Collection, Investigation & Analysis

Collection & Investigations

The IIIM continues to collect information and evidence from a range of sources including: States, international or regional organisations, United Nations bodies, international and Syrian civil society organisations (CSOs), individuals, media, and open source, amongst many others.

The IIIM further conducts targeted collection and investigative work to strengthen prioritised areas of its analysis that form part of its Structural Investigation and to provide direct assistance to competent jurisdictions.

The IIIM continuously reviews its analytical work to identify when there is sufficient basis, as well as adequate resources, to open a case file either now or in the future. The IIIM currently has four open case files.

The IIIM’s support to jurisdictions is focused on the delivery of assistance capable of advancing important phases of a competent jurisdiction’s investigation that are likely to proceed to trial.

Analytical work products

The IIIM conducts its own assessments of the material in its Central Repository to create analytical products that may form part of its own case files and can also be shared with competent jurisdictions to facilitate their accountability efforts.

The products may include:

Analytical reports
Legal briefs
Institutional (formal & informal) structure charts/diagrams
Incident timelines
Geolocation analysis

By focusing on key legal, evidentiary, and factual issues relevant for criminal accountability, the IIIM is able to produce material that supports the work of competent jurisdictions that are currently active and provide a foundation for longer term justice needs.

The IIIM has three active lines of enquiry focused on unlawful attacks against civilians and civilian objects, detention-related crimes and crimes by individuals associated with the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (ISIL). The IIIM has completed analytical work:

To establish the commencement of an armed conflict in Syria which is a requirement to prove war crimes charges.
On the organisational structure of specific entities relevant to the Syrian context.
To establish that ISIL carried out a systematic attack directed against a civilian population, which is a requirement for crimes against humanity.

These analytical products form part of IIIM’s Structural Investigation and are designed to be sufficiently flexible to support the work of the competent jurisdictions which the IIIM supports. Specific attention is given to ensuring that analytical products incorporate historically overlooked and insufficiently documented crimes, such as sexual violence and other gender-based crimes.