reparations, the discussion covered the work of the IIIM, its applicability to the context of West Africa, and current features in the international justice scene.
To access the French language conference report, click here.
To access the English language conference report, click here.
Arabic copy to follow shortly.
Le Monde op-ed by Catherine Marchi-Uhel on the ruling by France’s Cour de cassation
In her Le Monde Op-Ed, Head of IIIM Catherine Marchi-Uhel argues that France needs to lift the obstacles that keep victims of crimes against humanity at the doors of French justice.
To read the article in its entirety, click here. The article is in the French language.
Agreement between IIIM and Swedish Government to improve possibilities of investigating serious offences committed in the Syria conflict
To facilitate efforts by Swedish law enforcement authorities to investigate crimes committed by Da’esh terrorists, the Swedish Government entered into a cooperation agreement with the UN International Impartial and Independent Mechanism.
To read the article in its entirety, click here.
Sweden enters into a cooperation agreement with the IIIM
The Cooperation Agreement aims at facilitating efforts by Swedish law enforcement authorities to investigate crimes committed by Da’esh/ISIL terrorists.
Click here to read more. This article is in the Swedish language.
Leveraging data for accountability: co-creating the future of human rights investigations
In this Human Rights Council side event, and in his capacity of overseeing the Information and Systems Management (ISMS), Keith Hiatt talks about how the IIIM makes use of computer advances to maximise use of the information it collects.
Catherine Marchi-Uhel on the UN Podcast
Ten years after the beginning of the Syrian Civil War, the political process continues to be frozen in Syria. In this setting, bringing justice to the victims becomes synonymous with the alleviation of suffering. It is for this reason that the United Nations General Assembly decided in 2016 to create a mechanism, the IIIM, to investigate the most serious crimes committed in the country. Since 2017, the IIIM has worked tirelessly to collect evidence of these crimes before passing it to national courts that might decide to prosecute war crimes committed in Syria. This is how millions of documents are analysed by the team, which is headquartered in a mansion located right next to the Palais des Nations in the Ariana Park in Geneva.
Catherine Marchi-Uhel is the head of the International, Impartial and Independent investigation Mechanism into the most serious crimes committed in Syria, and she is our guest of the week.
Listen to this podcast here. The podcast is in the French language.
la vigie des crimes en Syrie
The French newspaper Le Monde recently featured an insightful article on the IIIM, with a focus on its impact as a justice facilitator. In an interview with IIIM Head, Catherine Marchi-Uhel, the article delves into the challenges and achievements of the organization since Ms. Marchi-Uhel assumed the role as its first head in 2017.
Le Monde traces the evolution of the IIIM from its establishment in 2016 to its current pivotal role, serving as crucial support to jurisdictions investigating and prosecuting perpetrators of core international crimes and violations in Syria. Ms. Marchi-Uhel emphasizes, in her interview, the international collaboration that the IIIM has fostered, highlighting the evidence it has meticulously collected and its close engagement with Syria’s civil society, in particular its victim/survivor associations.
For further details of the IIIM’s approach and contribution, we invite you to read the full article here.
Ten years on, will there ever be justice for Syria?
Janine di Giovani writes for Foreign Policy magazine about the IIIM and accountability for crimes committed in Syria.
Read the article here.