The local council in the district of Barzah in Damascus denied claims by the Assad regime that residents of the district willfully chose to leave their homes, stressing that the residents are being forced to leave their homes.
The council sent a letter to the UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres, the UN Syria envoy Staffan de Mistura, the Friends of Syria group, leaders of the upcoming Arab and Islamic Summit via the opposition’s High Negotiations Committee (HNC). In it, the council said that the rebel-held district has been subjected to a relentless military campaign since February 18.
Regime forces and their allied Iranian militias are employing a scorched earth policy in Barzah, the council said. It pointed out that the regime’s bombardment killed at least 74 people and injured hundreds more, including many women and children.
The council said that the remaining civilians in the district are living in dire humanitarian conditions due to constant bombardment and the blockade by regime forces on the district.
The council stressed the need to enforce international resolutions on Syria, most importantly Articles 12, 13 and 14 of the UN Security Council resolution 2254. It criticized the international community’s failure to force the Assad regime to abide by the UN resolutions as it stressed that that makes the entire international community a partner to the regime in its deceptive tactics.
The council stressed that residents of Barzah support a political solution, the building of a democratic state, and the fight against terrorism. It urged major players in Syria to exercise pressure on the regime to force it to stop its policies of giving the local population a choice between leaving their homes or surrendering. Pressure must also be exercised to lift the siege on Barzah and release detainees. (Source: Syrian Coalition’s Media Department)
