SBC’s Investigations Team met virtually with the UK FCDO’s Syria Team on 24 July 2024 to discuss our recently published report, “Militia on Campus: Crimes of the National Union of Syrian Students at Damascus University”. We shared an overview of our investigation and report with the FCDO and tied it to concerning developments regarding the gradual renormalisation of relations with the Assad regime, noting that such normalisation sometimes happens through establishing relationships with regime ‘civil’ organisations such as the National Union of Syrian Students (NUSS).
We further informed the FCDO of the potential attendance of Omar Aroub, former NUSS member and suspected war criminal, at the summer 2024 Paris Olympics. We expressed severe concern that his presence at such an international platform could be used to whitewash the Assad regime’s crimes and would deal a blow to notions of justice and accountability. We requested the FCDO’s support in following up on this matter and in continuing to prioritise accountability efforts in the Syrian context.
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