SSJ Stands with the Syrian People for
Justice, Dignity,
and Recovery.
Your support
makes a difference.
Every donation brings us
closer to justice and dignity
for all Syrians.
From revolution to recovery,
we walk alongside Syria in
DIGNITY and JUSTICE.
Photo: ©AHMAD FALLAHA
Stand with Syria Japan (SSJ) is a non-profit organisation jointly operated by Japanese and Syrian members.
We stand alongside those most in need in Syria, including people released from the Extermination Prisons of the former Assad dictatorship, families of the forcibly disappeared, and returnees rebuilding their lives after displacement. Through our work, we seek to support the restoration of dignity, the advancement of justice, and the rebuilding of sustainable livelihoods.
Since our establishment in 2017, we have provided emergency humanitarian assistance, educational support, economic empowerment support, and advocacy activities in Japan and internationally, reaching thousands of people in Idlib and the rural areas of Aleppo.
Following the fall of the Assad regime in December 2024, we established official offices in Aleppo and Damascus, significantly expanding our activities across Syria. Today, SSJ is officially registered as a domestic NGO with the Syrian Interim Government.
Our Commitment
On this historic day, the Syrian people reclaimed their country after more than half a century of dictatorship, repression, and suffering under the former Assad regime.
SSJ has always believed in the significance of the Syrian Revolution and has continued to stand alongside the Syrian people throughout their journey. We honour all Syrians who stood firm for their country and refused to surrender, even in the most difficult circumstances. This moment belongs to those who never gave up on freedom, to those who sacrificed everything for the liberation of Syria, and to the detainees of the Extermination Prisons and their families.
Yet the liberation of Syria is not the end of the journey, but the beginning of a new chapter. The wounds of past injustices remain deep, and the pain of loss has not faded. Families continue to search for their missing loved ones. Survivors of detention continue to rebuild their lives after unimaginable hardship. Many others remain displaced, striving to regain a sense of normalcy and stability.
The pursuit of justice for one of the gravest crimes against humanity in recent history has only just begun.
As Syria turns a new page, SSJ will continue to stand with the Syrian people and support their efforts to advance justice and build a country rooted in freedom and dignity.
Justice is the foundation for building Syria’s future.
Genuine reconciliation and peace can never be achieved without justice. For decades, the former Assad regime maintained a repressive dictatorship and treated citizens calling for democracy as a threat to be suppressed.
Following the 2011 Syrian Revolution, the regime’s repression expanded to an unprecedented scale. Through arbitrary detention, imprisonment, torture, and scorched-earth tactics employing chemical weapons and other internationally prohibited weapons, cities were devastated, more than 300,000 people were killed, and half of the population was forced into displacement inside and outside Syria.
These grave crimes committed against the Syrian people demand truth and documentation, as well as legal accountability. SSJ believes that those responsible for war crimes and crimes against humanity, including former President Bashar al-Assad and senior officials of the former regime, must be brought to justice under international law.
Justice is not revenge. It is the only path towards genuine peace, and the only means through which victims, their families, and those who survived severe hardship can begin to regain peace of mind.
In pursuit of law-based justice inside and outside Syria, SSJ works with victims’ organisations, survivor networks, and experts in international law to preserve evidence, document testimonies, and support investigations.
Community Reintegration of Survivors
Rehabilitation and Community Reintegration of Former Detainees
1. Medical and Psychosocial Support
Many people released from the Extermination Prisons have endured prolonged detention under inhumane conditions, including torture and severe physical and psychological abuse. As a result, many continue to live with profound trauma and long-term health consequences. In response to these realities, this project provides medical assistance and psychosocial support to survivors.
・Provision of psychological care, including individual and group therapy, tailored to the needs of survivors living with trauma.
・Medical support for injuries, disabilities, and chronic health conditions resulting from inhumane treatment and prolonged detention.
・Specialised counselling services and referrals to qualified medical professionals for survivors of sexual violence.
・Psychosocial training sessions aimed at strengthening resilience, reducing stigma and discrimination, and fostering inclusive communities.
By working closely with healthcare professionals trained in trauma-informed care, the project ensures that survivors receive ethical, sensitive, and appropriate support in a safe and trusted environment.
2. Vocational and Educational Support
To help survivors of the Extermination Prisons regain dignified livelihoods and achieve long-term self-reliance, SSJ provides economic empowerment support designed to strengthen their skills, opportunities, and resilience.
・Provision of certified training courses that enhance employability and entrepreneurship opportunities, including language education.
