At Huquqyat, we work through multiple and intersecting approaches to achieve justice in Syria and to shed light on the gendered dimensions of crimes committed during periods of war, which are often overlooked. We publish knowledge related to ongoing developments and the work of our members through our publications on the website, and we regularly publish news articles. This pillar reflects the necessity of collaborative research initiatives, as well as community-based and grassroots investigations, relying on our gender-sensitive approach that gives special attention to survivors and victims. At Huquqyat, we are fully aware of the limitations imposed by international humanitarian law and the Geneva Conventions in addressing gender-based violence, which often undermines pathways to achieving justice nationally. Beyond this, we see research as an essential way to draw lessons from previous experiences in Syria. We therefore conduct in-depth studies of cases and policy papers, and collect and analyze data, with a focus on the shortcomings of legal tools in responding to the specific needs of women who have been victims of these crimes, as well as the shortcomings in gender justice in the reports of human rights organizations, and the lack of serious efforts to confront the social, political, and economic marginalization of women during and after periods of war. Accordingly, at Huquqyat, we collaborate with legal experts, human rights defenders, and academics with expertise in Syrian legal systems and international law, all of whom contribute to producing evidence-based recommendations aimed at legal reform that would eliminate discrimination and gender-based violence.
Huquqyat published a critical analytical study prepared by Huquqyat member and lawyer Linda Osman, examining the draft Syrian Transitional Justice Law through an in-depth legal analysis that compares the provisions of the draft with international human rights standards and international criminal law. The study focuses on analyzing the legal structure…
When regimes collapse, they don’t just leave a vacuum of power, their cracks expose the wealth of those who used to be in power. The fall of the Assad regime in December 2024 has ushered Syria into a new era. While there is hope for a new political reality on…
After decades of authoritarian rule and mass violence, justice in Syria cannot be symbolic or rushed. Our research centers the voices too often pushed to the margins: Syrian women from diverse regions and lived realities, the very people who carried communities through war, displacement, and loss. Syrian women offer clear,…
“Huquqyat and the Syrian Center for Legal Studies and Research (SCLSR) have published a concise report exposing the siege and starvation tactics inflicted on civilians by the Assad regime in the south of Damascus. Leila Sibai and Mariana Karkoutly, Huquqyat co-founder and report authors, initiated this research in the context…