The Syrian Opposition Coalition (SOC) denounced the recent remarks by the Special Rapporteur at the Human Rights Council, the Belarusian Alena Douhan, who called for lifting the US sanctions imposed on the Assad regime under the Caesar Act. The SOC said that the remarks were shocking as they called for providing the regime with all its requirements, in a way that would allow it to be rehabilitated and re-imposed on the Syrian people, let alone ignoring all the crimes and violations it is committing against the Syrian people.
In a press release issued on Thursday, the SOC said that Douhan’s remarks exposed her ignorance of the details of the Syrian issue as they overlooked the party responsible for the tragedy unfolding in Syria.
“Douhan is adopting and promoting the narrative of the Assad regime which blames all its failures, crimes, theft and plunder on s0-called international conspiracies and external sanctions although the sanctions are directly related to the extent of the Assad regime’s compliance with international resolutions and its readiness to cooperate in the efforts to reach a political solution,” the SOC added.
“The disastrous situation of human rights in Syria is directly related to the measures, decisions and strategies the Assad regime is pursuing in cooperation with the Iranian and Russian regimes.”
The SOC added: “It is imperative to point to the direct relationship between the US sanctions and the Assad regime’s continued refusal to comply with UN Security Council resolutions related to the political solution in Syria.
“The sanctions came in response to the regime’s insistence on pursuing military solution, its commission of countless crimes against humanity, including mass murder, torture, besiegement and mass forced displacement, and the destruction of hospitals and schools as was documented in numerous UN and human rights reports.”
The SOC also said that Douhan’s remarks “are nothing more than a twisted logic as no honest expert and professional in the field of human rights shall demand the international community to reward the criminals. Rather, demands must be made to save the people and hold accountable those responsible for the people’s suffering.”
The SOC said it has already formed “a special committee to follow the implementation of the Caesar Act as it is keen to monitor the humanitarian situation in Syria. In every occasion, the SOC calls for taking measures to avoid affecting harming civilians and to focus on the regime, its pillars, its military machine, and the parties supporting it.”
The SOC renewed its calls on the international actors to take more practical steps that contribute to bringing an end to the tragedy that the regime has brought on Syria. “It is worth recalling that the Assad regime has not made any concessions, nor has it complied with any UN resolutions for half a century except under real international pressure and under the direct threat of the use of force.” (Source: SOC’s Media Department)
