Activists in the town of Addar Alkabira in northern rural Homs held a sit-in to demonstrate solidarity with detainees in the prisons of the Assad regime on Friday. They stressed that the issue of detainees in the prisons of the Assad regime should not be subjected to negotiations.
Activist Ahmed Abbara told Smart News Network that the sit-in aimed to send a message to the international community and human rights organizations to prioritize the issue of detainees in negotiations with the Assad regime.
Abbara said that participants in the sit-in stressed that the issue of detainees in the prisons of the Assad regime should not be subjected to negotiations and that their freedom should take precedence over all other issues during negotiations.
Activists held signs that read “the sun has longed for their naked bodies,” “we want the detainees,” “we will not forget the blood of hundreds of thousands of our fallen heroes, the detainees and millions of displaced people,” and “detainees first.”
Dozens of Syrians on Friday demonstrated in front of the UN headquarters in Geneva to demand the release of tens of thousands of detainees in Assad’s prisons.
Demonstrators gathered in front of the Broken Chair monument, a monumental sculpture that stands across the street from the Palace of Nations, in Geneva and symbolizes opposition to land mines and cluster bombs. The sit-in was held following coordination among activists on social networking sites.
Nasr al-Hariri, head of the Syrian opposition’s Negotiations Committee, told the final news conference held following the conclusion of the eighth round of Geneva negotiations on Thursday that the issue of detainees and humanitarian aid should not be subjected to negotiations as these issues were already included in the UN Security Council resolutions on Syria.
Demonstrators called upon the UN envoy to Syria Staffan de Mistura to do everything in his power to ensure that detainees are released, the siege of eastern Ghouta near the capital Damascus is lifted, and a nationwide cease-fire is immediately declared. (Source: Syrian Coalition’s Media Department)
