Investigations
About Us
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The investigations team at SBC works on in-depth investigations into international crimes committed in Syria with the aim of pursuing both legal and non-legal routes towards accountability. A small and nimble team of six investigators, we maintain complete independence within our work and dedicate sufficient time to investigating particular incidents in greater depth.
Our investigations adopt a victim-centred approach to ensure that our work is aligned with the interests and priorities of the represented communities, and to ensure that affected communities define the accountability that they seek. We involve affected communities in the delivery of both legal and non-legal accountability initiatives, including through media and social media exposure of the documented crimes and their impacts.
We further adopt a gender-sensitive and intersectional approach to our investigative work. We are conscious of cultural and social dimensions that may inform the way in which women, religious groups, and ethnic groups experience conflict and choose to participate in accountability-seeking measures. Our goal is to create a space within the accountability field that adequately reflects and champions the diversity within communities, with the hopes of providing a more holistic view into incidents or investigations pursued.
Our first investigation, conducted between 2020-2022, investigated the crimes committed during the August 2012 Daraya massacre. The resulting report detailed findings of the crimes committed, entities responsible, and means through which the attack was coordinated and executed. We further launched a media and advocacy campaign surrounding the 10-year mark following the Daraya massacre which was covered by over 20 media outlets worldwide. Our team was awarded the Judith Lee Stronach Award for human rights defenders in April 2023 for this investigation.
The investigations team is currently investigating crimes committed against Syrian university students, as well as crimes committed throughout checkpoints during the siege of al-Waer.
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