WASHINGTON, D.C. — The Center for Justice and Accountability (CJA) filed the first U.S. lawsuit against the Syrian regime in January 2022 for the practice of torture in Syria’s detention centers. On February 8th this year, the Assad regime was served with the complaint.
The Syrian Emergency Task Force is proud to support and be apart of the work of CJA by providing documentation of war crimes and crimes against humanity as well as connecting them to important witnesses, including the client in the current case, Obada Mzaik, a Syrian-American who suffered detention and horrific torture at the Air Force Intelligence Branch in Mezzeh Military Airport in January 2012.
“My hope with this lawsuit is to pursue legal action against the Assad regime to hold it accountable for what it has done and continues doing, to draw public attention to the hundreds of thousands of Syrian detainees who are less fortunate than me that never made it out. And to reach World leaders who are thinking of normalization with this atrocious regime, that they need to reconsider their stance, we must not allow this regime any legitimacy,” Obada told SETF.
CJA is now launching a Free Syria’s Disappeared (FSD) campaign alongside other human rights organizations and acknowledged the efforts of SETF amongst others in their work:
“@CJA_News is also grateful for guidance and support of Syrian-led documentation orgs who continue to lead the way in search for #accountability. @BritishSyrian @SJAC_info @SyrianCenter @snhr @CaesarFile @syrianetf @sclsar
https://cja.org/what-we-do/litigation/mzaik-v-syrian-arab-republic/evidence-and-pleadings-2/”
SETF strives to continue its partnership with organizations like CJA who are pivotal in bringing justice to the many survivors of arbitrary detention, disappearance, torture, and other atrocities at the hands of the Assad regime.
For press inquiries please contact:
Veronica Zanetta Brandoni
Director of Advocacy
[email protected]