As Syria’s transitional government grapples with security issues, the long-term challenges of justice and accountability post-Assad remain crucial. While extensive documentation exists of war crimes and crimes against humanity during the civil war, efforts to pursue accountability have faced significant blockages at multiple levels, including attempts to refer the case to the ICC.

Since the regime’s fall in December 2024, we’ve seen a number of institutions heading to Damascus, including the International Impartial and Independent Mechanism (IIIM) – check the podcast we did with then-head Catherine Marchi-Uhel – the International Criminal Court – here’s the argument about whether Syria should join, and the Organisation for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons. The latest to join the group is the newly established Independent Institution on Missing Persons in Syria.

To explore the massive challenge facing Syrians, we spoke with Uğur Ümit Üngör, Professor of Holocaust and Genocide Studies at the University of Amsterdam and NIOD. As the co-author of Syrian Gulag, he gave us a chilling glimpse into the brutal realities of (both father and son) Assad’s prison system and the mass graves that have resulted. 

We also discussed the detailed documentation of systematic torture, including the infamous Caesar photos – again check our podcast with the Ceasar families and discussing the potential via the torture convention to get justice. The photos played an important role in raising awareness about the scale of abuse. With almost all of the regime’s archives left completely intact, Uğur tells us about the implications this has for seeking accountability.

Finally, we talked about the future and how justice will take form in Syria. Uğur discusses the ongoing dilemma of whether to continue working on universal jurisdiction – our most recent podcast on that was with Mazen Darwish – or to invest in strengthening Syria’s justice ministry, which is currently facing significant underfunding.

Uğur’s favourite trial is that of Saddam Hussein. He also recommends watching Ghost Trail, a drama about a group of survivors that investigate the forced disappearances under Assad’s regime.

This podcast has been produced as part of a partnership with JusticeInfo.net, an independent website in French and English covering justice initiatives in countries dealing with serious violence. It is a media outlet of Fondation Hirondelle, based in Lausanne, Switzerland.