With the support of CJA, a team of investigators at the Syrian British Consortium (SBC) conducted a year-long investigation into crimes committed by the National Union of Syrian Students (NUSS) at the University of Damascus in the early years of the Syrian uprising.
Their report, “Militia on Campus: Crimes of the National Union of Syrian Students at Damascus University,” details how NUSS members — themselves university students — tracked, intimidated, and arrested fellow students perceived to be supportive of protests that spread across Syrian campuses and cities since 2011.
Based on more than 20 witness interviews, the report documents the NUSS’s extensive coordination with Syrian security services, demonstrating how its repressive role on campuses formed part of the Syrian government’s wider campaign of violence and repression against Syrian civilians across the country. It also documents the NUSS’s use of sexual and gender-based violence against students.
The report calls for States to exercise due diligence to avoid normalization with the Syrian regime and affiliated actors, like the NUSS, responsible for crimes against the Syrian people.
Download the report here:
