Mazen Darwish is a renowned Syrian lawyer and advocate for free expression, internationally recognized as an invaluable source of information on the conflict in his country. A survivor of torture at the hands of Syrian authorities, Darwish has dedicated himself to holding the perpetrators of such crimes accountable for their war crimes.
"Though there is no greater happiness for a prisoner than the knowledge that the outer world is remembering him, as devastation and bloodshed has engulfed my homeland, happiness has become a kind of luxury for which I feel ashamed."
When Mazen Darwish founded the Syrian Centre for Media and Freedom of Expression (SCM) in 2004, it was the only such institution dedicated to monitoring attacks on journalists, bloggers, and activists in Syria. Soon after its founding, and long before Syria was plunged into conflict, the government refused to accredit the centre and it was forced to operate in secret.
Darwish was detained briefly in 2008 and was subject to many travel bans as a result of his work with the centre, but he was not deterred. In early 2011, during the beginning stages of the Syrian civil war, Darwish reported on clashes in Daraa and participated in protests calling for political prisoners to be released. He was a major source of information for international media outlets, namely the Associated Press.
On 16 February 2012, Syrian Air Force intelligence agents raided the centre’s headquarters and arrested Darwish and all other staff members present. He was held incommunicado for several months and only in November of that year was allowed a first visit by his relatives at Adra Prison.
In February 2013, Darwish was charged before an investigating judge of the Anti-Terrorism Court because of his work to promote and protect human rights. He is now standing trial alongside two of his colleagues, Hussein Ghrer and Hani Zaitani. A hearing in his case was postponed over 21 times.
Although the government announced an amnesty for political prisoners in June 2014, including for charges Darwish faced, he was not freed until a year later, on 10 August 2015.
On 3 May 2015, Mazen Darwish was honoured with the UNESCO / Guillermo Cano World Press Freedom Prize, two months after being named a World Press Freedom Hero by the International Press Institute (IPI). IPI launched a campaign calling for his release, emphasizing that “the world, and Syria, need Mazen’s voice.”
Darwish has been fighting for justice ever since alongside his wife Yara Bader, a prominent journalist and human rights activist. In August of 2017, he penned an article arguing that: “The current lack of justice only helps the extremist narrative. We need to address this head on. This is not about revenge. This is about finding a path forward where all Syrians can heal and have trust in a sustainable political settlement.”
In December 2017, Darwish and human rights lawyer, Anwar Al-Bunni, filed criminal complaints against high level officials of the Syrian regime. Then, in June 2018, Germany’s chief federal prosecutor issued an international arrest warrant for one of the Syrian regime’s top intelligence officials Jamil Hassan, and have since called for his extradition.
Darwish continues to help Syrian victims of torture pursue justice and accountability by filing numerous criminal complaints throughout Europe, targeting members of Bashar al-Assad’s regime.
His work at SCM has played a critical role in producing several landmark cases in European courts, including the conviction of three former high-ranking Syrian intelligence officials over their torture and killing of a French-Syrian father and son Mazen and Patrick Dabbagh in 2013. They are the most senior Syrian officials ever convicted for these crimes, and the trial was the first in France relating to crimes committed by the Syrian regime. Darwish’s efforts to secure justice and accountability for Syrians is featured in the 2021 documentary film Bringing Assad to Justice.
In a 2019 New York Times report, Darwish was one of several survivors who detailed their harrowing experiences inside prisons run by Syrian intelligence where torture was rampant.
Darwish has received several prominent awards for his work, including the UNESCO/Guillermo Cano World Press Freedom Prize and the Reporters Without Borders Press Freedom Prize. He was also named alongside his colleague Anwar Al Bunni as one of Time Magazine’s 100 Most Influential People of 2022.
At the time of writing, several prominent members of the SCM remain missing. Widely believed to have been kidnapped by rebel group Jaysh al-Islam (“Army of Islam”), they include: Razan Zaitouneh, Ayham Mostafa Ghazzoul, Khalil Ma’touq, Nazem Hamadi, Samira Khalil and Wael Hmadeh.
On 26 June 2019, SCM filed a criminal complaint against a senior Jaysh al-Islam official who was subsequently arrested in France on 29 January 2020 and indicted for war crimes, torture and enforced disappearance. The indictment marks the first investigation of the rebel armed group’s crimes in Syria, with a trial set for 2025.
Illustration by Florian Nicolle
