Main areas of work
Combating Severe Human Rights Violations
Despite universal condemnation, severe human rights violations and international crimes such as war crimes, crimes against humanity, the crime of aggression and genocide not only persist but are often committed with impunity; particularly by State actors exploiting systemic weaknesses in the global accountability framework. Moreover, the geopolitical and economic interests of the international community repeatedly shield these perpetrators from accountability.
Such gross violations of international law typically result in mass victimisation and the fragmentation of the affected societies, which are torn apart by conflict and trauma. Without recognition, justice, and support, communities cannot begin to heal from the horrors of the past nor begin to consider a better future.
Accountability for Grave Human Rights Violations Committed in Syria
The government of Syrian President Bashar al-Assad has committed countless war crimes and crimes against humanity since the onset of the Syrian civil war in 2011, including the systematic use of torture in detention facilities. The perpetrators of these crimes face virtually no consequences, as there is almost total impunity in Syria.
The ICC currently lacks jurisdiction over crimes committed in Syria, given that Syria is not a party to the Rome Statute and the efforts of the UN Security Council to refer the situation in Syria to the ICC for investigation are being blocked by Russia and China.
As the international criminal justice system currently offers no possibility to prosecute crimes committed in Syria, national courts are essentially the only ones able to prosecute these crimes on the basis of universal jurisdiction
Since 2017, CEHRI has been dedicated to securing justice for Syrian survivors of systematic torture and arbitrary detention in two major cases. In partnership with organisations like the European Center for Constitutional and Human Rights (ECCHR), the Syrian Center for Legal Studies and Research (SL-Center), the Syrian Center for Media and Freedom of Expression (SCM), and the Open Society Justice Initiative (OSJI), we confront the near-total impunity enjoyed by perpetrators of atrocities in Syria.
Criminal Complaint against 24 high-ranking Syrian officials for war crimes and crimes against humanity
On 28 May 2018, CEHRI, alongside ECCHR and Syrian lawyers Anwar al-Bunni and Mazen Darwish, submitted Austria’s first criminal complaint of its kind. Filed on behalf of 16 victims, the complaint accuses 24 high-ranking officials of the Assad government of committing war crimes and crimes against humanity, including systematic torture in detention centers operated by Syrian intelligence services.
The alleged acts—such as torture, murder, extermination, severe bodily harm, and deprivation of liberty—were committed between February 2011 and January 2017 in 13 detention facilities run by the Syrian Military Intelligence Service, the Air Force Intelligence Service and the General Intelligence Service in Damascus, Daraa, Hama, and Aleppo.
Criminal Complaint against former Syrian General Khaled Al- Halabi
Since 2019, CEHRI and OSJI have represented 20 Syrian torture survivors in ongoing investigations against former Syrian Brigadier General Khaled Al-Halabi. Halabi, who served as Head of the Syrian State Security branch of Raqqa (Branch 335) and arrived in Austria in 2015, is the highest-ranking former Syrian intelligence officer known to be in Europe.
He is currently under investigation by the Vienna Public Prosecutor for crimes against humanity and has been accused by victims and human rights groups of supervising torture and other crimes while overseeing a detention facility in Raqqa from 2009 until 2013.
CEHRI and the Justice Initiative have called on the Austrian government to expedite its efforts to prosecute suspects for war crimes and crimes against humanity perpetrated during the Syrian conflict. These efforts underscore Austria’s vital role in prosecuting grave human rights violations, setting a powerful precedent in the fight against impunity.
Proceedings against Austria’s State Security and Intelligence Directorate for harboring alleged Syrian War Criminals
CEHRI and the OSJI welcomed the start of a trial against five officials from Austria’s civilian security-intelligence agency in April 2024, after an investigation revealed that they forged a plan to conceal a former senior Syrian official suspected of crimes against humanity in Austria.
CEHRI brought motions asking the court to provide victims of Syrian State-sponsored torture with the opportunity to testify in these proceedings.
14.04.2023
OSJI:
Trial of Austrian Agents for Harboring Alleged Syrian War Criminal to Shed Light on Victims’ Suffering, say Human Rights Groups
10.09.2021
Der Standard:
Syrischer “Foltergeneral” in Wien: Wie ein Mossad-Deal zum Fiasko wurde
13.09.2021
Der Spiegel:
How Austrian Intelligence Hid a Suspected Syrian War Criminal from the Law
03.10.2020
Syria Justice and Accountability Center:
Justice and Accountability drowned in “Operation White Milk”
Pursuing Justice for Ukrainian Survivors
Case against Russian Servicemen for Sexual Crimes Committed in Ukraine
In July 2024, CEHRI and the Clooney Foundation for Justice (CFJ) filed a case with the Austrian federal prosecutor, requesting an investigation into crimes of sexual violence and murder committed in Ukraine by Russian forces.
We submitted detailed evidence against the perpetrators and are representing two women who were raped by Russian soldiers who occupied their village in the Kyiv area in the early days of Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine, which began in February 2022.
Crime of Agression
CEHRI is initiating proceedings against Russian perpetrators at all levels for the manifest violation of the jus cogens prohibition of the use of force and the crime of aggression, recognised as an international crime involving both state and individual responsibility. The complaint addresses not only the full-scale aggression starting on February 24, 2022, but also events from 2014 and Belarus’s involvement in the 2022 escalation.
This initiative aims to empower Ukraine and its citizens by emphasizing the importance of upholding territorial integrity and the right to self-determination. It also carries symbolic weight, signaling to oppressive and colonial powers that such actions will not go unpunished. Moreover, pursuing accountability for these international crimes contributes to developing Austria’s extraterritorial jurisdiction, including the principle of universal jurisdiction and the protective principle, which allows investigations and proceedings even in the absence of the perpetrator in Austria.
