End of al-Assad's 54-Year Rule: Syrian Feminist Views on the Transitional Phase Published: 10 June 2025 Analysis On December 8, 2024, Syria entered a new political era after 54 years of the al-Assad family rule. While the end of the al-Assad era sparked broad optimism, early formal statements from the new rulers raised concerns, particularly regarding women’s rights. By Rula Asad
How I energise myself to do the work I do Published: 3 March 2023 Speech In her acceptance speech Joumana Seif talks about the long road necessary to prosecute the crimes committed by the Syrian regime, to punish the perpetrators and also about the injustices suffered by women and how she is trying to support them in Germany. By Joumana Seif
A tribute to a woman who is making legal history Published: 3 March 2023 Speech With her work the lawyer Joumana Seif has played a critical role in having sexualised violence recognised as an offence that constitutes a crime against humanity, says Dr. Imme Scholz, head of the Anne Klein Women's Award jury. By Imme Scholz
The Imagined Beginning and Its Margins Published: 25 August 2022 Essay In his essay, Jwan Tatar poetically outlines Kurdish identity in a Syria where fear is the link that binds all its residents. By Jwan Tatar
Dimitri in South Damascus Published: 15 August 2022 Essay A rupture amidst the ongoing war in Syria: Qosay Amameh recounts the deportation of the remaining members of the opposition from the Palestinian refugee camp Yarmouk in May 2018. By Qosay Amameh
Acting Straight: A Message for My Kind Published: 21 April 2022 Essay In an excerpt from his essay “I, ,the fag'”, Syrian author Raeef al-Shalabi reflects on an inner struggle that helped to position himself as a gay man and ultimately to think about human rights in a new way. By Raeef al-Shalabi
Punches in the Margins of Massacres and Calamities Published: 4 April 2022 Essay “We live between great countries and superpowers. We laugh and cry, fear and suffer.” In recounting seven punches in the face, Avo Kaprealian's essay tells the story of Armenians in Syria that begins and ends with an exodus. By Avo Kaprealian
The Syrian Women's Advisory Board – lessons to be learned Published: 26 January 2022 An example of misunderstood identity and representation politics on the part of the UN: the international intervention to include Syrian women in the negotiation process was not a success. By Rula Asad
Syriaʹs crisis within a crisis – coronavirus could hit hard Published: 6 May 2020 Background The corona pandemic has reached Syria. Anna Fleischer, Program Coordinator for Syria, explains why the virus could hit the country extremely hard and above all endanger those imprisoned. By Anna Fleischer
War in Syria: The horror of Idlib Published: 26 February 2020 Comment The recent escalation of violence in Idlib is also a result of the increasing tensions between Turkey and Russia. The victims are those in Idlib, caught up in a hopeless situation amid a huge spectrum of differing interests. By Bente Scheller
A Discussion About Syria With Bente Scheller Published: 13 April 2018 Interview "Everything changes as soon as people have the feeling they can actually do something." Middle East Office Director Bente Scheller explains the current state of Syria, and what people can do about it. By Bente Scheller, Nicole Johnson and Alexander Nasserjah
“A good refugee policy has to be a good host community policy” Published: 5 January 2018 Interview Prof. Alexander Betts on his new study on Syrian refugees in Europe and the political consequences that their exclusion from the labour market might have. By Jelena Nikolic
Opening Speech: Towards Accountability for International Crimes in Syria Published: 10 November 2017 Speech A coalition of Syrian civil society, activists and lawyers have filed criminal complaints in Germany against some high-ranking Syrian officials under the principle of universal jurisdiction. A first step towards justice for the victims and survivors of all crimes committed in Syria. By Barbara Unmüßig
At the core of the war in Syria Published: 5 October 2017 No matter how complex and religiously driven the conflict in Syria may seem, its basic constellation is this: A regime with powerful allies wages a war of annihilation against wide parts of its own population. How could it get to this point? And what is the very least we can do? By Bente Scheller
Syria’s Disappeared Published: 2 August 2017 Over the past years, tens of thousands of men, women and children in Syria havee become subject to forced disappearances in Syria. On July 12, the film "Syria's Disappeared" was screened in which survivors of Syrian prisons and relatives of some tortured to death speak out. By Bente Scheller
Lebanon in light of the syria conflict: resilience despite polarization and tensions Published: 31 October 2016 Lebanon has seen political stagnation and sectarian tensions for years. Additionally, the country is deeply affected by the war in Syria. To gain a more nuanced understanding of the situation in the country, the Heinrich-Böll-Stiftung organized a study tour to Lebanon in October 2016. By Dominik Tolksdorf
The European Union and its Southern Neighbourhood Published: 20 September 2016 The big challenge facing the EU is how it can reconcile its new policy of promoting stabilisation and security in the Middle East with human rights and democratisation. By Judy Dempsey
Nominated: Syrian Candidates for the Golden Raspberry Awards Published: 13 September 2016 How many supporters does Assad actually still have? Obviously not even enough to cast different extras for two short television clips. By Bente Scheller
Syria: Systematic Torture and Sexualized Violence Published: 3 August 2016 Speech Torture and sexualized violence are part of everyday life in Syrian prisons. However, human rights violations committed by the Assad regime play no role at the Geneva peace talks. With this in mind, Barbara Unmüßig, calls for women to be included as peace negotiators. By Barbara Unmüßig
Dare to Take Charge: The EU, Areas of Conflict in International Politics, and the Case for Assuming Greater Responsibility Published: 20 June 2016 We cannot quarantine ourselves from the instability that reigns south and east of Europe. Europe must strike a new balance between idealistic foreign policy and realism. The opening address of the 17th Annual Foreign Policy Conference. By Ralf Fücks
