Main Content
Human Rights Crimes, Norm Entrepreneurs, and the Implementation of the Principle of Universal Jurisdiction in Germany: A Study on Human Rights Consciousness among Syrian Refugees (MeDiMi)
The focus is on the scope, forms and consequences of the advance of human rights discourses among Syrian refugees in the context of coming to terms with human rights crimes committed during the Syrian war. It analyses how discourses in which the validity of human rights is set as a legal, political or moral premise are appropriated or linked to their own assumptions - as well as the resulting counter-discourses. The discourses analysed can be traced back to different groups of actors, whose discursive practices are also examined. Particular attention is paid to the application of the principle of universal jurisdiction before German courts for the prosecution of crimes committed in Syria. Relevant points of reference are research approaches on human rights awareness, on coming to terms with human rights crimes in the context of transitional justice and on the role of norm entrepreneurs and diasporic actors who influence the human rights awareness of Syrian refugees.
The project is one of 10 sub-projects of the DFG research group Human Rights Discourses in the Migration Society (MeDiMi), which is headed by the Justus Liebig University Giessen.
Durarion: 2022-2026
Funder: Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft (DFG)
Team: Prof. Dr. Susanne Buckley-Zistel, Maria Hartmann, Dr. Mina Ibrahim