The Impact of Political Trends on Human Rights Work and Documenting Violations

Research Introduction:

The Syrian crisis has entered its fifteenth year amidst political complexities, historical accumulations, and sharp social polarization. Since the outbreak of protests in 2011 and their subsequent transformation into a multi-party armed conflict, the pivotal role of human rights organizations in documenting human rights violations and advocating for accountability and achieving justice has emerged. However, this role has not been without challenges related to impartiality and independence, especially in light of the direct and indirect influences of the political trends of those working on human rights documentation activities.

A set of historical, political, and human rights elements intertwine in the background of this research. The Ba’athist regime has a long record of restrictions imposed on civil society, and the development of the conflict and its transformation into an international crisis has contributed to the formation of human rights organizations linked to various political parties, which has reshaped the nature of human rights work in the country. Thus, the issue of political bias emerges as a controversial human rights concept, rethinking the extent of the human rights activist’s neutrality and the impact of his political position on the selection of violations he documents, the methods of presenting them, and the degree of empathy granted to the victims and the parties that commit them……..

The Impact of Political Trends on Human Rights Work and Documenting Violations