A/HRC/37/72 I. Mandate and methodology 1. In the present report, submitted pursuant to Human Rights Council resolution 34/26, the Independent International Commission of Inquiry on the Syrian Arab Republic sets out the findings of investigations conducted from 8 July 2017 to 15 January 2018 in the country.1 2. The methodology employed by the Commission was based on best practices of commissions of inquiry and fact-finding missions. First-hand information was collected through interviews with victims and witnesses of events in the Syrian Arab Republic. 3. In total, 513 interviews were conducted in person and remotely. The Commission faced numerous challenges with regard to the security of interviewees, particularly those in areas controlled by the Islamic State in Iraq and the Levant (ISIL). In Raqqah and Dayr alZawr, many persons interviewed by the Commission had limited access to mobile phones and Internet connection. In all cases, the Commission was guided by the “do no harm” principle. 4. The Commission collected, reviewed and analysed satellite imagery, photographs, videos and medical records. Communications from Member States and reports from the United Nations and non-government organizations were also consulted. 5. The standard of proof was considered met when the Commission obtained a reliable body of information to conclude that there were reasonable grounds to believe that the incidents occurred as described and that violations were committed by the party identified. 6. The Commission’s investigations remain curtailed by the denial of access to the Syrian Arab Republic. II. Introductory remarks 7. For more than six years, the Commission has been independently and impartially documenting serious violations of human rights committed by the parties to the conflict in the Syrian Arab Republic that has claimed the lives of hundreds of thousands, with many more maimed or permanently incapacitated for life. More than half the population have been forced to leave their homes, and over 13.5 million people are in need of humanitarian assistance. 8. What began as peaceful demonstrations calling for reforms in March 2011 was met with a heavy-handed response by the Syrian State security and military forces, and tragically descended into a non-international armed conflict characterized by an utter disregard by the parties to the conflict for civilian life and international law. Civilians have not only been the unintentional victims of the mindless violence, but have often been deliberately targeted through unlawful means and methods of warfare employed by an evergrowing number of regional and international actors. 9. The Commission has diligently and meticulously documented, analysed, verified and presented to the Human Rights Council, the Secretary-General, the Security Council, the General Assembly, regional bodies and the international community information about this tragedy that could have been halted. Instead, the involvement of a variety of regional and international actors and sponsors has enabled the prolongation and escalation of the conflict rather than brought it to an end. 10. Over time, the Commission has reported on systematic violations of human rights and international humanitarian law, including arbitrary arrests, torture in detention, enforced disappearances, sexual and gender-based violence, attacks on medical facilities, schools and markets, indiscriminate attacks and intentional attacks against civilians. No party has abided by its obligations, either under international humanitarian or human rights 1 The commissioners are Paulo Sérgio Pinheiro (Chair), Karen Koning AbuZayd and Hanny Megally. 3