Description
Join us for a screening of "Bringing Assad to Justice," followed by a discussion with the director Ronan Tynan (in person) and the Syrian human rights defender Wafa Mustafa (on Zoom), moderated by Rhodes Scholar and the president of the Oxford Syria Society Marwan Safar Jalani (Syria & Balliol, 2020). Anne Daly, the producer of the film, will also be joining us. The event is hosted by the Rhodes House, Oxford University Syria Society, the Rhodes Film Club Scholar Group, and Pembroke College, with the support of Dr. Suzan Meryem Rosita Kaylaci and the "Syria and Silence" project.
The film is about the forceful efforts of Syrian victims of human rights violations to bring the regime of Bashar Al-Assad to justice. Through explaining the origins of the revolution and war in Syria, and the subsequent brutal repression and human rights violations, the film weaves together the story of the revolution and war with the personal narratives of Syrian activists and lawyers. Discussion themes include justice tools in an adversarial international context, the different shapes of transitional justice, and transnational solidarity with other causes.
The plight of Syrians for a free and democratic Syria has cost them a lot, including their bodily integrity. The film depicts the brutal violence that Syria’s detainees are exposed to under the hands of the affiliates of the regime of Bashar Al-Assad. Therefore, a substantial number of the scenes of the documentary show the impact of torture on Syrians, as documented by the Caesar files, videos and pictures leaked from Syrian prisons and detention centers. In addition, the film includes some scenes of arial bombardment.
If at any point, you would like to take a break, look away, or leave the documentary screening, you should feel free to do so, especially if you think that such materials trigger certain traumatic experiences. Daniel Luther will be around throughout the evening for support in case anyone would like someone to talk to. A quiet area will also be made available to go away to and these will be indicated at the start of the event.
Content warning: graphic and violent content, torture, sexual violence, bombardment.