Gala 2026

The Center for Justice and Accountability (CJA) has spent more than a quarter century seeking truth, justice, and redress for war crimes, crimes against humanity, torture, and other atrocities around the world through our litigation, transitional justice initiatives, and advocacy. We pursue international justice from the ground up, working in solidarity and partnership with victims, survivors, and their communities.

Please join us online from May 4–8, 2026, as we celebrate the Center for Justice and Accountability’s 28th year and honor our 2026 human rights awardees. 

Champions of Justice 

The Champion of Justice Award honors exceptional contributions to human rights. This year, we proudly present it to Amneh Khoulani.

Amneh Khoulani is one of Syria’s leading human rights defenders. Imprisoned in 2013 for peaceful activism, she survived the Assad regime’s prisons while three of her brothers remain forcibly disappeared. After fleeing Syria, she turned adversity into action by co-founding Families for Freedom, a groundbreaking women-led movement advocating for Syria’s arbitrarily detained and forcibly disappeared. Today, she is the founding Executive Director of the Adalaty Centre”, working to support women’s rights and ensure survivors and victims’ families shape Syria’s justice processes at this moment of profound change. She serves as a member of Syria’s National Commission on the Missing and has addressed the UN Security Council twice, including at its first-ever session on detention in Syria. In 2020, she received the U.S. State Department’s International Women of Courage Award. Through her tireless pursuit of truth, dignity, and accountability in the face of deep personal loss, Amneh has illuminated a path toward justice and healing for Syrians and us all.

Judith Lee Stronach Award

The Judith Lee Stronach Award honors individuals and collectives that have made an outstanding contribution to the global justice movement. CJA is pleased to honor human rights defenders from Ethiopia.

For decades, human rights defenders in Ethiopia have resisted authoritarianism, working to uphold human rights and the dignity of their communities. During the Tigray War from 2020 to 2022, defenders and journalists came under heightened scrutiny. Some of CJA’s partners, trapped in Tigray, faced famine, threats, and isolation. Yet across the country, they continued to document abuses and advocate for human rights, justice for victims and survivors, and an inclusive transitional justice process. Their perseverance in the face of severe repression has been essential to building a foundation for truth and accountability. We honor their courage and steadfast commitment as they work to uphold human dignity and shape a more just and inclusive Ethiopia.  

Partner in Justice 

The Partner in Justice Award recognizes the remarkable partnerships that make CJA’s work possible. This year, we are pleased to present the award to Jenner & Block. 

Jenner & Block has been steadfast in its commitment to upholding the rule of law, both internationally and in the United States. As CJA’s co- counsel in seeking justice for the notorious murders of four Dutch journalists during El Salvador’s civil war, Jenner & Block has been an exceptional partner, bringing skillful lawyering, a deep commitment, and the attorneys and resources needed to litigate this historically important case. Here in the United States, the firm’s courage and conviction — from challenging the executive orders targeting its clients and attorneys to safeguarding core constitutional principles through its pro bono practice — have been central to advancing justice and protecting the integrity of the rule of law here at home. Whether confronting impunity in El Salvador or standing firm for their clients and each other here at home, Jenner & Block is a vital partner in advancing accountability and justice.

Past Honorees and Speakers

PAST CORPORATE AND ORGANIZATIONAL SPONSORS

• Akin Gump Strauss Hauer & Feld LLP
• Arthur J. Gallagher & Co.
• AT&T
• Baker Botts LLP
• Bass, Berry & Sims PLC
• Bertrand, Fox, Elliot, Osman & Wenzel
• Beveridge & Diamond PC
• Burke, Williams & Sorensen, LLP
• California Labor Federation
• Cleary Gottlieb Steen & Hamilton LLP
• Clinton Reilly Landmark Properties
• Cooley LLP
• Cotchett, Pitre & McCarthy LLP
• Covington & Burling LLP
• DCI Facts
• Debevoise & Plimpton LLP
• Dentons
• DLA Piper
• Donahue Fitzgerald LLP
• Eagle Harbor Group LLC
• Everlaw
• Foley Hoag LLP
• Freshfields Bruckhaus Deringer LLP
• Frisby & Associates

• Gap Foundation
• Geller Rudman & Dowd LLP
• Ghosh Financial Group of Wells Fargo Advisors
• Hadsell Stormer Renick Dai LLP
• Holland & Knight LLP
• Jenner & Block LLP
• Keker, Van Nest & Peters LLP
• Kilpatrick Townsend & Stockton LLP
• King & Spalding LLP
• Kirkland & Ellis LLP
• Latham & Watkins LLP
• Meyers Nave
• Minami Tamaki LLP
• Mintz Group
• Morgan, Lewis & Bockius LLP
• Morrison & Foerster LLP
• The Morrison & Foerster Foundation
• Munger, Tolles & Olson LLP
• Nolan, Barton, Olmos LLP
• Norton Rose Fulbright
  (formerly Chadbourne & Parke LLP)
• O’Melveny & Meyers LLP
• Orrick Herrington & Sutcliffe LLP
• Pacific Gas & Electric Company

• Renne Public Law Group
• Roje Consulting LLC
• Ropes & Gray LLP
• Rosen, Bien, Galvin & Grunfeld LLP
• Sack Properties
• Salesforce Foundation
• Sandler Foundation
• Sanford Heisler Sharp, LLP
• Sard Verbinnem & Co.
• Shargel & Co.
• Shearman & Sterling
• Sheppard Mullin Richter & Hampton LLP
• SNR Denton
  (formerly Sonnenschein Nath & Rosenthal LLP)
• Squire Patton Boggs
• Steptoe & Johnson LLP
• Union Bank
• Van Der Hout, Brigagliano & Nightingale LLP
• Van Löben Sels/RembeRock Foundation
• Wilson Elser Moskowitz Edelman & Dicker LLP
• Wilson Sonsini Goodrich & Rosati Foundation
• Zalayet, Adler, & Suba Private Wealth Management