The head of the International, Impartial and Independent Mechanism Investigating Serious Crimes in Syria (IIIM), Robert Petit, told reporters in Geneva that with an “interlocking series of crime scenes” across the country now accessible, there is the possibility of accessing evidence and “finally” establishing the fate of tens of thousands who had been “illegally arrested, detained and suffered years of violence inside the prison system”, almost 14 years after the start of a brutal state crackdown against Arab Spring protesters.

Golan communities face evacuation orders

Meanwhile, UN humanitarians warned that Syria’s humanitarian crisis is worsening, with fighting in the northeast, including in the occupied Golan Heights. “There have been orders issued by the Israeli forces to some villages for people to vacate, and that people have resisted leaving,” reported the UN refugee agency, UNHCR.

Asked if there was anything new that he’d learned since the fall of the Assad regime just days ago, Mr. Petit underscored the IIIM’s eight years of investigative experience and said that what had struck him the most was seeing “the horror of the impact of the crimes on victims coming out of detention centres and on families”.

Established in 2016 by the General Assembly, the IIIM is mandated to collect, preserve and analyze evidence to support competent jurisdictions in investigating and prosecuting international crimes committed in Syria from March 2011 onwards. These may include war crimes, crimes against humanity and genocide.

Engaging with new Syrian authority

Mr. Petit stressed that the previous Syrian Government had never recognized the IIIM’s legitimacy and failed to engage with the mechanism, despite many attempts. While preparing for future accountability processes, the IIIM has collected evidence from many sources, accumulating 283 terabytes of data which could be used to support current and future jurisdictions. Over the years it had received over 400 requests for assistance from 16 different jurisdictions and was able to support more than half of them with evidence and analysis.

With new opportunities emerging amid the fast-moving political situation, “in the past week, we have received at least four different requests for assistance from jurisdictions”, Mr. Petit said. “If a jurisdiction had for some years now, an open file on the crimes committed by agents of the regime with no possibility of gathering evidence, that file was probably put on the side for a while, but now it has been reactivated.”

Investigators in demand

The UN investigator said that he expects “increased demand” for the IIIM’s support. However, the destruction of potential evidence during the Syrian rebels’ flash offensive – while “quite understandable” given the fast-evolving situation – were a major concern.

The UN investigator spoke of “papers strewn all over the floor, people leaving with computers, hard drives burned and smashed”, and stressed the need for a concerted preservation effort “from everyone”, with the IIIM playing its part in this process.

The mechanism has “reiterated through a communication to the Syrian missions” in Geneva and New York its “willingness to engage and to go to Syria to fulfill our mandate”.

“We are awaiting a response. And as soon as that response is forthcoming, we will deploy,” Mr. Petit insisted.

He also noted, with hope, “a stated awareness from the transitional authorities, and from Syrian civil society actors of the need to preserve evidence.”

“When you’re talking about a government, a state apparatus, who for 14 years used every aspect of that apparatus to commit crimes, you will have a massive amount of documentation left behind.”

Several national and international actors have offered to help the transitional authorities to preserve evidence, Mr. Petit said, expressing hope that these efforts will continue. The situation “varies from governorate to governorate” and part of the country “is still very much under an armed conflict,” he warned.

“It’s a very delicate and fluid situation.”

Asked about reports that Syrians have accused the UN of arriving too late to help them, Mr. Petit said, “if the crime has been committed, it’s already too late, right? It’s always too late”.

He stressed that now, the call to the international community has been heard. “You’ve seen statements from the UN, multiple international actors, multiple states, regional bodies” amid a level of access which was not possible just 13 days ago. 

“Now that we have access, I think there is a real expression of commitment to helping Syria rebuild. And we’re certainly hoping to be part of that,” he concluded.

Meanwhile, the UN refugee agency, UNHCR, warned that Syria faces a deepening humanitarian crisis amid ongoing fighting in the northeast and in the occupied Golan Heights. In recent days Israeli forces have advanced beyond the zone established by the May 1974 Agreement on Disengagement for the first time in 50 years and have reportedly carried out more than 500 airstrikes since the overthrow of the Assad regime.

Israeli military in spotlight

Rema Jamous Imseis, UN Refugee Agency (UNHCR) Director for the Middle East and North Africa, said that in the Golan, “there have been orders issued by the Israeli forces to some villages for people to vacate, and that people have resisted leaving”.

The UNHCR official stressed the “massive humanitarian needs” in the country, with 90 per cent of the population living below the poverty line, and the need for donors to also support “early recovery and reconstruction” so that Syria can absorb an expected influx of returning citizens and move towards self-sufficiency.

