Advocacy
Shifting the Narrative. Demanding Justice
Over the years, SSJ has stood with the Syrian people by confronting regime propaganda, exposing war crimes, and building international solidarity. We lead public campaigns in Japan and abroad to challenge dominant narratives — organising more than 100 public events and featuring across Japanese, Syrian, and international media, as well as within global civil society forums.
This work has carried real consequences. SSJ has been blacklisted by the Assad regime, Russia, and Iran, and has been the target of threats and smear campaigns. Yet we have never stepped back — because telling the truth and standing for justice are not optional.
We believe that survivors’ voices must shape Syria’s future, and that confronting past atrocities is essential to building a just and inclusive tomorrow.
Your support matters.
Every donation brings us closer to justice and dignity for all Syrians.
Our advocacy efforts
we WILL continue to speak out because silence is not an option.
1.
Truth-Telling
Listening to Syrians who have endured violent crises — restoring and protecting their right to speak the truth. We support victim- and survivor-led campaigns that demand truth, reparations, and justice.
2.
Amplifying Syrian
Voices
Collaborating with survivors, activists, and legal experts from Syria to speak at Japanese and international forums, helping to shape public discourse. Through public events, media engagement, and storytelling initiatives, we work to challenge misinformation and reshape public narratives.
3.
Over 100 Public events
Organising academic seminars, film screenings, demonstrations, and online campaigns to raise awareness and mobilise solidarity for justice in Syria.
4.
Exposing Atrocities
Through investigations conducted by our Justice Unit, and in collaboration with human rights organisations, victims’ associations, and legal experts, we expose mass atrocities committed in Syria. We engage with international mechanisms and transitional justice bodies to ensure that survivors’ voices are heard within formal justice processes.
5.
Policy Proposal
Contributing to policymaking platforms and international conferences, and publishing statements that inform and influence government policy towards Syria.
Concert and Cultural Resistance: Aeham Ahmad’s Performance (2018)
In 2018, SSJ invited the renowned Syrian-Palestinian pianist Aeham Ahmad, a survivor from the Yarmouk refugee camp, to Japan. His music, performed amid the ruins of Syria, became a symbol of resilience and hope.
SSJ facilitated his visa and organised concerts in Tokyo and Hiroshima, drawing more than 1,500 attendees. The performances served not only as cultural events but also as acts of resistance, amplifying the voices of Syrians through art and solidarity.
Online Seminars: Global Advocacy The Future of Syria – Three-Day Seminar (2025)
With Syria finally free on 8 December 2024, SSJ launched a high-level online seminar bringing together Syrian civil society leaders, human rights advocates, and international experts to discuss justice, reconstruction, and accountability.
Guest Speakers Included:
・Raed Al Saleh – Head of the White Helmets; currently the Minister of Emergency and Disaster Management
・Ibrahim Olabi – International lawyer, expert in war crimes prosecution; currently the Permanent Representative of Syria to the United Nations
・Mariam Al-Hallak – Founder, Caesar Families Association
This event reflected SSJ’s enduring commitment to truth, justice, and the rebuilding of a democratic Syria grounded in human dignity.
Protests & Campaigns
SSJ has taken to the streets with bold actions demanding:
The release of detainees held in Assad’s prisons
Truth and accountability for Syria’s tens of thousands of enforced disappearances
enforced disappearances
International legal action against perpetrators of war crimes
HUNGER STRIKES / DEMONSTRATION
Leading hunger strikes and street demonstrations, calling for justice.
In 2020, SSJ CEO Yamada carried out a four-day hunger strike in Berlin to stand with more than 130,000 Syrians abducted, tortured, and forcibly disappeared under the former Assad regime. Supported by Syrian civil society groups such as The Day After, Caesar Families Association, Families for Freedom, and Jawab, he protested in front of the Russian Embassy to demand the immediate release of detainees, truth for families, and accountability for all perpetrators, including Bashar al-Assad.
Families of the disappeared and survivors gathered with photos, roses, and candles, turning the strike into a symbol of collective Syrian resistance and unbroken human dignity.
Advancing Justice for Chemical Weapons Survivors SSJ and Ibrahim Olabi facilitate Japan’s participation in a new international accountability mechanism
Syrian international lawyer Ibrahim Olabi, based in London, visited Japan for strategic discussions with SSJ. The meeting focused on advancing the establishment of the Working Group to Advance Proposals for International Criminal Accountability for Chemical Weapons Use. Shortly after these discussions, Japan formally joined this new intergovernmental initiative together with twelve other participating states. SSJ had consistently encouraged the Japanese government to take part, and we strongly welcome its decision. The Working Group represents an important step toward justice for victims of chemical attacks, including the 2013 Ghouta massacre, and it lays essential groundwork for future mechanisms, such as a special tribunal, to address wider human rights violations in Syria.
