As the Brussels 9 Conference on Syria convenes today, bringing together key international stakeholders to discuss the future of EU engagement with Syria, we, the undersigned human rights and civil society organisations (CSO), urge the European Union (EU) to ensure that justice, accountability, and support for the Syrian civil society are at the center of its Syria policy. The EU has a responsibility to prevent impunity, support a victim-centered transitional justice process, and guarantee Syrian civil society’s full participation in shaping the country’s future.
The EU’s ongoing discussions on its engagement with Syria must be guided by clear and enforceable human rights benchmarks. Lifting sanctions should not be used as leverage by EU states. Instead, any conditions set by EU states related to human rights, justice, and governance in Syria can be linked, among other factors, to the recognition of a new government, contributions to reconstruction efforts, and the provision of support, but not to the lifting of sanctions. The undersigned organizations believe that sectoral sanctions should be removed unconditionally.
Justice and Accountability: No Peace Without Justice
For decades, Syrians have endured atrocities, including enforced disappearances, arbitrary detention, torture, gender-based violence, and war crimes. More than 202,000 civilians have been killed, nearly 100,000 forcibly disappeared, and over 15,000 have been tortured to death in Syrian regime prisons. Yet, discussions of amnesty and reconciliation threaten to overshadow the fundamental right to justice.
The undersigned human rights and civil society organisations (CSO) call on the EU to:
- Condition the normalisation with Syrian authorities on verifiable progress toward justice and accountability in close collaboration with Syrian CSOs
- Ensure that transitional justice is victim-centered, addressing enforced disappearances, torture, and war crimes.
- Increase political and financial support for international justice mechanisms.
- Fund legal advocacy efforts to remove discriminatory laws, particularly those restricting women’s property ownership, inheritance rights, and child custody.
Syrian Civil Society: A Key Actor in the Transition
Despite the fall of the Assad regime, Syrian civil society remains marginalised in decision-making spaces. Exclusion from international forums, including EU-led initiatives, weakens the prospects for a democratic and inclusive transition.
We call on the EU to:
Guarantee the meaningful participation of Syrian civil society, including women, youth, ethnic minorities, and opposition groups in all political, constitutional, and humanitarian decision-making processes.
Continue to provide support for Syrian CSOs working on accountability and justice, empowering Syrian organisations to operate within Syria and supporting local initiatives and grassroots organisations inside the country.
Exert diplomatic pressure on the transitional government to ensure full transparency in handling human rights issues, particularly those related to missing and forcibly disappeared persons, as well as accountability for war crimes and crimes against humanity.
Prioritise the protection and rights of refugees, especially in Europe and neighboring countries to Syria, by addressing their conditions and ensuring adequate support.
Focus on supporting the efforts of organisations and actors that provide psychological support to victims, survivors, and their families.
Reject any diplomatic efforts that sideline civil society voices in favor of state-centric negotiations.
Ensure direct funding for Syrian-led CSO’s, rather than channeling funds through international intermediaries.
The undersigned:
- Civil Society Enablement Unit.
- Dawlaty
- EPISA organization
- Equal Citizenship Center – ECC
- EuroMed Rights
- Families for Freedom
- Families for Truth and Justice
- Hevdesti – Synergy
- Huquqyat
- Lebanese Center for Human Rights
- NoPhotoZone
- Release Me
- Syrian Network for Human Rights (SNHR)
- Syrian Center for Media and Freedom of Expression (SCM)
- Syrians for Truth and Justice – STJ
- Ta’afi Initiative
- Tunisian association defending individual liberties
- Women Now for Development – Lebanon