・Vocational training programmes in areas such as tailoring, agricultural machinery repair, and computer programming.
・Business literacy training and coaching to support income generation and sustainable livelihoods.
・Priority support for women, young people, and individuals who acquired disabilities as a result of inhumane treatment during detention.
Through these initiatives, SSJ seeks to equip survivors and their families with the knowledge, skills, and opportunities needed to build dignified futures, strengthen their agency, and achieve meaningful community reintegration.
3. Advancing Transitional Justice
This programme seeks to strengthen local understanding and literacy on transitional justice in Post-Crisis Syria, supporting broader efforts towards social reform, accountability, and sustainable peace.
・Training workshops for civil society organisations and survivors on truth and documentation, reparations, and the role of the justice system in addressing past violations.
・Legal literacy and public awareness campaigns focusing on fair trials, human rights, and the preservation of historical records and evidence.
・Technical support for victims’ organisations and judicial networks working to advance accountability and justice.
Through these initiatives, SSJ aims to contribute to the foundations of a responsible, inclusive, and accountable justice system appropriate for Syria’s transitional period.
4. Advocacy
SSJ supports survivors and their families in becoming active advocates for justice within their communities and in the international arena.
・Supporting victim- and survivor-led campaigns advocating for truth and documentation, reparations, and justice.
・Amplifying the voices of affected communities through public events, media engagement, and the sharing of personal testimonies and lived experiences.
・Working with international mechanisms and transitional justice institutions to ensure that survivors’ voices are reflected in formal transitional processes.
Through these efforts, SSJ seeks to ensure that the voices of those who have long been marginalised are heard and recognised. More importantly, we believe that the experiences and perspectives of survivors should help shape the future of Syria.
Recovery
Building on the experience gained through housing and facility rehabilitation following the devastating earthquake of 2023, SSJ supports the reconstruction of essential infrastructure in communities severely affected by attacks carried out under the former Assad regime. Our support includes the rehabilitation of damaged homes, schools, and other key public facilities.
In the reconstruction of educational facilities, SSJ works closely with the Directorate of Education to ensure that assistance is delivered according to local needs and managed effectively and equitably, preventing support from becoming concentrated in particular locations or among specific groups.
Transitional Justice
Syria is currently undergoing a critical transition from decades of systematic repression under the former Assad regime towards a future based on democratic governance and accountable institutions. We believe that this transition must be guided by transparency and a firm commitment to justice in accordance with international law.
Following the fall of the former regime, facilities, official records, and testimonies that were previously inaccessible have gradually begun to emerge. These materials provide crucial evidence of serious human rights violations, yet many remain physically and legally vulnerable.
To help safeguard these records and testimonies, SSJ established the Law and Transitional Justice Unit. Composed of specialists in international law, genocide studies, and field investigations, the unit works to document, verify, and preserve evidence of atrocities committed in Syria.
Through these efforts, SSJ contributes to justice processes that support long-term peace, accountability, and a democratic future for Syria.
Our story is one of resilience, ACTIVISM,DIGNITY and UNWAVERING BELIEF in a free Syria.
Our Partners
SSJ has built strong and trusted partnerships with a wide range of stakeholders, primarily in Idlib and Aleppo. Today, we are also expanding our activities in and around Damascus, strengthening cooperation with partners across Syria.
1.
Victims’ Organisations and Survivor Networks
We work closely with victims’ organisations and survivor networks to jointly design and implement projects that provide legal assistance, psychosocial support, and pathways towards community reintegration.
- Caesar Families Association (CFA)
- Nophotozone
Caesar Families Association (CFA)
Nophotozone
2.
2. Local Councils and Community Leaders
We collaborate with local councils and community leaders to ensure a safe operating environment and to deliver assistance in line with locally identified priorities and needs.
- HAC – affiliated with the Syrian Interim Government.
3.
Previously worked with
For many years, SSJ has worked closely with Syrian civil society organisations to deliver safe, locally rooted assistance inside Syria. Throughout fourteen years of humanitarian crisis, Syrian civil society organisations have remained at the forefront of humanitarian response and human rights advocacy. Today, they continue to play a vital role in the recovery and future development of Syria.
SSJ remains committed to working alongside local civil society actors and strengthening partnerships that support sustainable, community-led recovery and long-term peace.
- Molham Volunteering Team
- Syria Civil Defence (White Helmets)
Molham Volunteering Team
Syria Civil Defence (White Helmets)