News 10/12/2024

Syria: Time for Dialogue, Coexistence, and Rejection of Violence

Syria: Time for Dialogue, Coexistence, and Rejection of Violence

After the fall of the al-Assad regime, 14 years of war, between 470,000 and 610,000 deaths—mostly civilians—12 million refugees and internally displaced persons, and 17 million people reliant on humanitarian aid to survive, Syria has entered a new phase of  its history.

Despite the uncertainty of the current situation, hope can only arise through dialogue, efforts toward reconciliation among all parties involved, and an understanding of Syria’s profound complexity. This complexity, largely rooted in its rich ethnic, religious, and cultural diversity, demands joint efforts to ensure the necessary spaces for coexistence and social cohesion.

From the undersigned entities, we call upon the international community, institutions, and civil society organizations to commit resolutely to:

Actively work for peace and respect for human rights, with concrete actions contributing to the construction of an inclusive future.

Foster coexistence and the creation of mutual respect, embracing the diversity of communities that make up Syria.

Transitional Justice, ensuring the international community’s commitment to providing Justice, Reparations, Truth, and Guarantees of Non-Repetition, helping Syrian society address a legacy of massive human rights violations perpetrated by the al-Assad regime, ISIS, and various rebel groups, as documented by human rights organizations.

Promote actions for social cohesion and national dialogue that ensure human security, mutual respect, coexistence, and the protection of minority rights. In this regard, the model implemented by the Democratic Autonomous Administration of Northeast Syria since 2014 stands as an example that can and should guide such efforts.

Furthermore, the immediate reality compels us to demand:

A comprehensive ceasefire across all Syrian territories, under the auspices of the United Nations. It is imperative to halt external military interventions and stop manipulation campaigns aimed at sowing division among the civilian population. Urgent attention is needed to address ongoing attacks by Turkey-backed armed factions on border towns governed by the Democratic Autonomous Administration of North and East Syria and the shelling perpetrated by Israel over different locations

Humanitarian aid, supporting internally displaced persons (as of November 27, more than 250,000 have been forced to flee their homes, according to the UN) and refugees wishing to return to their homeland. We urge European countries not to suspend the processing of asylum applications for Syrians, until the situation remains volatile.

Signing entities /Entitats signats / Firmantes:

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