Source description last updated: 4 January 2022

In brief: The Syrian Human Rights Committee (SHRC) is a human rights organisation based in London and concerned with defending the general liberties and human rights of the Syrian people. 

Coverage on ecoi.net:

Daily Reports, Annual Reports, Special Reports, Statements

Covered weekly on ecoi.net, for Syria.

Mission/Mandate/Objectives:

The Syrian Human Rights Committee (SHRC) aims to “defend […] general liberties and human rights of the Syrian people through several practices”. These practices include 1) “[e]xposing the violations, assaults and aggressions against human rights and fundamental liberties of the Syrian citizens and publishing such incidents”, 2) “[c]onducting researches and publishing books and studies related to fundamental liberties and human rights in Syria” and 3) “Raising awareness and promoting the culture of human rights in the Syrian society”. (SHRC website: About us, undated)

“SHRC adheres to the principle of cooperation with organisations, entities, centers, and non-governmental associations specializing in actively defending and advocating human rights, while preserving the independent nature of the committee’s work agenda.” (SHRC website: About us, undated)

As indicated by the US think tank Carnegie Endowment for International Peace, the SHRC is an “Ikhwani” front group (i.e. a “Syrian wing of the pan-Islamic Muslim Brotherhood”) (Carnegie Endowment for International Peace, 7 May 2013). It was founded in 1997 (SHRC: The 20th Annual Report of the Human Rights Situation in Syria, 9 January 2022) but had, “under different names, monitored the Assad regime’s abuses since 1986” (Carnegie Endowment for International Peace, 7 May 2013).

Funding:

No information found.

Scope of reporting:

Geographic focus: Syria

Thematic focus: human rights issues including killings; attacks on health workers, journalists and the education sector; attacks on religious sites; arrests, abductions and torture

Methodology:

The SHRC documents human rights violations (see, for example, SHRC: Daily report of victims of human rights violations in Syria 17-11-2019, 18 November 2019 and SHRC: The 17th Annual Report on Human Rights in Syria 2018, 24 January 2019, p. 5), occasionally citing ‘local sources’ without further specification (see, for example, SHRC: Injuries by SDF shelling on Afrin, 19 November 2021) and collects testimony from persons who are knowledgeable about such incidents (see, for example, SHRC: The 17th Annual Report on Human Rights in Syria 2018, 24 January 2019, p. 5). It exposes human rights violations by “addressing authorities, and following-up on such reported incidents with all concerned entities” (SHRC website: About us, undated). No further details could be found on the SHRC’s research methodology.

Language(s) of publications:

English, Arabic

Further reading / links:

"The Syrian Human Rights Committee has, under different names, monitored the Assad regime’s abuses since 1986. Walid Saffour, who was recently appointed ambassador to the United Kingdom by the National Coalition of Syrian Revolutionary and Opposition Forces, has led the group since 2004." (Carnegie Endowment for International Peace, 7 May 2013, based on an Interview with Walid Saffour)

Huffington Post: A Syrian Spring: An Interview With the Representative of the Syrian National Coalition, Walid Saffour, 20 May 2013
https://www.huffingtonpost.co.uk/tam-hussein/syrian-national-coalition-walid-saffour_b_2913791.html

The Times: Profile: the Syrian opposition’s man in London, 29 November 2012
https://www.thetimes.co.uk/article/profile-the-syrian-oppositions-man-in-london-72wh62wp82b

 

All links accessed 4 January 2022.

Methodological note:

ecoi.net's source descriptions contain background information on an organisation’s mission & objective, funding and reporting methodology, as well as on how we cover the source. The descriptions were prepared after researching publicly accessible information within time constraints. Most information contained in a source description was taken from the source itself. The aim is to provide a brief introduction to the sources covered regularly, offering information on relevant aspects in one place in a systematic manner.