Commission for International Justice and Accountability
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Commission for International Justice and Accountability

The Commission for International Justice and Accountability (CIJA) is a non-profit, non-governmental organisation dedicated to conducting criminal investigations and analysing evidence gathered during armed conflict. Working together with government and civil society, CIJA provides support for local capacity building, war crimes and counterterrorism prosecutions, and countering violent extremism (CVE).

 

Commission for International Justice and Accountability

The Commission for International Justice and Accountability (CIJA) is a non-profit, non-governmental organisation dedicated to furthering criminal justice efforts through investigations, in order to prevent the loss and destruction of vital evidence for the purpose of supporting prosecutorial efforts to end impunity, whether at the domestic or international level.

CIJA’s aim is to expand opportunities to achieve justice for a broad range of crimes that impact vulnerable populations across the globe, including war crimes, crimes against humanity, genocide, terrorism, human trafficking, and migrant smuggling.

To achieve this goal:

  • CIJA gathers evidence of crimes that are beyond the reach of international and domestic justice institutions. CIJA places an emphasis on evidence linking specific perpetrators to these crimes.

  • CIJA builds local capacity to collect evidence in accordance with criminal justice standards and works closely with local actors in pursuit of evidence.

  • CIJA shares its expertise through technical assistance and mentoring for competent national authorities seeking to investigate international crimes in accordance with criminal justice standards.

  • CIJA preserves and analyses evidence in order to provide evidentiary and analytical support to international and domestic criminal justice institutions pursing accountability through investigations, prosecutions, and trials.

CIJA’s work has expanded from its initial efforts to collect and preserve evidence of potential crimes committed in Syria to include both short-term capacity building and longer-term investigations in cooperation with local authorities and/or affected communities in multiple countries.

CIJA is apolitical and carries out its investigative activities independently of any government.

CIJA currently works to support prosecutions in 16 countries, assisting 52 law enforcement and counter-terrorism agencies and 14 prosecutorial offices globally.

CIJA’S EVIDENCE, ANALYSIS AND TESTIMONY HAve SUPPORTED COMPLETED AND ONGOING CASES INCLUDING:

  • Syrian Regime | Colvin v Syrian Arab Republic, USA: the first case against the state of Syria for the extra-judicial killing of American journalist Marie Colvin;

  • Da’esh | Zoher J., a former leader of an extremist armed group in Aleppo was convicted in Germany for the provision of material support to a terrorist organization;

  • Da’esh | Oussama Ashraf Akhlafa, was convicted in the Netherlands, constituting the first conviction within Europe of a former Da’esh fighter for war crimes;

  • Syrian Regime | Eyad Al Gharib, a former Syrian secret service agent from Subdivision 40 of Branch 251 of the General Intelligence Directorate in Damascus, was convicted in Germany for 30 counts of crimes against humanity;

  • Syrian Regime | Anwar Ruslan, the former Head of Investigations of Branch 251 of the Syrian General Intelligence Directorate was convicted in Germany for 52 counts crimes against humanity, including torture, murder, assault, in addition to several counts of rape and sexual assault;

  • Da’esh | Sami AS. was convicted in Germany for aiding and abetting war crimes, murder, and supporting a foreign terrorist organisation.

  • Da’esh | Sarah O. was convicted in Germany under the juvenile justice framework for crimes against humanity of assault, deprivation of liberty, aiding and abetting rape, enslavement and religious and gender-based persecution as well as membership of a foreign terrorist organisation, for offences carried out in Raqqa, Syria.

  • Da’esh | Taha al-J. was convicted in Germany for genocide based on causing serious bodily or mental harm for the enslavement of a Yezidi woman and her daughter and the subsequent murder of her daughter, in Fallujah, Iraq.

  • Da’esh | Mustafa A., a senior level member of pro-Assad militia Liwa al-Quds active in Al Nayrab Camp near Aleppo was convicted in the Netherlands for complicity in war crimes and crimes against humanity of torture, inhumane treatment and illegal deprivation of liberty;

  • Da’esh | Walid Al Zeytun, was acquitted in Sweden, for war crimes of violation of personal dignity, humiliating and degrading treatment and killing of a protected person, allegedly carried out in Al Sawanda, Homs, Syria.

  • Syrian Regime | Mohammed Hamo, was acquitted in Sweden, for aiding and abetting serious crimes against international law for his role in Syrian Army attacks in Homs and Ar Rastan.

  • Syrian Regime | Ali Mamlouk, Jamal Hassan and Abdul Salam Mahmoud were convicted in-absentia in France, for complicity in crimes against humanity of imprisonment, torture, enforced disappearance and murder and for the war crime of confiscation of property, committed against Patrick and Mazzen Dabbagh following their arrest and detention in Al-Mezzeh Detention Centre, Damascus, in November 2013.

