Roundtable: Supporting Syrian Judges

The CEELI Institute organized a roundtable with Syrian judges currently living in Turkey, where they sought exile after fleeing the conflict and with it the increasing government and military interference in their duties. While some of them remain active in work of international organizations focused on maintaining basic public records of births, death, marriages etc., all of them are looking ahead at possible scenarios that might occur in Syria after the imminent conflict ends.  The CEELI Institute roundtable, organized together with the International Legal Assistance Consortium (ILAC), looked at some of the challenges and scenarios that took place in other countries following an armed conflict (including Bosnia i Herzegovina and Croatia), and the difficult work ahead, including reconstructing land and personal registries, public administration, and – ultimately – the functioning and trust in the judiciary as such. These steps will have to take place in some form whatever the exact political outcome of the post-war order will be, and to compare experience from other countries can help build the expertise and readiness of Syrian judges as actors in this effort.

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