For more than a decade of civil conflict, Syrian civil society organisations (CSOs) have bravely documented human rights abuses committed across the country by actors ranging from Islamist militant groups to government forces. This work has become more vital than ever as, following the collapse of the Assad regime in December 2024, Syria enters a fragile transitional phase.
On the one hand, Syrian organisations working alongside the new authorities have been granted access to historic databases that may contain evidence of grave human rights abuses committed during the Assad era. On the other, new violations continue to emerge. A wave of deadly sectarian violence in March 2025—documented by CIR and the Syrian Archive—exposed the persistence of deep political and communal tensions.
This moment presents a critical window for accountability. Syrian civil society organisations now have unprecedented opportunities to access and preserve evidence of past abuses, even as new violations unfold. CIR works in close collaboration with Syrian CSOs to investigate human rights violations and strengthen OSINT-based documentation, ensuring that evidence is preserved and prepared to support future justice and accountability processes.
Research conducted by SEEN for Civil Peace, a Syrian civil society organisation, in collaboration with CIR, examined the complex interactions of hostile dynamics during the critical transitional phase, following the collapse of the Syrian regime in late 2024. This research is the first of its kind in Syria.
