Caesar, Syria's whistleblower, says justice remains unfinished after Assad

One year after the collapse of Bashar al-Assad's rule, the Syrian whistleblower who exposed the regime's most horrific crimes says the quest for justice remains incomplete. In an exclusive interview, Fared al-Madhan, the former military police forensic officer known globally as "Caesar," reflects on the legacy of the over 53,000 photographs he smuggled out of Syria—images that documented systematic torture, starvation, and killings.

From Global Shock to Legal Evidence

The photos, first published in 2014, caused international outrage and became the visual cornerstone of the Caesar Act sanctions. Madhan describes feeling profound sorrow seeing the images circulate, but also relief that "the truth, which the criminal Assad regime tried so hard to bury, had finally emerged." He criticizes the global response as painfully inadequate, citing a failure to protect detainees or deliver meaningful justice despite the evidence. The photos, however, have transitioned from shocking documentation to critical legal evidence, underpinning landmark trials in Europe like the Koblenz case in Germany.

Call to Lift Sanctions and Pursue Accountability

With the Assad regime now toppled, Madhan presents a dual argument. He vigorously defends the Caesar Act sanctions as the key pressure that "paralyzed the regime's machinery" and led to its downfall. Yet, he now calls on the US Congress to repeal them, stating "the reason for the sanctions no longer exists." His primary focus has shifted to legal accountability, urging the consolidation of cases and activation of arrest warrants against fugitive senior officials. "Truth and justice remain incomplete – they will remain so until perpetrators are tried in fair courts," he asserts.

The Enduring Power of the Caesar Files

Madhan believes the meticulously documented "Caesar Files" are now an indelible part of humanity's collective memory and a continuous legal tool. The evidence, which details enforced disappearances and state policy, is being considered in ongoing international cases, including the Canada-Netherlands suit at the International Court of Justice. He concludes that these documents "preserve a truth that cannot be erased," ensuring that the atrocities are neither forgotten nor repeated as Syria moves forward.