How New Approaches to Documentation Alter the Formal Justice Architecture A Case Study of Enforced Disappearance in Syria

Since 2011, over 100,000 Syrians have been forcibly disappeared, mostly by the regime. The regime's impunity and withholding of information have made enforced disappearance (ED) difficult to prove or address. Despite recognising the scale of this crime, the international community has largely remained passive. Yet, families of missing persons have spearheaded initiatives to seek justice and uncover the fate of their loved ones. Informal actors’ efforts to disrupt the acceptance of ED have catalysed and transformed justice efforts in the Syrian context, particularly in the field of documentation. Documentation, both by formal and informal justice actors, is central to the pursuit of justice. It includes forensic evidence, and survivor testimonies, but also artistic practices. While drawing on a range of actions, forums and approaches, what connects justice actors in this realm is that they consider documentation to be the cornerstone of any other justice initiative. Given the centrality of ED and the institutional deadlock, this project focuses on documentation of ED by informal actors, including in the artistic domain. The expected outcome is a deeper understanding of the potential of documentation by non-institutional actors in the Syrian context and their interaction with formal mechanisms. This project will theorize how informal actors open up the justice imagination when formal avenues fall short, and explore how they shape new justice ecosystems.

Keywords:Syria, Transitional Justice, Documentation

Disciplines:Security, peace and conflict, Other arts not elsewhere classified, Human rights law