Charting a Path to Justice: Syrian Civil Society and Accountability for Chemical Weapons Use
The White Helmets, Baytna and the Syrian Legal Development Program invite you to join a panel discussion that seeks to learn from the experience of existing special or exceptional tribunals and identify what role civil society and victims could have in the process.
Description
In November 2023, Syrian civil society groups came together to call for the establishment of an exceptional tribunal to prosecute the use of chemical weapons. This panel discussion seeks to provide a space to explore the role of Syrian civil society and victims in the establishment of justice mechanisms.
This call came over a decade after the first chemical attack recorded in Syria, and while investigations into the facts of numerous attacks in Syria continue, including through the OPCW, there has been little to no steps taken to ensure accountability for the use of chemical weapons in Syria. With the exception of a few cases led by legal and human rights organizations and the Syrian diaspora, through national procedures under the principle of universal jurisdiction, the continued impunity for the use of chemical weapons in Syria is a threat to the stability of any future peace for Syrians amidst Syria’s frozen conflict and undermines the international norms prohibiting their use.
This panel discussion aims to explore why this idea is important to victims, families, witnesses and first responders. It will also provide an opportunity to discuss next steps on the establishment of a tribunal and what lessons can be learned from the establishment of special tribunals of the recent past. The event will also explore what role civil society can play in this tribunal, building on the recommendations that came out of the Syrian Civil Society Conference on Chemical Weapons in 2023.
Views, thoughts and opinions expressed during these events reflect solely those of the speakers and do not constitute endorsement by the European Union.
