Our Mission
SETF’s mission is to help build democracy in Syria through advocacy, support of transitional justice and accountability, humanitarian initiatives and development and supporting the Syrian people’s efforts to establish a representative government that ensures a peaceful and inclusive future for all Syrians.
Our Vision
SETF envisions a prosperous, stable, and democratic Syria that serves as a beacon of justice, accountability, and freedom, supporting its people and standing firm against authoritarianism.
What We Do
Humanitarian and Development
SETF’s humanitarian programs keep us closely connected to communities across Syria, delivering education, relief, and hope to people rebuilding their lives.
Accountability and Transitional Justice
SETF pursues legal efforts in the United States and abroad to bring perpetrators of war crimes in Syria to justice
Advocacy
SETF advocates for a free and stable Syria by engaging with policymakers in the US, in Syria and abroad, and by promoting legislation that supports the aspirations of the Syrian people for democracy, peace and stability.
Help us continue this important work
Our
Journey
From our launch to the liberation of Syria from the Assad regime, we have continued to grow, evolving and reaching milestones that define our journey and success thanks to your support.
I
SETF Is Established
April 2011
The Syrian Emergency Task Force (SETF) was established one month into the Syrian revolution to advocate for better US policies on Syria and for the US to stand with the Syrian people against the Assad regime.
II
Caesar and the Caesar Photos
August 2013
Caesar (a pseudonym for Farid Al-Madhan) was a Syrian military photographer conscripted by the Assad regime to take pictures of civilians who died in military detention. In early 2011, he began to notice that these civilian deaths were a result of brutal torture and systematic mass murder by the Assad regime, and he started to collect the photographic evidence onto a flash drive. In August 2013, Caesar defected and smuggled the flash drive with over 55,000 photos proving the brutality of the Assad regime towards its own people. SETF became the custodian of the photos and helped Caesar visit the US to deliver his testimony in front of the US Congress. SETF also began hosting Caesar exhibits all over the world to show policymakers, journalists and the general public the evidence that Caesar risked his life to bring out of Assad’s prisons.
III
The Wisdom House And Tomorrow’s Dawn
June 2016
SETF was able to “adopt” a kindergarten for orphans, the Wisdom House, and a vocational center for women, Tomorrow’s Dawn, in Idlib province in NW Syria. Both institutions had to relocate several times due to Russian bombardments and the Assad regime advancing, but continued to provide free quality education for their communities. Throughout the years, they expanded significantly, with the Wisdom House having more than 150 students every year and Tomorrow’s Dawn becoming an accredited high school.
IV
The Caesar Act
December 2019
Signed into law in December 2019, the Caesar Syria Civilian Protection Act came about partly as a response to this irrefutable proof of the regime’s commission of war crimes. The Act introduced sanctions against the Syrian government of Bashar Al Assad, a number of Syrian industries, and any entities or persons that provide financial support to the regime. It aims to hold the regime, its allies Iran and Russia, as well as all those aiding their efforts, accountable for the crimes they commit. It also seeks to obstruct their ability to continue these atrocities and regain effective control of the country without facing repercussions for their crimes.
V
The Gravedigger, The Bulldozer Driver And Mass Graves
May 2021
In 2021, SETF discovered and made public several mass graves locations that the Assad regime used, starting in the early days of the revolution in 2011, to dispose of the bodies of those who died in detention. This discovery came thanks to two main key witnesses, the Gravedigger (a pseudonym for MHD Afif Naifeh) and the Bulldozer Driver (a pseudonym for Youssef Obeid), both of whom were civilians who were forced by the Assad regime to work on the mass graves. The Bulldozer Driver was tasked with operating heavy machinery to dig the graves between 2011 and 2012, and was subsequently detained by the Assad regime before escaping to Germany. The Gravedigger would oversee a team tasked with pulling bodies from trucks into the mass graves from 2011 to 2018, when he also escaped to Germany.
VI
Breaking The Siege on Rukban IDP Camp
June 2023
After providing free medicine to the poorest residents of Rukban camp for years through the Hope Pharmacy, SETF launched Operation Syria Oasis and officially broke the siege on the camp by Assad, Iran and Russia. Through this operation, made possible thanks to the Denton Program, SETF was able to deliver food, school books, medicine, baby formula, seeds and irrigation equipment to the residents of the camp, as well as to bring in doctors for the first time since the camp’s inception.
VII
Fall of The Assad Regime
December 2024
On December 8, 2024, SETF’s mission to end the killing was achieved with the liberation from the Assad regime and its allies, Iran and Russia. However, challenges remained as an inexperienced government took over and is now trying to rebuild the country from the ground up while dealing with external factors, such as misinformation campaigns led by Iran and Russia and sanctions still in place which prevent foreign investments and economic growth while the vast majority of the population is in desperate need of help. Despite the joy and immediate relief brought about by the liberation and the widespread hope for a better future, the regime and its allies left the country in shambles and a deteriorating humanitarian crisis, with nearly 70% of the population dependent on foreign aid.
VIII
Meeting Between President Trump And Interim President Al-Sharaa
May 2025
SETF played a key role in laying the groundwork for the first meeting between President Trump and President Al-Sharaa to happen in Saudi Arabia in May 2025. In that occasion, President Trump announced his intention to lift US sanctions on Syria and normalize relations between the two countries to “give Syria a chance.”
IX
Repatriation Of Rukban Residents
May 2025
After the liberation, the residents of Rukban camp wished to return to their hometowns. SETF was able to repatriate all the remaining residents in May 2025, in partnership with Islamic Relief USA, and effectively close down the camp.
X
Al-Sharaa Visit To The White House
November 2025
In November 2025, President Al-Sharaa was the first Syrian President to visit the White House in decades. During this important visit, Syria officially joined the International Coalition to Defeat ISIS and pledged to reopen their Embassy in Washington, DC.
XI
One-Year Anniversary Of The Liberation
December 2025
SETF organized a delegation to Syria of Ukrainian civil society leaders, including Nobel Peace Prize laureate and Head of the Center for Civil Liberties Oleksandra Matviichuk, for the one-year anniversary of Syria’s liberation. SETF team members, alongside the members of the delegation, were able to take part in celebrations for the anniversary, as well as meet with Syrian government officials (including President Al-Sharaa) and civil society and organize a workshop to share knowledge and best practices to achieve accountability and transitional justice.
XII
Repeal Of The Caesar Act
December 2025
After Syria’s liberation by the Assad regime, the Caesar Act constituted the main challenge to American investment in Syria, as well as to initiatives to rebuild historical sites on the ground and to identify the remains of Americans who died in detention. The full, unconditional repeal of the Caesar Act, therefore, became the highest policy priority for SETF, and it was achieved shortly after the one-year anniversary of the liberation, thanks to bipartisan, bicameral efforts in Congress to add it as an amendment to the National Defense Authorization Act for 2026.