Syria’s White Helmets

In this episode, host Gwyneth Shaw talks to Farouq Habib, a founding member and Deputy General Manager for External Affairs for the White Helmets, a grassroots humanitarian organization of ordinary Syrians who came together to save lives amid the devastation of the Syrian Civil War, and Betsy Popken, Executive Director of the Human Rights Center at Berkeley Law. Habib and colleague Raed al Saleh were at Berkeley Law recently to talk about the White Helmets and their role in pushing for justice and accountability in Syria. The White Helmets, formally known as the Syrian Civil Defense and recognizable for their namesake headgear, provide critical emergency services such as medical care, ambulances, firefighting, early warning alerts, unexploded ordnance removal, and search and rescue operations. They also work to document and archive military attacks and coordinate with international agencies and nongovernmental organizations scrutinizing the situation in Syria. The Human Rights Center, which is celebrating its 30th anniversary, uses the levers of science, technology, and law to pursue justice. The center researches and investigates war crimes and human rights violations, develops standards for policymakers and practitioners, and trains investigators, students and advocates. Visit the White Helmets’s website to learn more about their work and how to support it, and explore the Human Rights Center’s website to understand the broad scope of its mission.  About:“Berkeley Law Voices Carry” is a podcast hosted by Gwyneth Shaw about how the school’s faculty, students, and staff are making an impact — in California, across the country, and around the world — through pathbreaking scholarship, hands-on legal training, and advocacy. Production by Yellow Armadillo Studios. Visit the episode page on the Berkeley Law Podcast Hub for a full transcript of this episode. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.