Al Mayadeen English

  • Ar
  • Es
  • x
Al Mayadeen English

Slogan

  • News
    • Politics
    • Economy
    • Sports
    • Arts&Culture
    • Health
    • Miscellaneous
    • Technology
    • Environment
  • Articles
    • Opinion
    • Analysis
    • Blog
    • Features
  • Videos
    • NewsFeed
    • Video Features
    • Explainers
    • TV
    • Digital Series
  • Infographs
  • In Pictures
  • • LIVE
News
  • Politics
  • Economy
  • Sports
  • Arts&Culture
  • Health
  • Miscellaneous
  • Technology
  • Environment
Articles
  • Opinion
  • Analysis
  • Blog
  • Features
Videos
  • NewsFeed
  • Video Features
  • Explainers
  • TV
  • Digital Series
Infographs
In Pictures
  • Africa
  • Asia
  • Asia-Pacific
  • Europe
  • Latin America
  • MENA
  • Palestine
  • US & Canada
BREAKING
Abu Zaid: I believe that the Iranian operation was multi-layered, combining cyber and electronic attacks with coordinated on-the-ground infiltrations by agents
Abu Zaid: Usually, archives of such sensitivity are typically protected by a full-scale security system, but it appears that Iranian intelligence managed to make use of a gap in it
Strategic military expert Nidal Abu Zaid: Iran has stripped "Israel" of the superiority and deterrence long boasted by its security minister, chief of staff, and other top officials
Fallahpour: Iran may use these documents in its battle with the United States and Western countries over its nuclear program
Fallahpour: Iran may have obtained additional documents related to "Israel's" regional projects, not just its nuclear program
Fallahpour: The coming weeks will be full of surprises, as Iran has forced Israeli intelligence agencies into a state of psychological exhaustion
Al Mayadeen's correspondent in Tehran, Siavash Fallahpour: Iran has redefined the concept of deterrence, shifting it away from traditional military balance toward a new strategic framework
Sources to Al Mayadeen: Number of documents so great that merely studying them, along with accompanying images and footage will require a great deal of time.
Sources to Al Mayadeen: Large data trove was confirmed to have arrived to "safe sites".
Sources to Al Mayadeen: Operation had taken place in past, but large size of documents and need to transfer entire batch inside Iran necessitated secrecy.

UN investigators enter Syria for first time in 13 years

  • By Al Mayadeen English
  • Source: Agencies
  • 9 Jan 2025 23:23
3 Min Read

The COI, tasked with documenting crimes committed by all parties to the war, had been investigating remotely since its establishment in 2011.

Listen
  • x
  • A
    A  flag hangs in the Old City of Damascus, Syria, Thursday, January 9, 2025, backdropped by the Sayyidah Ruqayya shrine. (AP)

For the first time in over a decade, UN investigators have gained access to Syria, a significant milestone in efforts to address the atrocities committed during the war on Syria.

The UN Commission of Inquiry on Syria (COI) now hopes to engage directly with Syria's new rulers in their pursuit of justice.

"It is a huge surprise to be in Damascus," said Hanny Megally of the COI, expressing optimism about the development. "We hope to be able to have a good relationship with the authorities now in place."

Remote investigations

The COI, tasked with documenting crimes committed by all parties to the war, has been investigating remotely since its establishment in 2011. Interviews with thousands of refugees and defectors, combined with an extensive archive of documents, formed the basis of its work. However, the absence of access to Syria itself raised questions about the credibility and completeness of its findings.

Related News

Rukban Syrian displacement camp near Jordan border shut down

'Israel' storms Quneitra amid tensions near occupied Syrian Golan

Assad's government had consistently denied entry to the investigators, citing concerns over bias and allegations of fabrication. These concerns were rooted in the geopolitical context of the war, with Syria accusing Western powers of using investigations and human rights discourse as tools to legitimize intervention.

The Syrian authorities argued that reports often relied on opposition-linked sources and refugees, which they claimed could lead to exaggerated or fabricated allegations.

Read more: Russia condemns Western claims on Syria's chemical weapons

Verifying evidence

The political shift following al-Assad's ousting has now opened doors for the COI. During a five-day visit, Megally toured mass grave sites and detention centers in Damascus and held meetings with officials from the justice and foreign ministries.

He stressed the importance of verifying previously gathered evidence and addressing gaps. "We want to be able to now go to the places we were documenting without access to the country to reconfirm, in essence, the information we've been gathering," he said.

The COI's work remains expansive, covering crimes committed by all factions in the conflict, including former opposition members now in power. "There's no party to the conflict in Syria that can say: 'We observed human rights law or we observed international humanitarian law,'" Megally noted.

Read more: Syrian Alawites live in fear amid ongoing violence, reprisals: WashPo

  • Syria
  • Commission of Inquiry on Syria
  • United Nations
  • Human Rights

Most Read

Lebanon's PM Nawaf Salam meets with US envoy Morgan Ortagus in Beirut on April 5, 2025 (Dalati Nohra via AP)AP)

Morgan Ortagus to exit US role in Lebanon amid policy shift

  • Politics
  • 1 Jun 2025
A Palestinian woman mourns as she embraces the body of her daughter Mayar Abu Odeh, 8, who was killed in an Israeli army strike on Gaza. at Al-Shifa Hospital in Gaza City, Wednesday, June 4, 2025. (AP)

French port workers block arms shipment to 'Israel' amid Gaza genocide

  • Politics
  • 4 Jun 2025
New Syrian group claims Golan strike, vows resistance to 'Israel'

New Syrian group claims Golan strike, vows resistance to 'Israel'

  • Politics
  • 4 Jun 2025
Palestinians struggle to get donated food at a community kitchen in Khan Younis, southern Gaza Strip, Monday, June 2, 2025. (AP)

Boston Consulting Group withdraws from GHF

  • Palestine
  • 3 Jun 2025

Coverage

All
War on Gaza

Read Next

All
https://english.almayadeen.net/news/politics/pentagon-chief--nato-likely-to-back-trump-s-5--defence-spend
Politics

Europe spent $3 trillion on defense, but got little in return - FT

Power, parties, and scandal: Trump’s ties to Epstein: Telegraph
Europe

Power, parties, and scandal: Trump’s ties to Epstein - The Telegraph

Eilat port as seen from the sea, occupied Palestine, March 12 2009 (wikimedia commons)
Politics

YAF operations forced 80% plunge in Eilat port revenues in 2024

EU backs International Criminal Court after US sanctions judges
Europe

EU backs International Criminal Court after US sanctions judges

Al Mayadeen English

Al Mayadeen is an Arab Independent Media Satellite Channel.

All Rights Reserved

  • x
  • Privacy Policy
  • About Us
  • Contact Us
  • Authors
Android
iOS