Syria After Assad: Exploring Avenues for Accountability

Since the onset of the Syrian Revolution in 2011 and throughout the ensuing civil war, the Assad regime has violently suppressed dissent, committing numerous international crimes and causing the deaths of thousands. In December 2024, however, the regime collapsed, opening the door to new possibilities for the country’s future.

Lina Pimentel Biscaia, a Wasserstein Fellow and international lawyer specializing in international criminal law, will draw upon her extensive experience working on Syria to explore next steps in the pursuit of justice. She will evaluate the effects of the war and discuss options for holding perpetrators accountable while identifying key actors, challenges, and opportunities moving forward.

Lina has worked in various international tribunals and bodies, with a focus on Syria. She was the Chief Analyst for the UN Commission of Inquiry on Syria, authoring reports on civilian infrastructure attacks, sexual violence, and the use of chemical weapons. She also served as a legal advisor on sexual and gender-based crimes with the UN International, Impartial, and Independent Mechanism (Syria) and later worked with the OPCW’s Investigation and Identification Team investigating chemical weapons attacks. More recently, she served as the Head of the Gender and Children Unit of UNITAD where she led a team investigating sexual and gender-based crimes committed by ISIL in Syria against Yazidi women and girls. 

Join Advocates for Human Rights and the Program on Law & Society in the Muslim World on February 6 at 12:15 PM in WCC 3018 to hear from Lina about the future of Syria and prospects for accountability. Lunch will be provided.