This report covers actual crimes, i.e. criminal offenses against journalists, and legal and other actions that violate journalists’ human rights, particularly their right to freedom of expression. It also includes human rights violations such as the lack of due process protections during criminal cases.

For purposes of this report, the notion of combating impunity is understood broadly to cover not only direct, legal mechanisms to combat impunity, of which only very limited options exist related to Syria, but also includes a wide range of mechanisms that allow for the highlighting and condemnation of crimes and human rights abuse against journalists, even if they do not provide for individual remedies or redress. 

The first part of this report provides a brief overview of the situation in Syria regarding illegitimate legal provisions and other illegitimate measures against journalists and the media, to provide readers with an idea of ​​the scale and nature of the need for mechanisms to combat impunity by illustrating how abuses against journalists generally manifest themselves in Syria, as well as how widespread they are, while the second part looks at International Options for Redress, focusing mainly on a range of UN mechanisms for the protection of various human rights, the third part discusses national options for Redress, with a focus on systems of universal jurisdiction over international crimes, which are available in many countries around the world. Finally, the fourth part looks at Civil Society Initiatives, such as the People’s Trials which some civil society organizations (CSOs) have conducted for Syria and other countries.