Statement by CF4J for the International Day in Support of Victims of Torture
On the 26th of June 2026, the International Day in Support of Victims of Torture, we write this statement for every Syrian family still fighting to uncover the truth about their loved ones and to all the voices that have not wavered in their call for justice despite the years of hardship that Syria faced and continues to face.
On this day, we reaffirm our full commitment to continue pursuing and pushing for truth, justice, and reparations as well as keeping the memory of Syria’s past alive for as long as possible.
The Assad regime left us thousands of people tortured in the most degrading ways possible. It left us with hundreds of thousands of forcibly disappeared and missing people, who remain in our hearts and fuel the work we do. It also left us with many thousands murdered in ways we are still discovering today.
Now, we are faced with the huge task of dealing with the unspeakable crimes that happened over the past few decades, and with ensuring they never happen again.
As one of the many civil society organisations undertaking this work, we reiterate our full belief in the principles of accountability, transparency, solidarity and victim-centred approach to work. We assert that, after a decade of documentation, preservation, and archiving the crimes that occurred, now is the time that our ability to stand in unity as one Syrian people is put to the test.
This statement is a statement of compassion with all Syrian people that have suffered in the past years. Let this statement be a reminder that it is compassion that will heal our communities and guide us to lasting transitional justice.
We thus, on this day, reaffirm our full commitment to working for the rights and dignity of victims of torture. We equally reaffirm our full commitment to working towards a free Syria that respects the rights of all Syrians as equals and supports victims of torture to receive the justice they deserve for crimes committed by all parties.
We state, once more, that transitional justice is the way forward and must inform the work done regarding accountability, truth-seeking, and redress in the years to come. We call for this process to be as inclusive as possible, always putting at the centre the experience of victims of the crimes and the human rights violations that occurred by all sides over the past years and in the present.
We want to emphasise once more that, as Caesars Files for Justice, we place all our legal and advocacy capacities at the service of the people of Syria, in pursuit of building a state of law and institutions that protect rights and preserve human dignity.
