Justice & Accountability

On December 8, 2024, Syria entered a new political era after 54 years of the al-Assad family rule. The liberation battle that started from the North ended with power placed in the hands of Hay’at Tahrir al Sham (HTS), a former al-Qaeda-linked militant group. While the end of the al-Assad era sparked widespread optimism, early formal statements from the new rulers raised concerns, particularly regarding women’s rights.  

The fall of the Assad regime sparked hope for a new era in Syrian humanitarian aid. But despite promises of reform, old barriers persist—most notably, the restrictive “umbrella system” that stifles independent relief efforts. As Syria navigates its transition, both national leaders and international organizations face a critical choice: dismantle the broken structures of the past, or risk repeating them. In his article "A Fragile Window: Reforming Syria's Humanitarian Framework", Dr. Haid Haid lays out the positive changes as well as the continuations of the past. The current reforms of the regulatory frameworks for NGOs and international humanitarian organizations are important opportunities for humanitarian actors, donors and the UN to engage and push for an operational environment that guarantees the humanitarian principles of independence, neutrality and effectiveness.

An article by our partner Syria Direst: Nearly seven years after east Aleppo returned to regime control, the area’s neighborhoods still struggle with poor basic services — from electricity and water to sanitation — leaving residents feeling the neglect is “deliberate.”  

 An article by our partner Syria Direct: Most of Daraa’s cities and towns have no police stations nearly six years after returning to Damascus’ control. Where police are present, they have limited powers or work under the watchful eyes of settlement factions.

Although Lebanon receives EU support to provide for Syrian refugees, they are increasingly being criminalized and deported. Less than a week after Commission President Von der Leyen’s visit in May, Lebanon issued new residence regulations that effectively block the pathways to legal residence. These new regulations were followed by deportations to Syria, which the EU does not consider safe for return. Instead of making support conditional on respect for the refugees’ human rights, the EU is turning a blind eye.  

Our partner Syria Direct published an article on Education in Daraa Province in Syria. Facing a teacher shortage and little government support, communities in Daraa are turning to alternative solutions: providing financial bonuses to keep underpaid teachers in classrooms and repairing school buildings themselves. This report was originally published in Arabic and translated into English by Mateo Nelson.

In her laudation, Lotte Leicht pays tribute to people like Joumana Seif who do not demand revenge for crimes committed against them and their relatives, but who insist on justice.

With her work the lawyer Joumana Seif has played a critical role in having sexualised violence recognised as an offence that constitutes a crime against humanity, says Dr. Imme Scholz, head of the Anne Klein Women's Award jury.

In her acceptance speech Joumana Seif talks about the long road necessary to prosecute the crimes committed by the Syrian regime, to punish the perpetrators and also about the injustices suffered by women and how she is trying to support them in Germany.

Just days after the devastating earthquake and as the first vehicles loaded with relief supplies set off from German airports in the region, the German Federal Ministry of the Interior and Community and the Federal Foreign Office made an announcement in favour of further assistance: families with a Turkish or Syrian background would be able to take in their family members affected by the earthquake on a temporary basis.