Both inbound and outbound population movements across the borders with Lebanon, Türkiye and Jordan have been observed amid the current “dynamic, fluid situation,” Ms. Imseis said. Next year, UNHCR expects to see as many as one million Syrians return to their country between January and June.

Ms. Imseis warned against any forced returns, highlighting a “non-returns advisory” issued by the agency on Monday and calling on host countries to respect the rights of asylum-seekers and the principle of non-refoulement.

“It’s simply too early to see how safe it’s going to be,” she said. “We need to respect the right of voluntary, safe and dignified returns for Syrians…And people simply cannot, after 14 years of displacement, pack a bag overnight and return to a country that has been devastated by conflict.”

The Democratic Party icon lived longer than any president in US history, serving one term between 1977 and 1981, going on burnish his reputation on the international stage by being awarded the Nobel Peace Prize, and establishing a major hub for diplomacy and conflict resolution in the form of the Carter Center – which advocates for democracy and human rights around the world.

After suffering an undisclosed illness, he elected to stop medical treatment last year, choosing instead to receive hospice care at home. President Joe Biden and First Lady Jill Biden led the tributes, saying that the world had “lost an extraordinary leader, statesman and humanitarian.”

In his statement Mr. Guterres highlighted President Carter’s leadership while in office and overall contributions to international peace and security, “including the landmark Camp David Accords” – the 1978 peace treaty between Egypt and Israel which remains in force.

The Secretary-General also noted the gains made through the Strategic Arms Limitation Talks which led to the 1979 SALT II Treaty between the US and the Soviet Union – limiting nuclear proliferation – together with the Panama Canal Treaties which enabled ownership of the key waterway linking the Pacific and Atlantic to return to Panama in 1999.

After leaving office, President Carter turned his attention to addressing global challenges of inequality, human rights, inadequate housing and other social justice issues.

“President Carter’s commitment to international peace and human rights also found full expression after he left the presidency,” said the UN chief.

“He played a key role in conflict mediation, election monitoring, the promotion of democracy, and disease prevention and eradication,” Mr. Guterres added.

A friend of the UN

“These and other efforts earned him the Nobel Peace Prize in 2002 and helped advance the work of the United Nations.”

President Carter, together with former South African President Nelson Mandela, founded The Elders group, to advance the human rights and peace agenda.

Mr. Guterres said President Carter would be remembered “for his solidarity with the vulnerable, his abiding grace, and his unrelenting faith in the common good and our common humanity.”

He extended his deepest condolences to the Carter family and all citizens of the United States.

He concluded by saying the former president’s “legacy as a peacemaker, human rights champion and humanitarian will endure.”

President Carter is survived by his four children, 11 grandchildren and 14 great-grandchildren. He lost his wife of 77 years, Rosalynn, in November last year.

Between 16 and 18 January, at least three civilians were killed and 14 injured in shelling and other attacks impacting Manbij, Ain al-Arab and other villages near the Tishreen Dam in the eastern Aleppo region.

UN partners also reported that shops in the main market were damaged when an improvised bomb detonated inside a car in Manbij.

These incidents have forced people from their homes and obstructed aid access, OCHA reported after sending a mission to the city on Monday.

The mission visited the Manbij National Hospital and met with local officials, the Syrian Arab Red Crescent and local non-governmental organizations to identify and address the issues at stake, according to Farhan Haq, the Deputy Spokesperson for the UN Secretary-General.

OCHA and the UN Children’s Fund (UNICEF) also completed a monitoring mission on Monday to the Ain Al Bayda water station in eastern Aleppo.

Deadly remains

UN partners have recorded 69 explosive ordnance incidents over the first two weeks of January due to contamination, in which 45 people were killed and 60 others wounded.

“Since 26 November, a total of 134 new areas with explosive remnants of war have been identified by partners across five governorates – Idlib, Aleppo, Hama, Deir-ez-Zor and Latakia,” said Mr. Haq.

As people continue to move and return to their communities, UN partners are calling for increased and flexible funding for mine action, including risk education and emergency clearance.                   

Meanwhile, with water and sanitation services suspended in many displacement camps due to funding gaps affecting more than 635,000 people, OCHA asked for increased funding to ensure the continuation of its services.

$770 million response plan launched in Mali

On Tuesday, the UN in collaboration with Mali’s transitional authorities, launched a $770 million humanitarian needs and response plan in the capital Bamako to support millions of people across the country this year.

