Statements

We are 46 Syrian and international feminist and human rights organisations and bodies, and 38 individuals and we welcome the filing of the first criminal complaint in Germany pertaining to sexual and gender-based violence (SGBV) in Syrian government-run detention facilities.

Today, on the occasion of the International Day of the Victims of Enforced Disappearances, we the 33 undersigned local, regional, and international organizations, associations, and networks come together to highlight the dramatic and persistent nature of enforced disappearances in the Middle East and North Africa (MENA) region.

The Bridges of Truth project is the result of the collaborative efforts of nine civil society organizations that have been working together in a partnership for four years. This project aimed at raising awareness about the plight of Syrian victims.

While Syrians from all backgrounds are affected by the conflict, women and girls are disproportionately impacted on several levels. The pre-existing patterns of violations against women and girls based on structural discrimination against them in law and practice were exacerbated by the conflict.

The Bridges of Truth project welcomes the steps taken against both Syrian and non-Syrian war criminals by prosecutors and courts in Germany and other European countries, and commends the efforts of the many Syrian human rights organizations working in support of justice.