Syria: Decisions on Commission of Inquiry must be rooted in human rights improvements

The undersigned Syrian civil society organisations and international and regional organisations welcome the renewal of the mandate of the International Commission of Inquiry on Syria at the 61st Session of the Human Rights Council. We underscore the continued importance of the Commission’s investigations, public reporting, and efforts to support accountability, which remain critical, and call for sustained support to ensure the effective implementation of the mandate.

We welcome that the Human Rights Council has extended the mandate of the Commission as originally established in 2011, thereby reaffirming that the mandate remains unchanged in its core investigative duties and fully independent in its implementation, and that its consideration under Item 2 does not change or constrain its original mandate. We reiterate our full support of the Commission’s mandate ‘to investigate all alleged violations of international human rights law since March 2011 in the Syrian Arab Republic, to establish the facts and circumstances that may amount to such violations and of the crimes perpetrated and, where possible, to identify those responsible with a view to ensuring that perpetrators of violations, including those that may constitute crimes against humanity, are held accountable’. We further call on the Syrian transitional government to continue to provide full, sustained, and unimpeded access to the Commission to enable the effective discharge of its mandate, and we welcome the steps taken so far in 2025.

In this regard, we take note of the statement by the Syrian Ministry of Foreign Affairs that it will maintain cooperation with UN mechanisms, including by ensuring full, sustained, and unimpeded access for the Commission of Inquiry throughout all parts of Syria. We stress that these commitments should be translated into concrete practice, in full respect of the Commission’s independent investigative mandate.

In addition to its investigative functions, we acknowledge that the Commission will, within its existing capacity, and with no prejudice to the nature of the Commission’s mandate and its independence, provide advice based on its expertise to the Syrian transitional government, including methodological guidance on investigations and the transitional justice process. We welcome the provision of such support, insofar as it contributes to ensuring Syria’s compliance with its obligations under international law; and it does not restrict, limit or replace the Commission’s core and independent investigative and reporting functions. In particular, such assistance should facilitate the implementation of the Commission’s recommendations, including those related to institutional reform, access to effective remedy and accountability, in addition to safeguarding civic space and civil society, and ensuring the meaningful, inclusive and safe participation of victims.

In conclusion, the undersigned organisations call on the Syrian transitional government and Member States of the Human Rights Council to ensure that any future decisions affecting the future of the Commission are firmly anchored in tangible improvements in the human rights situation in Syria, including the effective implementation of the Commission’s recommendations contained in the CoI’s reports on the coastal region and Sweida, and its annual report, which can serve as indicator of such improvement, and the active protection and safeguarding of a pluralistic and enabling environment for Syrian civil society.

Signatory organisations:

1. Access Center for Human Rights (ACHR)
2. Action for Sama
3. ADAD
4. Adalaty Centre
5. Adel Center For Human Rights
6. Amal Healing and Advocacy Center
7. Amnesty International
8. Association of Families of Missing Asylum Seekers (AFOMAS)
9. Association of Victims of Chemical Weapons (AVCW)
10. Baytna
11. Bercav Organisation for Development, Democracy and Media
12. Bidayetna
13. Caesar Files for Justice (CF4J)
14. Caesar Families Association
15. Centre for Law and Democracy
16. Civil Society Empowerment Unit (CSEU)
17. Citizens For Syria
18. Civil Center
19. Dar Justice
20. DAR Association For Victims Of Forced Displacement
21. Dawlaty
22. Equal Citizenship Center
23. EuroMed Rights
24. Euro-Mediterranean Federation Against Enforced Disappearances
25. European Center for Constitutional and Human Rights (ECCHR)
26. Every Casualty Counts
27. Families for Freedom
28. Families for Truth and Justice
29. Free Syrian Lawyers Association (FSLA)
30. Gharsah foundation
31. Global Centre for the Responsibility to Protect (GCR2P)
32. Global Rights Compliance
33. Gulf Centre For Human Rights
34. Hevy for relief and development
35. Hiwarat
36. House of Citizenship Organization
37. HuMENA for Human Rights and Civic Engagement
38. Humanitarian and Development Cooperation (HDC)
39. Human Rights Guardians
40. Human Rights Watch (HRW)
41. Huquqyat
42. IFEX
43. IHL Centre
44. Impunity Watch (IW)
45. International Bar Association’s Human Rights Institute (IBA-HRI)
46. International Federation for Human Rights (FIDH)
47. International Service for Human Rights (ISHR)
48. Justice for Life
49. Kesh Malek
50. Kurdish Journalists Network
51. Lawyers and Doctors for Human Rights (LDHR)
52. Legal Action Worldwide (LAW)
53. Lebanese Center for Human Rights (CLDH)
54. Lelun Association for Victims
55. Malva for arts
56. Missing Persons’ Families Platform in North and East Syria (MPFP-NES)
57. Musawa
58. Network of Statelessness Victims in al-Hasakah (NSVH)
59. Nophotozone
60. Okaaz
61. Peace Circuit
62. PÊL-Civil Waves
63. Physicians for Human Rights (PHR)
64. Pro-Justice
65. Riad Seif Human Rights Foundation
66. Rights Defense Initiative
67. Rose for Support and Empowerment
68. Rozana Media
69. Sanabel AL-Furat
70. Seen for Civil Peace
71. Strategic Litigation Project
72. Synergy Association for Victims
73. Syrian Archive – Mnemonic
74. Syrian Center for Media and Freedom of Expression (SCM)
75. Syrian Center for Policy Research
76. Syrian Female Journalists Network
77. Syrian Feminist Lobby
78. Syrian Foundation for Research and Sustainable Development
79. Syrian Legal Development Programme (SLDP)
80. Syrian Network for Human Rights (SNHR)
81. Syrians for Truth and Justice (STJ)
82. Syria Research Group
83. Ta’afi Initiative
84. The Day After (TDA)
85. The Syria Campaign
86. The Tahrir Institute for Middle East Policy (TIMEP)
87. Transformative Pathways
88. Truth Guardians Foundation
89. Truth and Justice Charter
90. Warsheh Team
91. White Hope Organization
92. Women Now for Development
93. Women Now for Development – Lebanon
94. Women of Tomorrow