The plan aims to address the urgent needs of 4.7 million people affected by conflict, displacement, health emergencies and climate shocks, according to the Deputy Spokesperson.

Mostly women and children

Nearly 80 per cent of the people to be reached with aid are women and children who are in need of food, water, healthcare and protection support.

Last year, UN partners mobilised nearly 40 per cent of what was required – just over $270 million – enabling lifesaving assistance and protection to reach 1.8 million people.

The Acting UN Humanitarian Coordinator on the ground, Khassim Diagne, said it is urgent that the entire humanitarian community and donors renew their commitment to addressing essential needs in the region.

UN rights experts urge Thailand to halt Uyghur deportations

Independent UN human rights experts have called on Thailand to immediately stop the deportation of 48 Uyghurs to China, citing serious concerns over potential torture and inhumane treatment.

“The treatment of the Uyghur minority in China is well-documented,” the Human Rights Council-appointed experts stated. “We are concerned they are at risk of suffering irreparable harm.”

The experts emphasised the international prohibition on refoulement, which forbids returning individuals to countries where they face real risks of torture or cruel treatment. They urged Thailand to provide urgent medical care to the mostly Muslim Uyghurs being held.

The 48 individuals are part of a larger group of around 350 Uyghurs detained in Thailand since 2014 after crossing the border irregularly. They have reportedly been held incommunicado for over a decade, without access to legal representation, family members or UN officials.

No return

“It is our view that these persons should not be returned to China,” the experts said. “They must be provided with access to asylum procedures and humanitarian assistance, including medical and psycho-social support.”

The experts highlighted that 23 of the 48 Uyghurs held suffer from severe health conditions, including diabetes, kidney dysfunction and paralysis. “It is essential they receive appropriate medical care,” the experts added.

Thai authorities were reminded of their obligation to treat all detainees humanely and with dignity, ensuring access to legal representation, medical assistance and the ability to communicate with lawyers and family members.

The plea underscores the urgent need for Thailand to uphold international human rights standards and protect the Uyghur detainees from potential harm.

Special Rapporteurs and other experts are not UN staff, receive no salary for their work and are fully independent of any government or organization. 

Mariana Katzarova, Special Rapporteur on the situation of human rights in the Russian Federation, urged Russian authorities to release lawyers Vadim Kobzev, Alexei Liptser and Igor Sergunin, who were sentenced on 17 January to prison terms on “extremism” charges.

Their trial, held in the Petushki district court of the Vladimir region, was criticized as a sham.

“This week, when we mark the International Day of the Endangered Lawyer, the Russian Government continues reprisals against lawyers for carrying out their professional duties,” Ms. Katzarova said.

She called for the immediate release of three lawyers, and for the verdict against them to be annulled.

Chilling effect

The sentencing of Mr. Kobzev, Mr. Liptser and Mr. Sergunin serves as a “chilling warning” to lawyers considering politically sensitive cases in Russia, Ms. Katzarova said, describing the charges as baseless under international law.

“The term ‘extremism’ has no foundation in international law and constitutes a violation of human rights when used to trigger criminal liability,” she said.

The trial took place behind closed doors, although around 50 people were allowed into the courtroom as the verdict was handed down, including journalists and lawyers, according to a news release issued by the Special Rapporteur.

Five others, four of them journalists, were arbitrarily detained, apparently to prevent them from attending the hearing. They were later released.

“The persecution of lawyers and journalists is part of an alarming pattern of targeted repression and State control that is silencing independent media and the legal profession throughout Russia,” Ms. Katzarova added.

Escalating repressions

The Special Rapporteur’s 2024 report to the UN Human Rights Council documented continuing attacks on the legal profession in Russia.

“Lawyers have been imprisoned, prosecuted, disbarred and intimidated simply for carrying out their professional duties,” Ms. Katzarova said.

She noted “widespread use” of vague legal definitions and unpredictable, often abusive, interpretations, as well as closed trials which have allowed Russian authorities to misuse and instrumentalise counter-extremism, counter-terrorism and national security legislation to stifle critics, ban anti-war speech, imprison legitimate political opponents and punish and endanger their defence lawyers.

“This practice must end,” she added.

Independent expert

The mandate of the Special Rapporteur was established by the Human Rights Council in October 2022, and subsequently extended.

Ms. Katzarova was appointed as the Special Rapporteur by the Council in April 2023 and assumed her function on 1 May 2023. She is not a UN staff member, does not draw a salary, and serves in her individual capacity, independent of the UN Secretariat.