“We want transitional justice for all of Syria. This justice has to happen.” Fadwa Mahmud
Geneva, March 19 – The pain of not knowing and not yet receiving justice was conveyed by Syrian relatives and civil society representatives during a moving side-event to the 58th Human Rights Council. Robert Petit, Head of the IIIM and others joined Fadwa Mahmud from the Victims and Families Association and Bushara Hamdan from Civil Peace Group as they led a minute’s silence to honour the many Syrians that had been lost.
During the panel discussion on ‘Transitional justice, missing persons, civil society, and the role of UN mechanisms’, Mr. Petit thanked Ms. Mahmud for her remarks, saying, “I am always very humbled to hear Fadwa and others who through their courage and their honesty make us realize that we need to do our best to try and bring some justice and closure to their experiences”
The other speakers included Germany’s Deputy Permanent Representative to the UN, Nikola Gillhof, Karla Quintana, Head of the Independent Institution on Missing Persons; Lynn Welchman, Commissioner from the UN Commission of Inquiry on Syria; and it was moderated by Mayssa Achek from the Cairo Institute for Human Rights Studies.