On Thursday, the United States and France issued a joint warning to the Assad regime concerning its use of violence against demonstrators in Suwayda, southern Syria. The Assad regime’s actions, which included targeting peaceful demonstrators with live bullets, drew condemnation from the international community.
The US Embassy in Damascus issued a statement via its official Facebook page, expressing its concern over the regime’s use of force in Suwayda. The embassy stated, “We support the right of the Syrian people to demonstrate peacefully for dignity, freedom, safety, and justice.” It emphasized that a political solution, in accordance with UN Resolution No. 2254, “is the only possible solution.”
French special envoy to Syria, Brigitte Curmi, voiced deep concern over “the alarming escalation of violence in the Suwayda region in southern Syria.” Curmi stated, “After three weeks of continuous popular movement, the news that reaches us today from Suwayda is very disturbing, and the regime must refrain from using force against peaceful demonstrators.”
Meanwhile, UN envoy to Syria, Geir Pedersen, also expressed concern about the situation in Suwayda. Pedersen stated, “I continue to monitor the situation in Suwayda with concern, and I stress the necessity of protecting civilians and respecting the rights of peaceful protest.”
In a press release, the Syrian Opposition Coalition (SOC) condemned the dangerous escalation by the Assad regime, which targeted peaceful demonstrators in the city of Suwayda with live bullets, resulting in injuries to several individuals. The SOC highlighted that these actions reminded Syrians of the violence and crimes committed by the Assad regime against peaceful demonstrators since 2011.
The SOC further emphasized that the continued survival of the Assad regime in Syria would lead to more crises and deepen existing ones at all levels. They stressed that meeting the aspirations of the Syrian people depended on achieving a political transition through the full implementation of UN Security Council Resolution 2254, allowing the Syrian people to determine their fate and build a future Syria based on principles of freedom, democracy, the rule of law, and human rights.
(Source: SOC’s Media Department)
