Under the slogan “Equity and Justice for All”, The Third Annual Forum for the Victims in Northern Syria was held on November 15, 2024. The Forum addressed key issues related to needs and priorities of victims, including revealing the fate of the missing and the forcibly disappeared, ways for safe and voluntary return for the Internally Displaced Persons (IDPs) and the enforced migrants, addressing challenges to stability, ensuring accountability for perpetrators, and exploring available justice pathways for victims within the context of the Syrian conflict.
The Forum was held in Qamishli City, with virtual participation available, and it was organized by Synergy Association for Victims, the Syrian Center for Media and Freedom of Expression (SCM), Syrians for Truth and Justice (STJ) Organization, Dar Association for Victims of Enforced Displacement, the Missing Persons’ Families Platform in North and East Syria (MPFP-NES), Afrin Social Association (in Kurdish: Komabende Efrîn A Civakî), and the Committee of Serê Kaniyê/Ras al-Ayn Displaced Persons.
The Forum’s significance lies in the context of recent major political transformations in Syria, most notably the fall of the al-Assad regime on December 8, 2024. The discussions and recommendations issued by the Forum represent a critical step in addressing the challenges of the upcoming phase, which brings hopes for a new future after 14 years of conflict. The fall of the regime places a profound responsibility on the Syrians to work diligently toward building a state founded on justice, and where citizens enjoy freedom and security. This can be achieved through a path of transitional justice that restores justice for victims, reinstates rights for their owners, and ensures an inclusive accountability for perpetrator of violations, regardless of their affiliation.
The Forum hosted 11 panelists and brought together over 130 participants, including 80 attending in person and 52 joining virtually. The attendees comprised public affairs activists, human rights defenders, and representatives from civil society and the media. The Forum addressed three main themes. The first axis addressed the situation of human rights in Northern Syria, the victims’ needs and priorities, ways to enhance stability, and the safe and voluntary return of the IDPs and the forcibly displaced. The second theme tackled
