Transitional Justice in the Syrian Context

Abstract

The Syrian conflict continues to represent one of the greatest humanitarian challenges today. Despite stalled peace negotiations and the absence of a political transition, demands for transitional justice regarding the crimes committed in Syria have been prevalent over the past years. This panel explores demands for justice of Syrians affected by the conflict, as well as transitional justice initiatives – such as the European domestic efforts to prosecute crimes committed in Syria under the universal jurisdiction principle – and the challenges these initiatives face (e.g. statelessness). This panel also discusses broader implications of the Syrian context for the trajectory of the field of transitional justice, the global human rights regime, and international migration policies.