Torture and Arbitrary Detention in Iran
Justice for Kamran Ghaderi
Kamran Ghaderi, an Austrian-Iranian businessman, is just one of thousands of cases of irregular rendition, arbitrary detention, unlawful imprisonment, and torture. Despite no warrant for his arrest, Ghaderi was detained upon his arrival in Iran in 2015 for a routine business trip on allegations of espionage and acts against national security.
In a subsequent trial based on confessions obtained through torture and without access to a lawyer, Ghaderi was sentenced to 10 years imprisonment. After an initial year in solitary confinement, Khaderi continued to endure ill and inhumane treatment in the prison – including sleep deprivation, humiliation, and denial of medical treatment. The ill treatment and poor detention conditions even led to Ghaderi having surgery on his spine, but despite the severity of the issue he was refused a full course of physiotherapy treatment.
After 89 months behind bars, Ghaderi was released as part of a prisoner exchange – in part due to the campaigning of the Foreign Ministry of Austria and human rights groups such as CEHRI and Amnesty International.
CEHRI have been supporting him and his family since several years, which has included:
- filing a complaint and advocacy before the United Nations Committee Working Group on Arbitrary Detention;
- pursuing legal action alongside his wife while Ghaderi was still detained without access to a lawyer;
- and lodging a compensation claim according to the Verbrechensopfergesetz (VOG), which is an administrative avenue for victims of crimes.
Sudan
Corporate Accountability and Remedies for War Crimes in Sudan
In April 2024, CEHRI, in partnership with PAX, submitted a criminal complaint against former executives of OMV AG for aiding and abetting war crimes in Sudan during their partnership with Lundin Energy AB, two former executives of which are presently standing trial in Stockholm. The complaint highlights atrocities committed between 1999 and 2003, including the targeting of civilians, destruction of essential resources, and enslavement, linked to the companies’ oil operations.
Evidence presented in the Lundin trial revealed OMV AG’s knowledge of these crimes and its decision to prioritize profits, despite warnings from the Austrian Sudan Platform in 2001 to respect human rights. OMV AG continued operations for two more years, profiting $50 million before exiting Sudan in 2003. By then, an estimated 12,000 deaths, 160,000 displacements, and devastating poverty had occurred in their area of operation.
CEHRI’s complaint seeks justice and reparations for victims who have long awaited recognition of the harm inflicted. By addressing corporate complicity in international crimes, CEHRI aims to reinforce that businesses contributing to human rights abuses cannot evade accountability and must face legal consequences.
Anti- Poverty Litigation
We focus on the right not to live in poverty. CEHRI aims to show that poverty is linked to breaches of fundamental rights on an individual and structural level. As expressed by the United Nations, poverty is both a cause and consequence of human rights violations. Those living in poverty are often deprived of the most essential rights, such as the right to health, non-discrimination, or education.
However, despite poverty permeating every aspect of an individual’s existence and being a decisive factor in one’s ability to exercise their inherent right to self-determination, it is an injustice that continues to be ignored by governments throughout the world.
In Austria, one of the world’s wealthiest nations, over 200,000 individuals face poverty and social exclusion. Structural barriers in the country’s justice system often prevent these individuals from obtaining redress for injustices that contribute to their current circumstances.
CEHRI adopts a holistic approach to understand and address the systemic and contextual factors of poverty, while advocating for recognition and remedies for victims. By supporting victims in seeking recognition and justice, CEHRI challenges systems of inequality and promotes accountability for structural failings.
Advancing Justice for Victims of Historic Child Abuse in Austria
From its inception, CEHRI has worked to support victims of systematic historic child abuse in Austria, many of whom have been denied justice or recognition of their victim status. This lack of acknowledgment has perpetuated cycles of poverty and social marginalization for many survivors.
To address these systemic injustices, CEHRI has identified several pilot cases and provides legal support both in domestic courts and before the European Court of Human Rights (ECtHR). In 2022, a pilot case supported by CEHRI was admitted to the Austrian Federal Administrative Court (VwGH). In this case, CEHRI argued that the survivor’s fundamental rights had been violated. The VwGH’s judgment upheld the survivor’s right to financial redress for the harm suffered and criticized the arbitrariness of authorities and court-appointed experts in prior proceedings.
The ruling established a critical precedent: the long-term effects of abuse cannot be dismissed by attributing harm to unrelated factors. The case was sent back to the administrative court for reconsideration, mandating compliance with the VwGH’s legal findings.
This outcome has broader implications, offering hope and legal pathways for other survivors of abuse in children’s homes. CEHRI’s work in these cases aims to reform systemic barriers to justice and uphold the rights of all victims to recognition and reparations.
Environmental Human Rights
Promoting Environmental Justice and Public Health through Strategic Legal Action
CEHRI is committed to creating positive change in local and regional communities by contributing to a body of binding case law that directly improves quality of life and fosters environmental sustainability. Through strategic legal actions targeting issues like air pollution (PM2.5) and noise disturbance from traffic, CEHRI works to establish legal precedents that enforce environmental protections and uphold citizens’ rights to a healthy environment.
By advocating for effective measures to reduce pollution levels and addressing community health impacts, CEHRI’s legal efforts aim to create lasting change. This not only improves the well-being of affected communities but also contributes to a broader environmental and public health legacy.
For more information and if you wish to pursue legal actions in your community contact: