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# WithSyria, by Bill Hicks on Mar 15, 2018 20:18:46 GMT 1, Today, the anniversary of the Syrian revolution, is a fitting time to pay tribute to the courage of the Syrian people who called for freedom and dignity in 2011 and have endured unspeakable violence ever since. Perhaps nowhere is that astonishing resilience on more dramatic display than Eastern Ghouta, an area that was one the first to rise up in mass protest, that has withstood one of the longest sieges in modern history, and that is now the site of yet another wave of monstrous bombardment.
A peaceful uprising against the president of Syria seven years ago has turned into a full-scale civil war.
The conflict has left more than 350,000 people dead, 1.5 million others with permanent disabilities, and displaced 11 million both inside Syria and abroad.
Today, the anniversary of the Syrian revolution, is a fitting time to pay tribute to the courage of the Syrian people who called for freedom and dignity in 2011 and have endured unspeakable violence ever since. Perhaps nowhere is that astonishing resilience on more dramatic display than Eastern Ghouta, an area that was one the first to rise up in mass protest, that has withstood one of the longest sieges in modern history, and that is now the site of yet another wave of monstrous bombardment.
A peaceful uprising against the president of Syria seven years ago has turned into a full-scale civil war.
The conflict has left more than 350,000 people dead, 1.5 million others with permanent disabilities, and displaced 11 million both inside Syria and abroad.
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irl1
Full Member
🗨️ 9,274
👍🏻 9,381
December 2017
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# WithSyria, by irl1 on Mar 15, 2018 22:28:04 GMT 1, What is the international community doing about this slaughter........ "Noting"
What is the international community doing about this slaughter........ "Noting"
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# WithSyria, by Bill Hicks on Jun 4, 2019 18:03:08 GMT 1, In a letter published in the Guardian on Sunday, sixty prominent medical professionals from around the world condemned the Syria regime and Russia’s attacks on medical facilities in northwest Syria. They urged the United Nations to investigate the targeting of hospitals and asked the international community to use its influence to stop the airstrikes on medical facilities.
Targeting hospitals constitutes a war crime and a crime against humanity. Assad and Putin perpetrate these appalling crimes knowing they will likely face no consequences, that the world’s attention has moved on from Syria. Let’s show them that we are watching and demanding they stop. Please read the letter and share it widely -- it could make all the difference for the lives of Syria’s medical staff and the sick and injured patients they are treating: www.theguardian.com/world/2019/jun/02/doctors-global-appeal-stop-syria-bombing-hospitals-idlib
The letter reads:
Over the past month, Syria and Russia have bombed 25 medical facilities in northwest Syria. We are appalled by the deliberate and systematic targeting of healthcare facilities and medical staff, which is a flagrant violation of international humanitarian law. Throughout the Syrian conflict, we have seen both Russia and the Syrian government attack hospitals prior to and during major offensives, their collective aims seeming to be the terrorising of civilians and reducing the ability of medics to treat sick and injured people.
Our letter couldn’t come at a more desperate time. Since 26 April, at least 270 civilians have been killed due to Syrian government and Russian attacks while a further 300,000 people were displaced. The continued escalation of airstrikes and other hostilities means civilians require medical assistance more than ever. But the repeated targeting of medical facilities by the Syrian government and Russia has forced the hospitals that remain to operate under a state of emergency, only treating the most urgent cases and unable to take in patients for routine care. These hospitals serve the 3.5 million residents of northwest Syria.
As doctors and medical workers and public health professionals from around the world, we condemn the Syrian and Russian governments in the strongest possible terms for their attacks on medical facilities. We stand in solidarity with our Syrian colleagues on the ground who are risking their lives to help those in need. We demand immediate measures to protect their lives and their work.
What is happening in Syria is unimaginable. We have watched in horror the footage of repeated airstrikes on hospitals and listened in shock to our colleagues on the ground who described patients fleeing bombed hospitals with IV drips still attached and choking on dust raised by the explosions. Rather than being a place of healing and refuge, hospitals are now some of the most dangerous places for civilians to be.
Many of the health facilities targeted by the Syrian government and Russia were based underground in secret locations to shield them from attack. As part of a United Nations deconfliction process, however, medical organisations shared their coordinates with the UN, which in turn shared them with Moscow and Damascus in a bid to shield them from attack. The decision to share coordinates was made after painstaking deliberations by medical staff and was ultimately adopted out of hope that it would protect their work and their facilities. The UN must immediately investigate the targeting of listed hospitals.
All armed parties in the Syrian conflict must respect medical neutrality and allow doctors, nurses and paramedics to treat their patients without violence, threatened or actual. International governments must reverse their decision to cut funding to medical facilities in northwest Syria and put pressure on Russia and its Syrian ally to stop targeting hospitals.
Healthcare in Syria has been under consistent attack since the 2011 uprising with medical workers forcibly disappeared and tortured and hospitals routinely bombed, killing dozens of doctors and nurses and patients. Between 2011 and December 2018, Physicians for Human Rights (PHR) has documented 566 attacks on medical facilities, 90% of them by Syrian and Russian government forces. Attacks have involved banned weapons including barrel bombs and chemical agents. In addition, PHR has gathered information on the killing of 890 medical personnel, primarily by the Syrian government and is allies. We cannot stand by and watch these same crimes continue to be committed against medical staff and facilities in the northwest. Their job is to save lives — they must not lose their own in the process.
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The list of signatories includes Dr Denis Mukwege, 2018 Nobel Peace Co-Laureate, Dr Vasiliy Vlassov, a prominent Russian physician, MP and doctor Sarah Wollaston, and Dr Kerem Kinik, head of the Turkish Red Crescent. The text of the letter and the full list of signatories can be found here.
In solidarity.
In a letter published in the Guardian on Sunday, sixty prominent medical professionals from around the world condemned the Syria regime and Russia’s attacks on medical facilities in northwest Syria. They urged the United Nations to investigate the targeting of hospitals and asked the international community to use its influence to stop the airstrikes on medical facilities. Targeting hospitals constitutes a war crime and a crime against humanity. Assad and Putin perpetrate these appalling crimes knowing they will likely face no consequences, that the world’s attention has moved on from Syria. Let’s show them that we are watching and demanding they stop. Please read the letter and share it widely -- it could make all the difference for the lives of Syria’s medical staff and the sick and injured patients they are treating: www.theguardian.com/world/2019/jun/02/doctors-global-appeal-stop-syria-bombing-hospitals-idlibThe letter reads: Over the past month, Syria and Russia have bombed 25 medical facilities in northwest Syria. We are appalled by the deliberate and systematic targeting of healthcare facilities and medical staff, which is a flagrant violation of international humanitarian law. Throughout the Syrian conflict, we have seen both Russia and the Syrian government attack hospitals prior to and during major offensives, their collective aims seeming to be the terrorising of civilians and reducing the ability of medics to treat sick and injured people. Our letter couldn’t come at a more desperate time. Since 26 April, at least 270 civilians have been killed due to Syrian government and Russian attacks while a further 300,000 people were displaced. The continued escalation of airstrikes and other hostilities means civilians require medical assistance more than ever. But the repeated targeting of medical facilities by the Syrian government and Russia has forced the hospitals that remain to operate under a state of emergency, only treating the most urgent cases and unable to take in patients for routine care. These hospitals serve the 3.5 million residents of northwest Syria. As doctors and medical workers and public health professionals from around the world, we condemn the Syrian and Russian governments in the strongest possible terms for their attacks on medical facilities. We stand in solidarity with our Syrian colleagues on the ground who are risking their lives to help those in need. We demand immediate measures to protect their lives and their work. What is happening in Syria is unimaginable. We have watched in horror the footage of repeated airstrikes on hospitals and listened in shock to our colleagues on the ground who described patients fleeing bombed hospitals with IV drips still attached and choking on dust raised by the explosions. Rather than being a place of healing and refuge, hospitals are now some of the most dangerous places for civilians to be. Many of the health facilities targeted by the Syrian government and Russia were based underground in secret locations to shield them from attack. As part of a United Nations deconfliction process, however, medical organisations shared their coordinates with the UN, which in turn shared them with Moscow and Damascus in a bid to shield them from attack. The decision to share coordinates was made after painstaking deliberations by medical staff and was ultimately adopted out of hope that it would protect their work and their facilities. The UN must immediately investigate the targeting of listed hospitals. All armed parties in the Syrian conflict must respect medical neutrality and allow doctors, nurses and paramedics to treat their patients without violence, threatened or actual. International governments must reverse their decision to cut funding to medical facilities in northwest Syria and put pressure on Russia and its Syrian ally to stop targeting hospitals. Healthcare in Syria has been under consistent attack since the 2011 uprising with medical workers forcibly disappeared and tortured and hospitals routinely bombed, killing dozens of doctors and nurses and patients. Between 2011 and December 2018, Physicians for Human Rights (PHR) has documented 566 attacks on medical facilities, 90% of them by Syrian and Russian government forces. Attacks have involved banned weapons including barrel bombs and chemical agents. In addition, PHR has gathered information on the killing of 890 medical personnel, primarily by the Syrian government and is allies. We cannot stand by and watch these same crimes continue to be committed against medical staff and facilities in the northwest. Their job is to save lives — they must not lose their own in the process. -- The list of signatories includes Dr Denis Mukwege, 2018 Nobel Peace Co-Laureate, Dr Vasiliy Vlassov, a prominent Russian physician, MP and doctor Sarah Wollaston, and Dr Kerem Kinik, head of the Turkish Red Crescent. The text of the letter and the full list of signatories can be found here. In solidarity. |
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# WithSyria, by Bill Hicks on Mar 13, 2020 20:48:29 GMT 1, Dear friends,
Nine years ago we found out that raising a banner for democracy can get you killed. That writing a message of freedom on a wall might mean torture. That marching, singing and dancing to demand dignity could sentence you to years in a labyrinth of underground prisons.
This discovery in 2011 did not stop the people from calling for revolution and still after so many of us have lost loved ones, been forced to flee our homes, required to reimagine our lives in Europe, the US, a refugee camp or under a tree in Idlib, we carry on demanding change.
Just last week thousands of people went out onto the streets of Idlib in protest. They rallied, organised and made banners to remind the world that the Syrian revolution continues.
Citizen journalists stay in northwest Syria because they are compelled to bear witness to the dire humanitarian conditions, the bombing of civilians, and the incredible life that people are able to create in the midst of war.
Artists spray the word ‘hope’ on the remains of bombed out buildings and paint murals on classrooms that risk being targeted by Assad and Puitin’s warplanes.
Filmmakers win awards for their brave portrayals of the worst human rights abuses of our times. They continue to tell the stories that break hearts in the hope that world leaders will watch and act.
Doctors wrestle with an impossible number of injuries in constant fear that their hospital might be the next health facility destroyed as an act of war.
Rescue workers rush towards the bombs to pull others from the rubble, always knowing the planes often circle back around to hit them as they try to save lives. They work through the night, searching and calling for those trapped inside their homes.
Teachers gather children together in their tent or under a tree to give them some sort of education. When schools are being used as shelters or have been destroyed by bombs, educators are finding creative ways to inspire the young.
Humanitarians work with the little resources they have to provide shelter, food and water to as many people as they possibly can. They raise awareness about disease, dig trenches to prevent flooding in camps or provide safe spaces for children to play.
Human rights activists gather evidence, build the case for accountability and demand justice even when the most powerful leaders are silent.
So after another year of war crimes that have gone unpunished, squashed hopes and heartbreaking loss, we celebrate those who have still not given up fighting for the true values of the Syrian revolution.
Your support means everything. In solidarity. Watch and share this video.
www.facebook.com/TheSyriaCampaign/videos/547468332538821/?v=547468332538821
Dear friends, Nine years ago we found out that raising a banner for democracy can get you killed. That writing a message of freedom on a wall might mean torture. That marching, singing and dancing to demand dignity could sentence you to years in a labyrinth of underground prisons. This discovery in 2011 did not stop the people from calling for revolution and still after so many of us have lost loved ones, been forced to flee our homes, required to reimagine our lives in Europe, the US, a refugee camp or under a tree in Idlib, we carry on demanding change. Just last week thousands of people went out onto the streets of Idlib in protest. They rallied, organised and made banners to remind the world that the Syrian revolution continues. Citizen journalists stay in northwest Syria because they are compelled to bear witness to the dire humanitarian conditions, the bombing of civilians, and the incredible life that people are able to create in the midst of war. Artists spray the word ‘hope’ on the remains of bombed out buildings and paint murals on classrooms that risk being targeted by Assad and Puitin’s warplanes. Filmmakers win awards for their brave portrayals of the worst human rights abuses of our times. They continue to tell the stories that break hearts in the hope that world leaders will watch and act. Doctors wrestle with an impossible number of injuries in constant fear that their hospital might be the next health facility destroyed as an act of war. Rescue workers rush towards the bombs to pull others from the rubble, always knowing the planes often circle back around to hit them as they try to save lives. They work through the night, searching and calling for those trapped inside their homes. Teachers gather children together in their tent or under a tree to give them some sort of education. When schools are being used as shelters or have been destroyed by bombs, educators are finding creative ways to inspire the young. Humanitarians work with the little resources they have to provide shelter, food and water to as many people as they possibly can. They raise awareness about disease, dig trenches to prevent flooding in camps or provide safe spaces for children to play. Human rights activists gather evidence, build the case for accountability and demand justice even when the most powerful leaders are silent. So after another year of war crimes that have gone unpunished, squashed hopes and heartbreaking loss, we celebrate those who have still not given up fighting for the true values of the Syrian revolution. Your support means everything. In solidarity. Watch and share this video. www.facebook.com/TheSyriaCampaign/videos/547468332538821/?v=547468332538821 |
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moron
Junior Member
🗨️ 2,711
👍🏻 1,051
September 2017
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# WithSyria, by moron on Mar 13, 2020 21:35:19 GMT 1,
West 'ignored Russian offer in 2012 to have Syria's Assad step aside'
: Senior negotiator describes rejection of alleged proposal – since which time tens of thousands have been killed and millions displaced
Russia proposed more than three years ago (in 2012) that Syria’s president, Bashar al-Assad, could step down as part of a peace deal, according to a senior negotiator involved in back-channel discussions at the time.
Former Finnish president and Nobel peace prize laureate Martti Ahtisaari said western powers failed to seize on the proposal. Since it was made, in 2012, tens of thousands of people have been killed and millions uprooted, causing the world’s gravest refugee crisis since the second world war.
Ahtisaari held talks with envoys from the five permanent members of the UN security council in February 2012. He said that during those discussions, the Russian ambassador, Vitaly Churkin, laid out a three-point plan, which included a proposal for Assad to cede power at some point after peace talks had started between the regime and the opposition.
But he said that the US, Britain and France were so convinced that the Syrian dictator was about to fall, they ignored the proposal.
“It was an opportunity lost in 2012,” Ahtisaari said in an interview.
Officially, Russia has staunchly backed Assad through the four-and-half-year Syrian war, insisting that his removal cannot be part of any peace settlement. Assad has said that Russia will never abandon him. Moscow has recently begun sending troops, tanks and aircraft in an effort to stabilise the Assad regime and fight Islamic State extremists.
Ahtisaari won the Nobel prize in 2008 “for his efforts on several continents and over more than three decades, to resolve international conflicts”, including in Namibia, Aceh in Indonesia, Kosovo and Iraq.
On 22 February 2012 he was sent to meet the missions of the permanent five nations (the US, Russia, UK, France and China) at UN headquarters in New York by The Elders, a group of former world leaders advocating peace and human rights that has included Nelson Mandela, Jimmy Carter, and former UN secretary general Kofi Annan.
“The most intriguing was the meeting I had with Vitaly Churkin because I know this guy,” Ahtisaari recalled. “We don’t necessarily agree on many issues but we can talk candidly. I explained what I was doing there and he said: ‘Martti, sit down and I’ll tell you what we should do.’
“He said three things: One – we should not give arms to the opposition. Two – we should get a dialogue going between the opposition and Assad straight away. Three – we should find an elegant way for Assad to step aside.”
UN security council is failing Syria, Ban Ki-moon admits
Read more
Churkin declined to comment on what he said had been a “private conversation” with Ahtisaari. The Finnish former president, however, was adamant about the nature of the discussion.
“There was no question because I went back and asked him a second time,” he said, noting that Churkin had just returned from a trip to Moscow and there seemed little doubt he was raising the proposal on behalf of the Kremlin.
Ahtisaari said he passed on the message to the American, British and French missions at the UN, but he said: “Nothing happened because I think all these, and many others, were convinced that Assad would be thrown out of office in a few weeks so there was no need to do anything.”
While Ahtisaari was still in New York, Kofi Annan was made joint special envoy on Syria for the UN and the Arab League. Ahtisaari said: “Kofi was forced to take up the assignment as special representative. I say forced because I don’t think he was terribly keen. He saw very quickly that no one was supporting anything.”
In June 2012, Annan chaired international talks in Geneva, which agreed a peace plan by which a transitional government would be formed by “mutual consent” of the regime and opposition. However, it soon fell apart over differences on whether Assad should step down. Annan resigned as envoy a little more than a month later, and Assad’s personal fate has been the principal stumbling block to all peace initiatives since then.
At the time of Ahtisaari’s visit to New York, the death toll from the Syrian conflict was estimated to be about 7,500. The UN believes that toll passed 220,000 at the beginning of this year (2015), and continues to climb. The chaos has led to the rise of Islamic State. Over 11 million Syrians have been forced out of their homes.
Full article in the link
www.theguardian.com/world/2015/sep/15/west-ignored-russian-offer-in-2012-to-have-syrias-assad-step-aside
West 'ignored Russian offer in 2012 to have Syria's Assad step aside' : Senior negotiator describes rejection of alleged proposal – since which time tens of thousands have been killed and millions displaced Russia proposed more than three years ago (in 2012) that Syria’s president, Bashar al-Assad, could step down as part of a peace deal, according to a senior negotiator involved in back-channel discussions at the time. Former Finnish president and Nobel peace prize laureate Martti Ahtisaari said western powers failed to seize on the proposal. Since it was made, in 2012, tens of thousands of people have been killed and millions uprooted, causing the world’s gravest refugee crisis since the second world war. Ahtisaari held talks with envoys from the five permanent members of the UN security council in February 2012. He said that during those discussions, the Russian ambassador, Vitaly Churkin, laid out a three-point plan, which included a proposal for Assad to cede power at some point after peace talks had started between the regime and the opposition. But he said that the US, Britain and France were so convinced that the Syrian dictator was about to fall, they ignored the proposal. “It was an opportunity lost in 2012,” Ahtisaari said in an interview. Officially, Russia has staunchly backed Assad through the four-and-half-year Syrian war, insisting that his removal cannot be part of any peace settlement. Assad has said that Russia will never abandon him. Moscow has recently begun sending troops, tanks and aircraft in an effort to stabilise the Assad regime and fight Islamic State extremists. Ahtisaari won the Nobel prize in 2008 “for his efforts on several continents and over more than three decades, to resolve international conflicts”, including in Namibia, Aceh in Indonesia, Kosovo and Iraq. On 22 February 2012 he was sent to meet the missions of the permanent five nations (the US, Russia, UK, France and China) at UN headquarters in New York by The Elders, a group of former world leaders advocating peace and human rights that has included Nelson Mandela, Jimmy Carter, and former UN secretary general Kofi Annan. “The most intriguing was the meeting I had with Vitaly Churkin because I know this guy,” Ahtisaari recalled. “We don’t necessarily agree on many issues but we can talk candidly. I explained what I was doing there and he said: ‘Martti, sit down and I’ll tell you what we should do.’ “He said three things: One – we should not give arms to the opposition. Two – we should get a dialogue going between the opposition and Assad straight away. Three – we should find an elegant way for Assad to step aside.” UN security council is failing Syria, Ban Ki-moon admits Read more Churkin declined to comment on what he said had been a “private conversation” with Ahtisaari. The Finnish former president, however, was adamant about the nature of the discussion. “There was no question because I went back and asked him a second time,” he said, noting that Churkin had just returned from a trip to Moscow and there seemed little doubt he was raising the proposal on behalf of the Kremlin. Ahtisaari said he passed on the message to the American, British and French missions at the UN, but he said: “Nothing happened because I think all these, and many others, were convinced that Assad would be thrown out of office in a few weeks so there was no need to do anything.” While Ahtisaari was still in New York, Kofi Annan was made joint special envoy on Syria for the UN and the Arab League. Ahtisaari said: “Kofi was forced to take up the assignment as special representative. I say forced because I don’t think he was terribly keen. He saw very quickly that no one was supporting anything.” In June 2012, Annan chaired international talks in Geneva, which agreed a peace plan by which a transitional government would be formed by “mutual consent” of the regime and opposition. However, it soon fell apart over differences on whether Assad should step down. Annan resigned as envoy a little more than a month later, and Assad’s personal fate has been the principal stumbling block to all peace initiatives since then. At the time of Ahtisaari’s visit to New York, the death toll from the Syrian conflict was estimated to be about 7,500. The UN believes that toll passed 220,000 at the beginning of this year (2015), and continues to climb. The chaos has led to the rise of Islamic State. Over 11 million Syrians have been forced out of their homes. Full article in the link www.theguardian.com/world/2015/sep/15/west-ignored-russian-offer-in-2012-to-have-syrias-assad-step-aside |
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# WithSyria, by Bill Hicks on Feb 27, 2021 11:32:56 GMT 1, I am writing to you from the German town of Koblenz, where earlier today a former member of the Assad regime was found guilty of aiding and abetting crimes against humanity in Syria. I had mixed feelings as I heard Eyad al-Gharib's four-and-a-half year sentence, but I hope this is the first step in a process of justice and accountability that will one day lead all the way to Bashar al-Assad himself.
This verdict is not only about al-Gharib as an individual, who was a relatively low-level official, or about the number of years he has been sentenced to. It is about the injustices that so many Syrian families have suffered, including my own. This trial acknowledges in detail the crimes of forced disappearance, arbitrary detention, and torture committed inside the Syrian regime’s detention centres over the past ten years and beyond.
Al-Gharib was tried under the principle of ‘universal jurisdiction’, where individuals can be prosecuted for serious crimes against international law. Lawyers and Syrian human rights defenders have resorted to this route because a comprehensive international justice process is being blocked at the UN Security Council by Russia and China.
Today’s trial sets a precedent for other cases against the Syrian regime. In fact there are already similar cases in Norway, Sweden, and France being prepared, and another higher ranking official is still on trial here in Koblenz. On a political level it sends a clear message to European countries: that it’s not ok to build political relationships with Assad as crimes against humanity are committed under his watch.
Today’s historic verdict was made possible thanks to the hard work of Syrian lawyers and human rights defenders, as well as the bravery of Syrian victims who were witnesses and plaintiffs in the trial. Those who have told their stories, demanded justice and answers, and will continue to do so until justice is served for all of Syria’s detainees.
More than 100,000 Syrians are still detained or disappeared and the crimes documented in detail in this trial are ongoing to this day. One day, I hope we will witness the referral of Syria to the International Criminal Court. Until then, we must continue to fight for freedom and justice for Syria, and for Syria’s detainees, wherever we can.
In solidarity,
Ameenah
Show your solidarity with Syrian activists and share this Facebook post to mark today’s historic verdict
I am writing to you from the German town of Koblenz, where earlier today a former member of the Assad regime was found guilty of aiding and abetting crimes against humanity in Syria. I had mixed feelings as I heard Eyad al-Gharib's four-and-a-half year sentence, but I hope this is the first step in a process of justice and accountability that will one day lead all the way to Bashar al-Assad himself.
This verdict is not only about al-Gharib as an individual, who was a relatively low-level official, or about the number of years he has been sentenced to. It is about the injustices that so many Syrian families have suffered, including my own. This trial acknowledges in detail the crimes of forced disappearance, arbitrary detention, and torture committed inside the Syrian regime’s detention centres over the past ten years and beyond.
Al-Gharib was tried under the principle of ‘universal jurisdiction’, where individuals can be prosecuted for serious crimes against international law. Lawyers and Syrian human rights defenders have resorted to this route because a comprehensive international justice process is being blocked at the UN Security Council by Russia and China.
Today’s trial sets a precedent for other cases against the Syrian regime. In fact there are already similar cases in Norway, Sweden, and France being prepared, and another higher ranking official is still on trial here in Koblenz. On a political level it sends a clear message to European countries: that it’s not ok to build political relationships with Assad as crimes against humanity are committed under his watch.
Today’s historic verdict was made possible thanks to the hard work of Syrian lawyers and human rights defenders, as well as the bravery of Syrian victims who were witnesses and plaintiffs in the trial. Those who have told their stories, demanded justice and answers, and will continue to do so until justice is served for all of Syria’s detainees.
More than 100,000 Syrians are still detained or disappeared and the crimes documented in detail in this trial are ongoing to this day. One day, I hope we will witness the referral of Syria to the International Criminal Court. Until then, we must continue to fight for freedom and justice for Syria, and for Syria’s detainees, wherever we can.
In solidarity,
Ameenah
Show your solidarity with Syrian activists and share this Facebook post to mark today’s historic verdict
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# WithSyria, by Bill Hicks on Aug 30, 2021 19:36:44 GMT 1, Imagine waiting for years for a phone call. This weekend Syrian families placed hundreds of telephones across a square in Berlin to demonstrate the scale of their suffering as they wait for answers, “willing the phone to ring with any news at all” about the fate of their forcibly disappeared loved ones.
Syrian families place hundreds of phones in Berlin to show their wait for any news about their disappeared loved ones
Enforced disappearance is used as a control tactic to spread terror within Syrian society and to suppress dissent. According to the Syrian Network for Human Rights, at least 102,287 individuals have been forcibly disappeared since March 2011, the majority at the hands of the Syrian regime but other armed groups have also used the practice as a weapon of war. Many of their families have no idea where they are being held or whether they’re alive or dead.
To mark International Day of the Disappeared today, please share a photo of their demonstration to help build urgent pressure on the international community to take steps to uncover the fate of Syria’s disappeared and give answers to their families, end impunity for these crimes, and hold perpetrators accountable.
Facebook share
Twitter share
Instagram share http://instagr.am/p/CTHzCl0MeR7
The protest was organised alongside groups representing the families and survivors of detention in Syria – Families for Freedom, Caesar Families Association, The Association of Detainees and The Missing in Sednaya Prison, Massar and Ta’afi.
Thank you for all your support,
The team at The Syria Campaign
P.S. If you're not on social media, please check out and share photos of the demonstration from The Syria Campaign's blog.https://diary.thesyriacampaign.org/willing-the-phone-to-ring/?akid=6485.168848.huMm1h&rd=1&t=12
Imagine waiting for years for a phone call. This weekend Syrian families placed hundreds of telephones across a square in Berlin to demonstrate the scale of their suffering as they wait for answers, “willing the phone to ring with any news at all” about the fate of their forcibly disappeared loved ones. Syrian families place hundreds of phones in Berlin to show their wait for any news about their disappeared loved ones Enforced disappearance is used as a control tactic to spread terror within Syrian society and to suppress dissent. According to the Syrian Network for Human Rights, at least 102,287 individuals have been forcibly disappeared since March 2011, the majority at the hands of the Syrian regime but other armed groups have also used the practice as a weapon of war. Many of their families have no idea where they are being held or whether they’re alive or dead. To mark International Day of the Disappeared today, please share a photo of their demonstration to help build urgent pressure on the international community to take steps to uncover the fate of Syria’s disappeared and give answers to their families, end impunity for these crimes, and hold perpetrators accountable. Facebook share Twitter share Instagram share http://instagr.am/p/CTHzCl0MeR7 The protest was organised alongside groups representing the families and survivors of detention in Syria – Families for Freedom, Caesar Families Association, The Association of Detainees and The Missing in Sednaya Prison, Massar and Ta’afi. Thank you for all your support, The team at The Syria Campaign P.S. If you're not on social media, please check out and share photos of the demonstration from The Syria Campaign's blog.https://diary.thesyriacampaign.org/willing-the-phone-to-ring/?akid=6485.168848.huMm1h&rd=1&t=12 |
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# WithSyria, by Bill Hicks on Jan 13, 2022 18:01:14 GMT 1, This is an email from Hussein Ghrer, a survivor of the Syrian regime’s torture. He is outside the German court where today, the first senior Syrian official was jailed for crimes against humanity.
Dear,
The verdict is in. Today a German court convicted Anwar Raslan, a former Syrian intelligence colonel, for crimes against humanity. He was given a life sentence. For thousands of survivors like me, who were arbitrarily detained and tortured at the al-Khatib state security branch that he headed between 2011 and 2012 in Damascus, it’s a day we never thought we’d see.
I was detained twice by the Syrian regime for over three years and brutally tortured. First in 2011 in al-Khatib, and then in 2012 after a raid on the Syrian Center for Media and Freedom of Expression where I worked.
During the time Raslan was in charge at al-Khatib more than 4,000 people like me were tortured there, and at least 58 are believed to have died as a result. Today the court found him guilty of being the co-perpetrator of thousands of acts of torture, 27 murders and cases of sexual violence and other crimes. This verdict will not bring justice to all Syrians, but it is nevertheless a significant achievement.
While Anwar Raslan is just one of hundreds of members of Bashar al-Assad’s state-sponsored torture apparatus, his individual conviction carries a much wider meaning. It is a damning indictment of the systematic abuses by the Syrian regime as a whole. Now any state that contemplates re-establishing ties with Assad, or forcing refugees to return to Syria, does so knowing the mass violence the Syrian regime is responsible for.
I experienced the horror of being forcibly disappeared in Syria and it is what drove me to leave my country. I fled because I did not want my family to experience again the horror of not knowing – did they kill him? Is he still alive?
Yet it is hard to celebrate this verdict when over 100,000 people are still forcibly disappeared in Syria. When Assad still detains and tortures men, women and children today. True justice can only be achieved when all those responsible for war crimes in Syria are held accountable and only with the freedom of all Syria's detainees.
When I decided to testify in this trial I couldn’t be sure what impact it would have, but I couldn’t refuse the opportunity to play a part, however small, in the struggle for justice. This is just the beginning of our struggle for more comprehensive accountability. I sincerely hope that today’s verdict will add pressure on the UN Security Council to refer Syria to the International Criminal Court, so senior officials within the Syrian regime can be prosecuted for their war crimes.
Please join me in calling for wider justice at the highest levels so we can build a different future for Syria.
Share this photo from outside the court today with your message of solidarity for all the Syrian survivors who bravely testified over the past two years.
Hussein Ghrer
This is an email from Hussein Ghrer, a survivor of the Syrian regime’s torture. He is outside the German court where today, the first senior Syrian official was jailed for crimes against humanity. Dear, The verdict is in. Today a German court convicted Anwar Raslan, a former Syrian intelligence colonel, for crimes against humanity. He was given a life sentence. For thousands of survivors like me, who were arbitrarily detained and tortured at the al-Khatib state security branch that he headed between 2011 and 2012 in Damascus, it’s a day we never thought we’d see. I was detained twice by the Syrian regime for over three years and brutally tortured. First in 2011 in al-Khatib, and then in 2012 after a raid on the Syrian Center for Media and Freedom of Expression where I worked. During the time Raslan was in charge at al-Khatib more than 4,000 people like me were tortured there, and at least 58 are believed to have died as a result. Today the court found him guilty of being the co-perpetrator of thousands of acts of torture, 27 murders and cases of sexual violence and other crimes. This verdict will not bring justice to all Syrians, but it is nevertheless a significant achievement. While Anwar Raslan is just one of hundreds of members of Bashar al-Assad’s state-sponsored torture apparatus, his individual conviction carries a much wider meaning. It is a damning indictment of the systematic abuses by the Syrian regime as a whole. Now any state that contemplates re-establishing ties with Assad, or forcing refugees to return to Syria, does so knowing the mass violence the Syrian regime is responsible for. I experienced the horror of being forcibly disappeared in Syria and it is what drove me to leave my country. I fled because I did not want my family to experience again the horror of not knowing – did they kill him? Is he still alive? Yet it is hard to celebrate this verdict when over 100,000 people are still forcibly disappeared in Syria. When Assad still detains and tortures men, women and children today. True justice can only be achieved when all those responsible for war crimes in Syria are held accountable and only with the freedom of all Syria's detainees. When I decided to testify in this trial I couldn’t be sure what impact it would have, but I couldn’t refuse the opportunity to play a part, however small, in the struggle for justice. This is just the beginning of our struggle for more comprehensive accountability. I sincerely hope that today’s verdict will add pressure on the UN Security Council to refer Syria to the International Criminal Court, so senior officials within the Syrian regime can be prosecuted for their war crimes. Please join me in calling for wider justice at the highest levels so we can build a different future for Syria. Share this photo from outside the court today with your message of solidarity for all the Syrian survivors who bravely testified over the past two years. Hussein Ghrer |
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Icesay
Junior Member
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# WithSyria, by Icesay on Feb 6, 2022 1:17:11 GMT 1, I have never seen this image before! 😍🥰❤❤❤ And I know it has been around for a while but for some reason, until now, it hasn't come into my life!
It's
I have never seen this image before! 😍🥰❤❤❤ And I know it has been around for a while but for some reason, until now, it hasn't come into my life! It's |
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# WithSyria, by Bill Hicks on Feb 6, 2022 13:25:45 GMT 1, I have never seen this image before! 😍🥰❤❤❤ And I know it has been around for a while but for some reason, until now, it hasn't come into my life! It's
The unrest in Syria began in 2011 as part of a wider Arab Springs protest and has escalated from discontent against the Syrian government to an armed conflict. The conflict has devastated cities and displaced millions of people.
In a statement, the SOHR said that since the revolution began, as many as 494,438 people have been killed as of May 30, 2021.
At least 159,774 Syrians, out of which 119,591 were men, 25,048 children and 15,135 women, were killed.
I have never seen this image before! 😍🥰❤❤❤ And I know it has been around for a while but for some reason, until now, it hasn't come into my life! It's Nearly 500,000 people have been killed in the decade-long civil war in Syria since the Syrian revolution on March 15, 2011, informed the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights (SOHR). The unrest in Syria began in 2011 as part of a wider Arab Springs protest and has escalated from discontent against the Syrian government to an armed conflict. The conflict has devastated cities and displaced millions of people. In a statement, the SOHR said that since the revolution began, as many as 494,438 people have been killed as of May 30, 2021. At least 159,774 Syrians, out of which 119,591 were men, 25,048 children and 15,135 women, were killed. |
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# WithSyria, by Bill Hicks on May 20, 2023 9:30:44 GMT 1, Earlier this month, the Arab League agreed to reinstate Syria’s membership 12 years after its suspension due to its brutal crackdown on pro-democracy protests. Saudi Arabia, which is hosting the Arab League summit on May 19, issued an official invitation to Bashar al-Assad to attend.
Ahead of Friday’s meeting where our social media timelines will inevitably be flooded by Arab rulers shaking hands with Assad, here are just seven reasons why normalizing with the Assad regime is a terrible, shameful move:
1. Assad is a war criminal. Nothing has changed.
The Syrian regime has murdered hundreds of thousands of Syrians and crushed all dissent through barbaric, illegal tactics such as the deliberate bombing of civilians, chemical weapons attacks, and the systematic torture and killing of men and women in underground detention dungeons. To this day, over 150,000 people are still estimated to be forcibly disappeared or arbitrarily detained in Syria and fear of detention overshadows every aspect of public life.
These crimes are still ongoing, and have been extensively documented by the UN and reputable Syrian and international organizations. A court in the German town of Koblenz found two defendants guilty for crimes against humanity orchestrated by the Assad regime. Canada and the Netherlands are undertaking a joint effort to hold Syria responsible for gross human rights violations under the UN Convention against Torture. Syria remains heavily sanctioned by the US and the EU for Assad’s war crimes. Shaking hands with Assad amounts to whitewashing his atrocities.
2. A large segment of Syrians will never accept Assad and cannot return to Syria while he remains in power
In 2011, Syrians took to the streets demanding freedom and dignity after 40 years of the brutal dictatorship of Bashar al-Assad and his father before him. The protests were met with brutal force, and over 14 million people have been forced to flee their homes, including 6.8 million people who are internally displaced. Returning to Syria carries a huge risk of arrest, disappearance, torture, and execution. The widespread bombing, theft, and seizure of properties by the regime mean many people, especially those who fled as children, have nowhere to return to.
3. Putting refugees at an increased risk of deportation
Many Arab states hope that normalizing relations with Assad will make it easier to force refugees to return to Syria. But international law is clear: It’s illegal to deport refugees to a place where they face persecution. Refugees in Turkey and Lebanon are living in a climate of fear as existing hostilities and xenophobic sentiments against Syrians have become even more pronounced, and thousands of refugees have been arbitrarily deported in recent months. There are numerous documented cases of returnees being subjected to horrific violations including rape, torture, arrest, forced conscription, and disappearance at the hands of the regime.
4. Peace is not possible without justice and political transition
Arab states are cynically pursuing their own political agendas at the expense of basic human rights. They are betraying victims of the regime’s war crimes and giving Assad a green light to continue committing crimes with impunity.
As Kim Ghattas noted in a recent article, the violence that erupted in Sudan should serve as a grim warning of the long-term consequences of compromising with tyrants without justice and accountability.
5. There is no hope for prosperity in Syria under Assad
Assad has proven time and again that he is incapable of fostering stability in Syria. The incompetence, economic mismanagement and corruption has pushed Syria into a severe economic crisis and people in Syria now struggle to even afford bread or fuel. Meanwhile, the Assad regime has turned Syria into a major narco-state where the manufacturing and illegal smuggling of the amphetamine drug Captagon has become a multi billion dollar operation.
6. Emboldening tyrants everywhere
Shaking hands with Assad instead of holding him accountable is not only a grave betrayal to Assad’s victims. It also sends a signal to authoritarians worldwide that they can brutally break every rule of international law and not face any real consequence, setting a dangerous precedent for humanity as a whole. Failure to hold Russia accountable for its crimes in Syria and elsewhere has emboldened Putin to invade Ukraine.
7. A bunch of authoritarian rulers will not decide the future of Syria. Syrians will.
All the reasons why people took to the streets in 2011 still plague everyday life. Syrians have endured 12 years of unimaginable suffering and have been utterly failed by the international community. But in the face of this failure, Syrian grassroots activists and civil society risked their lives to create meaning and resistance when hope felt impossible. They will not allow a bunch of authoritarian rulers to dictate their future. And we will continue to work hand in hand with them to shake the world’s consciousness into action and build a Syria for all Syrians without Assad, without dictatorship, and without extremism.
Earlier this month, the Arab League agreed to reinstate Syria’s membership 12 years after its suspension due to its brutal crackdown on pro-democracy protests. Saudi Arabia, which is hosting the Arab League summit on May 19, issued an official invitation to Bashar al-Assad to attend.
Ahead of Friday’s meeting where our social media timelines will inevitably be flooded by Arab rulers shaking hands with Assad, here are just seven reasons why normalizing with the Assad regime is a terrible, shameful move:
1. Assad is a war criminal. Nothing has changed.
The Syrian regime has murdered hundreds of thousands of Syrians and crushed all dissent through barbaric, illegal tactics such as the deliberate bombing of civilians, chemical weapons attacks, and the systematic torture and killing of men and women in underground detention dungeons. To this day, over 150,000 people are still estimated to be forcibly disappeared or arbitrarily detained in Syria and fear of detention overshadows every aspect of public life.
These crimes are still ongoing, and have been extensively documented by the UN and reputable Syrian and international organizations. A court in the German town of Koblenz found two defendants guilty for crimes against humanity orchestrated by the Assad regime. Canada and the Netherlands are undertaking a joint effort to hold Syria responsible for gross human rights violations under the UN Convention against Torture. Syria remains heavily sanctioned by the US and the EU for Assad’s war crimes. Shaking hands with Assad amounts to whitewashing his atrocities.
2. A large segment of Syrians will never accept Assad and cannot return to Syria while he remains in power
In 2011, Syrians took to the streets demanding freedom and dignity after 40 years of the brutal dictatorship of Bashar al-Assad and his father before him. The protests were met with brutal force, and over 14 million people have been forced to flee their homes, including 6.8 million people who are internally displaced. Returning to Syria carries a huge risk of arrest, disappearance, torture, and execution. The widespread bombing, theft, and seizure of properties by the regime mean many people, especially those who fled as children, have nowhere to return to.
3. Putting refugees at an increased risk of deportation
Many Arab states hope that normalizing relations with Assad will make it easier to force refugees to return to Syria. But international law is clear: It’s illegal to deport refugees to a place where they face persecution. Refugees in Turkey and Lebanon are living in a climate of fear as existing hostilities and xenophobic sentiments against Syrians have become even more pronounced, and thousands of refugees have been arbitrarily deported in recent months. There are numerous documented cases of returnees being subjected to horrific violations including rape, torture, arrest, forced conscription, and disappearance at the hands of the regime.
4. Peace is not possible without justice and political transition
Arab states are cynically pursuing their own political agendas at the expense of basic human rights. They are betraying victims of the regime’s war crimes and giving Assad a green light to continue committing crimes with impunity.
As Kim Ghattas noted in a recent article, the violence that erupted in Sudan should serve as a grim warning of the long-term consequences of compromising with tyrants without justice and accountability.
5. There is no hope for prosperity in Syria under Assad
Assad has proven time and again that he is incapable of fostering stability in Syria. The incompetence, economic mismanagement and corruption has pushed Syria into a severe economic crisis and people in Syria now struggle to even afford bread or fuel. Meanwhile, the Assad regime has turned Syria into a major narco-state where the manufacturing and illegal smuggling of the amphetamine drug Captagon has become a multi billion dollar operation.
6. Emboldening tyrants everywhere
Shaking hands with Assad instead of holding him accountable is not only a grave betrayal to Assad’s victims. It also sends a signal to authoritarians worldwide that they can brutally break every rule of international law and not face any real consequence, setting a dangerous precedent for humanity as a whole. Failure to hold Russia accountable for its crimes in Syria and elsewhere has emboldened Putin to invade Ukraine.
7. A bunch of authoritarian rulers will not decide the future of Syria. Syrians will.
All the reasons why people took to the streets in 2011 still plague everyday life. Syrians have endured 12 years of unimaginable suffering and have been utterly failed by the international community. But in the face of this failure, Syrian grassroots activists and civil society risked their lives to create meaning and resistance when hope felt impossible. They will not allow a bunch of authoritarian rulers to dictate their future. And we will continue to work hand in hand with them to shake the world’s consciousness into action and build a Syria for all Syrians without Assad, without dictatorship, and without extremism.
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# WithSyria, by Bill Hicks on Dec 30, 2023 22:51:06 GMT 1, 2024 is going to be a big year. We end the year, many of us, with fundamental questions about what the horrific bombardment of civilians in Syria and Gaza means for our shared sense of humanity. If world powers can pick and choose which lives are protected by international law, what does this mean for each and every one of us?
It is at these big crisis points, when norms seem to be crumbling around us, that we must join together with even greater power. In 2023, tenacious Syrian human rights defenders, alongside you and tens of thousands of people around the world, did just that – and achieved so much together. It is these moments in history when we can create real meaningful change.
This change starts with campaigns like ours and with groups led by survivors and witnesses of war crimes and families of Syria’s disappeared. This year, their tireless campaigning resulted in a new international impartial body that will look into the fate of their loved ones and coordinate work to find Syria’s forcibly disappeared people. Thousands of us from around the world took action to support their demands, ramping up pressure on all UN member states to vote in favor of this institution – and we were successful.
The search for a peaceful and free future for Syrians doesn’t end here.
Donate to The Syria Campaign
Sorry, I can't donate right now
If we can take one thing into 2024, it is the incredible solidarity shown by people around the world again and again. In the critical days after the earthquake that shook Syria and Turkey in February, more than 17,000 of us signed the petition urging world leaders to stop deadly delays in UN aid and get the equipment and supplies that were so desperately needed into the northwest of the country. The quake pushed the heroic White Helmets teams to their very limits as they raced against the clock to save lives, whilst trying to manage their own personal grief and fear. Nearly 100,000 of us donated millions to support their rescue mission.
In August, in cities around the world, we met to mark ten years since the Syrian regime carried out the worst chemical weapons attack of the 21st century, killing over 1,100 residents of Ghouta with Sarin nerve gas. Our calls to end impunity for crimes against humanity in Syria continued when thousands of you signed the petition calling for Assad to be uninvited from the COP 28 climate conference in the UAE in November.
Syrian families took photos of their disappeared loved ones to London’s UAE embassy on a cold November afternoon before the global climate talks to stand up against Assad’s PR stunt and filmmaker Waad Al-Kateab carried the same message to the UAE-owned Manchester City stadium. International pressure worked and Syria’s pariah dictator was forced to stay away from the conference – which would have been his first since his violent crackdown on protesters 12 years ago.
It’s an important win. It says to the world that there is no place for war criminals on the world stage. It shows that Assad is weakened by efforts to hold him accountable through European courts, including a French arrest warrant and a landmark case against Syrian torture at International Court of Justice. Together, we are keeping the pressure on and building momentum towards a free and democratic Syria.
This is a vision we hold on to tightly as 2024 begins. The tougher it gets, the more creative we become. Will you consider making a donation now to support The Syria Campaign’s work into 2024?
Donate to The Syria Campaign
Sorry, I can't donate right now
Next year, as we push for big change, we will need to be determined in our efforts to hold on to hope. After all, is that not the purpose of the bombs, the restriction of aid, the disinformation, the detention of so many – to destroy our hope? Thank you for all you do.
With great hope for the coming year,
Laila, Afraa, Anna, Bayan, Kate, Mayssoun, Ola, Ranim, Raya, Rebecca and Soumaya
act.thesyriacampaign.org/donate/donate-to-tsc-donate
thesyriacampaign.org/about/
2024 is going to be a big year. We end the year, many of us, with fundamental questions about what the horrific bombardment of civilians in Syria and Gaza means for our shared sense of humanity. If world powers can pick and choose which lives are protected by international law, what does this mean for each and every one of us? It is at these big crisis points, when norms seem to be crumbling around us, that we must join together with even greater power. In 2023, tenacious Syrian human rights defenders, alongside you and tens of thousands of people around the world, did just that – and achieved so much together. It is these moments in history when we can create real meaningful change. This change starts with campaigns like ours and with groups led by survivors and witnesses of war crimes and families of Syria’s disappeared. This year, their tireless campaigning resulted in a new international impartial body that will look into the fate of their loved ones and coordinate work to find Syria’s forcibly disappeared people. Thousands of us from around the world took action to support their demands, ramping up pressure on all UN member states to vote in favor of this institution – and we were successful. The search for a peaceful and free future for Syrians doesn’t end here. Donate to The Syria Campaign Sorry, I can't donate right now If we can take one thing into 2024, it is the incredible solidarity shown by people around the world again and again. In the critical days after the earthquake that shook Syria and Turkey in February, more than 17,000 of us signed the petition urging world leaders to stop deadly delays in UN aid and get the equipment and supplies that were so desperately needed into the northwest of the country. The quake pushed the heroic White Helmets teams to their very limits as they raced against the clock to save lives, whilst trying to manage their own personal grief and fear. Nearly 100,000 of us donated millions to support their rescue mission. In August, in cities around the world, we met to mark ten years since the Syrian regime carried out the worst chemical weapons attack of the 21st century, killing over 1,100 residents of Ghouta with Sarin nerve gas. Our calls to end impunity for crimes against humanity in Syria continued when thousands of you signed the petition calling for Assad to be uninvited from the COP 28 climate conference in the UAE in November. Syrian families took photos of their disappeared loved ones to London’s UAE embassy on a cold November afternoon before the global climate talks to stand up against Assad’s PR stunt and filmmaker Waad Al-Kateab carried the same message to the UAE-owned Manchester City stadium. International pressure worked and Syria’s pariah dictator was forced to stay away from the conference – which would have been his first since his violent crackdown on protesters 12 years ago. It’s an important win. It says to the world that there is no place for war criminals on the world stage. It shows that Assad is weakened by efforts to hold him accountable through European courts, including a French arrest warrant and a landmark case against Syrian torture at International Court of Justice. Together, we are keeping the pressure on and building momentum towards a free and democratic Syria. This is a vision we hold on to tightly as 2024 begins. The tougher it gets, the more creative we become. Will you consider making a donation now to support The Syria Campaign’s work into 2024? Donate to The Syria Campaign Sorry, I can't donate right now Next year, as we push for big change, we will need to be determined in our efforts to hold on to hope. After all, is that not the purpose of the bombs, the restriction of aid, the disinformation, the detention of so many – to destroy our hope? Thank you for all you do. With great hope for the coming year, Laila, Afraa, Anna, Bayan, Kate, Mayssoun, Ola, Ranim, Raya, Rebecca and Soumaya act.thesyriacampaign.org/donate/donate-to-tsc-donatethesyriacampaign.org/about/ |
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# WithSyria, by Bill Hicks on Aug 31, 2024 10:55:15 GMT 1, My name is Khaled Dawwa, I’m a Syrian sculptor, and this morning outside the United Nations in Geneva, I destroyed my three-metre tall sculpture of a dictator figure ‘The King of Holes’ piece by piece. Survivors and families of people who are forcibly disappeared in Syria were with me, holding photos of their loved ones.
The destruction of the statue, today on International Day of the Disappeared, is a way of showing the fragility of the Assad regime and all systems built on injustices, violence, and oppression. It is a reminder that the prosecution of the regime and the release of all forcibly disappeared people must be the foundation of any political peace process in Syria.
Like many Syrians, I have firsthand experience of the Assad regime’s brutality. I was arbitrarily detained in 2013. When I was released it felt like a rebirth, but I carry with me a heavy question: what about the rest?
We are in Geneva to demand more progress to save our friends and loved ones. It’s been a year since the UN General Assembly promised to establish a new institution here to find out their fate, but not enough has been done so far. Please help add pressure by sending a message to your country’s UN representative – urging them to expedite the search for our disappeared loved ones in Syria.
act.thesyriacampaign.org/letter/contact-un-mission_ENG/?t=8&akid=7420%2E168848%2ESrtxJv
The King of Holes
I first exhibited 'The King of Holes' in 2021 in Paris, where I now live, then deliberately left it to deteriorate naturally for two years in a public forest. I wanted to undermine the apparent solidity of this symbol of oppression. In that time, detentions and abductions have not ceased, with new arrests reported each month. In fact, time is running out to find our loved ones and tens of thousands have already been killed through torture or starvation.
This is sometimes forgotten, as the regime looks to reopen relations with other countries, under the false pretence that Syria is now safe. Finally destroying the artwork here in Geneva is a performance protest with survivors of detention and families of the detained and forcibly disappeared. I hope it will urge the UN to take concrete steps to uncover the truth about Syria's disappeared people.
Dismantling the sculpture was a powerful moment: our minds focused on the nearly 157,000 people who have been arbitrarily detained or forcibly disappeared in Syria, snatched at checkpoints or from their homes and workplaces.
While I hope this action will draw attention to the immediate need to save and free Syria’s detainees, we are only likely to drive meaningful change if concerned citizens like you around the world take action. The formation of the UN Institution for Syria’s Missing People was a historic achievement for victims and survivors, but a whole year has passed and it must start delivering answers.
That’s why I’m asking for your support this International Day of the Disappeared, by writing a message to your country’s UN representative. UN member states have real power to pressure the regime, and the team at The Syria Campaign has built a tool that makes it simple to email them – so it should only take a minute or two to do.
One day, in a free and peaceful Syria, we will be able to rebuild an artwork that represents the final vision of this project: freedom and justice for everyone who has been forcibly disappeared. I look forward to sharing that work with you.
Thank you,
Khaled
P.S. You can see more photos from today's art demonstration on The Syria Campaign's Instagram page.
act.thesyriacampaign.org/letter/contact-un-mission_ENG/?t=8&akid=7420%2E168848%2ESrtxJv
My name is Khaled Dawwa, I’m a Syrian sculptor, and this morning outside the United Nations in Geneva, I destroyed my three-metre tall sculpture of a dictator figure ‘The King of Holes’ piece by piece. Survivors and families of people who are forcibly disappeared in Syria were with me, holding photos of their loved ones. The destruction of the statue, today on International Day of the Disappeared, is a way of showing the fragility of the Assad regime and all systems built on injustices, violence, and oppression. It is a reminder that the prosecution of the regime and the release of all forcibly disappeared people must be the foundation of any political peace process in Syria. Like many Syrians, I have firsthand experience of the Assad regime’s brutality. I was arbitrarily detained in 2013. When I was released it felt like a rebirth, but I carry with me a heavy question: what about the rest? We are in Geneva to demand more progress to save our friends and loved ones. It’s been a year since the UN General Assembly promised to establish a new institution here to find out their fate, but not enough has been done so far. Please help add pressure by sending a message to your country’s UN representative – urging them to expedite the search for our disappeared loved ones in Syria. act.thesyriacampaign.org/letter/contact-un-mission_ENG/?t=8&akid=7420%2E168848%2ESrtxJvThe King of Holes I first exhibited 'The King of Holes' in 2021 in Paris, where I now live, then deliberately left it to deteriorate naturally for two years in a public forest. I wanted to undermine the apparent solidity of this symbol of oppression. In that time, detentions and abductions have not ceased, with new arrests reported each month. In fact, time is running out to find our loved ones and tens of thousands have already been killed through torture or starvation. This is sometimes forgotten, as the regime looks to reopen relations with other countries, under the false pretence that Syria is now safe. Finally destroying the artwork here in Geneva is a performance protest with survivors of detention and families of the detained and forcibly disappeared. I hope it will urge the UN to take concrete steps to uncover the truth about Syria's disappeared people. Dismantling the sculpture was a powerful moment: our minds focused on the nearly 157,000 people who have been arbitrarily detained or forcibly disappeared in Syria, snatched at checkpoints or from their homes and workplaces. While I hope this action will draw attention to the immediate need to save and free Syria’s detainees, we are only likely to drive meaningful change if concerned citizens like you around the world take action. The formation of the UN Institution for Syria’s Missing People was a historic achievement for victims and survivors, but a whole year has passed and it must start delivering answers. That’s why I’m asking for your support this International Day of the Disappeared, by writing a message to your country’s UN representative. UN member states have real power to pressure the regime, and the team at The Syria Campaign has built a tool that makes it simple to email them – so it should only take a minute or two to do. One day, in a free and peaceful Syria, we will be able to rebuild an artwork that represents the final vision of this project: freedom and justice for everyone who has been forcibly disappeared. I look forward to sharing that work with you. Thank you, Khaled P.S. You can see more photos from today's art demonstration on The Syria Campaign's Instagram page. act.thesyriacampaign.org/letter/contact-un-mission_ENG/?t=8&akid=7420%2E168848%2ESrtxJv |
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