Waad al-Kateab’s Archived Footage to be Submitted as Evidence of War Crimes
ANNOUNCEMENT: 10 December 2019, 1pm (UK Time)
Today is International Human Rights Day.
As Syrians, we have not lived a day with the human rights that this day celebrates. Almost 50 years of our lives have been spent under the terror-driven dictatorship of the Assad family, 8 years living under bombs and many of us went into exile from our homeland.
Yet these are the rights we fight for everyday - the ones that led us to protest in the streets, to remain in Aleppo through the siege, and to create FOR SAMA and Action For Sama.
The same belief in human rights shared by the brave journalists, humanitarians, activists and medics working in Idlib today, while Russian and regime jets continue their indiscriminate bombing campaign.
Today, we continue to ask the world to defend human rights by protecting civilians in Syria. We also demand accountability for those who committed war crimes: attacks on healthcare facilities, siege tactics, torture, chemical attacks and the use of indiscriminate weapons.
In partnership with International Justice Chambers Guernica 37, we are working on submitting all the material that I captured to the UN-mandated independent investigatory mechanism, the IIIM. Submitting the archive of my footage to be used as evidence of war crimes is a crucial step to uphold our belief in the power of documentation and to contribute to long-term accountability efforts for atrocities committed against civilians in Syria. We will continue this effort in collaboration with other valued partners to put an end to impunity and bring justice for the people of Syria.
We will work closely with Guernica 37 International Justice Chambers in seeking to hold the Syrian and Russian political and military leadership accountable in a court of law, as there can be no peace, no democratic transition, no economic stability without justice.
The theme of International Human Rights Day 2019 is “Youth Standing Up for Human Rights”. We ask that governments and citizens across the world demand accountability today, so that the youth of tomorrow won’t need to stand up for their basic, fundamental human rights.
Show your support to put an end to the horrors being committed in Syria. For human rights. For the future. For Sama.
Waad al-Kateab
***
About Action For Sama
Action For Sama is an impact campaign set up by the filmmakers of FOR SAMA to shed light on the situation in Syria, to urge FOR SAMA’s viewers to take action and to demand accountability for the ongoing bombing of healthcare workers and civilians in Syria.
www.actionforsama.com Contact: actionforsama@togetherfilms.org
About Guernica 37
Guernica 37 International Justice Chambers is regulated by the Bar Standards Board of England and Wales (“BSB”). Established in 2016, the Chambers specialise uniquely in international criminal and human rights law. Justice, accountability and sustainability are the central values leading the work of Guernica 37.