Bertha von Suttner was a 19th century author, peace activist and Nobel Peace Prize laureate from Austria. Her most famous work, the anti-war novel titled ‘Die Waffen Nieder’, became an international bestseller. Upon the success of her novel, Von Suttner quickly rose to prominence within the international peace movement that was gaining ground in Europe and in the United States of America. She also played a significant role in helping the Peace Palace come in to existence.

The Syrian civil war is an ongoing multi-sided armed conflict in which international interventions have taken place. The war grew out of the unrest of the Arab Spring and escalated to armed conflict after Bashar al-Assad’s government violently repressed protests calling for his removal. Violence in Syria has escalated amid an absence of meaningful efforts to end the war. A confidential list of individuals and units are believed to be responsible for crimes against humanity, breaches of international humanitarian law and gross human rights violations.