  • Syrian Regime | Alaa M., a former medical professional for the Syrian Military Intelligence is on trial in Germany for his role in crimes against humanity – including sexual violence – committed in Military Hospital 608 in Homs, Syria.

  • Myanmar Armed Forces | The Republic of Gambia v. The Union of the Republic of Myanmar, ongoing case before the International Court of Justice regarding alleged acts of genocide against members of the Rohingya population, in violation of the Convention on the Prevention and Punishment of the Crime of Genocide.

  • Syrian Regime | Canada and the Netherlands v. Syrian Arab Republic, ongoing case before the International Court of Justice regarding widespread and systematic conduct of torture by the Syrian Regime since 2011 in violation of the Convention against Torture and Other Cruel, Inhuman or Degrading Treatment or Punishment.

  • Syrian Regime | Ahmad H., is on trial in Germany for 21 counts of crimes against humanity and war crimes allegedly committed as a member of the Regime- controlled paramilitary force the National Defence Force (NDF) in Tadamon, Damascus.

  • Da’esh | Mustafa M., was released following arrest in Germany on suspicion of membership of a foreign terrorist organization; war crimes of killing, taking hostage, torture, imposing sentences without due process; war crime of attempted killing; murder; and the war crime of illegal appropriation of property.

  • Syrian Regime | Hossin A., was indicted in Belgium for crimes against humanity and war crimes including murder and torture, allegedly committed as a member of the Regime- controlled paramilitary force the National Defence Force (NDF) in Salamiyah, Hama.

  • Da’esh | Sonia M., was indicted in France for crimes against humanity and genocide including sexual slavery of a Yezidi teenager, for acts committed in Iraq, Syria and Turkey between 2014 – 2019.

  • Syrian Regime | Anon., was arrested in the Netherlands for crimes against humanity including sexual violence and torture in his alleged role as a senior member of the Regime-controlled NDF, carried out in Salamiyah, Hama between 2013-2014.

  • Da’esh | Anon., was arrested in Belgium for crimes against humanity and war crimes including pillage, kidnapping, torture, murder, and corpse mutilation carried out in Palmyra, Homs, as a member of Da’esh.

  • Syrian Regime | Amer A., was arrested in Germany for crimes against humanity, war crimes and membership of a terrorist organisation as the suspected leader of Liwa Jund Al-Rahman for acts carried out in Deir ez-Zor.

  • Syrian Regime | Samir Ousman al-Sheikh, is in pre-trial detention in the USA for falsely describing if he had killed or persecuted. Al-Sheikh was the Head of Adra Prison between 2005 2008, Governor of Deir ez-Zour and Head of the Deir ez-Zour Security Committee in 2011. 

  • Syrian Regime | Bashar al-Assad (and others) arrest warrants have been issued in France for crimes against humanity and war crimes relating to the chemical attacks in Douma and Eastern Ghouta in August 2013.

CIJA’s EVIDENCE has supported the right to truth through evidence based reporting, INCLUDING:

CIJA HAS:

  • Completed 24 structural investigations and legal briefs identifying dozens of high-ranking Syrian Regime, Islamic State and Burmese suspects;

  • Secured almost 1,200,000 pages of documents generated by the parties within the Syrian regime and the Islamic State;*

  • Interviewed over 5,500 witnesses including defectors, individuals with direct knowledge of perpetrating parties and their structures as well as victims;*

  • Responded to 920 Requests for Assistance from 31 justice actors.*

*updated: 31 March 2024

 

 
 
 
Featured News and Insights
CIJA’s Annual Report 2023-23 Published
CIJA’s Annual Report 2023-23 Published

The Annual Report charts CIJA’s contribution to the identification, apprehension and trial of eleven Syrian Regime and Da’esh suspects and the OPCW investigative report into the use of chemical weapons by Da’esh in Marea in 2015.

Reflecting on the Yezidi Genocide: A Decade Later
Reflecting on the Yezidi Genocide: A Decade Later

The Commission for International Justice and Accountability joins with its partners, former Iraqi team members and affected communities to commemorate the horrific attack unleashed by Da’esh against the Yezidi minority and their ancestral homeland of Sinjar, in Northern Iraq, which began ten years ago today.

Senior Regime figure arrested by US authorities
Senior Regime figure arrested by US authorities

Samir Ousman al-Sheihk ran the notorious Adra prison (2005-2008) before Assad appointed him Governor of Deir ez-Zor and Head of its Security Committee (2011).