Hvis – elller når – regimeskiftet kommer i Syrien, vil der følge et retsopgør i kølvandet, men hvordan undgå, at det bliver sejrherrernes domstol? Hvordan får man troværdige vidnesbyrd i en blodig konflikt, hvor begge parter begår grusomheder?
ISTANBUL, 14 December 2012 (IRIN): When Mohamed (not his real name) first got involved in human rights work in Syria, his idea of documenting crimes was to visit a crime scene with a cell phone and post a shaky video on YouTube.
But a few months ago, he found himself in an upscale hotel in Istanbul, learning the basic principles of international law from renowned experts in the field, such as how to take GPS coordinates and how to interview witnesses.
He is part of a push to systematically and forensically gather evidence about potential war crimes in Syria, with the aim of eventually taking alleged war criminals to court.
Those behind the effort say it is the first significant attempt to do so in the midst of an ongoing conflict.
Vil undgå et nyt Rwanda eller Irak
But as investigators try to lay the groundwork for accountability (kunne drages til ansvar) and transitional justice in Syria under extremely difficult circumstances, experts are already warning the process must avoid the pitfalls experienced in Iraq, Rwanda and other post-conflict scenarios.
Several initiatives – from the UN’s Independent International Commission of Inquiry into human rights violations in Syria to the Center for Documentation of Violations in Syria – are trying to document developments in Syria for potential use in future prosecutions. But they face unprecedented challenges.
“To do it in the middle of conflict is extremely difficult. It is a first for all of us,” Karen Koning AbuZayd, a commissioner with the Commission of Inquiry told IRIN.
One of the challenges is access. The Syrian government has not granted the Commission permission to enter Syria, for example.
As such, its reports rely mostly on interviews with Syrian refugees in neighbouring countries, but also on information gleaned (fremskaffet) from a variety of sources on the ground, including a new outfit calling itself the Syrian Commission for Justice and Accountability (SCJA).
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http://www.irinnews.org/Report/97045/Analysis-The-beginnings-of-transitional-justice-in-Syria
Begynd fra: “A non-profit organization registered in The Hague but based mostly in Istanbul, the SCJA recently…..”
