Civic groups and activists in the town of Douma in Rural Damascus held a sit-in to condemn the 4-year siege imposed by regime forces on eastern Ghoutra and to show solidarity with its residents. Towns and villages in eastern Ghouta are subjected to constant bombardment by regime forces and the Iranian-backed militias.
The sit-in was part of a media campaign, called “With Ghouta”, aimed at highlighting the suffering of the people of in the Damascus suburb.
Activists said about 150 people from the towns of Rayhan, Housh Nasri, Maida’ani, and Douma participated in the sit-in on Tuesday. They raised the flags of the revolution and placards urging the FSA and rebel groups to break the siege imposed on eastern Ghouta. They chanted slogans demanding the fall of the Assad regime.
Protestors denounced the failure of the UN Security Council to enforce the resolution it passed on Syria and to force the Assad regime to abide by the truce. They also slammed the UNSC’s failure to stop the regime’s ongoing onslaught on eastern Ghouta, especially on the towns of Hizrima and Maida’ani.
The Syrian Coalition warned of plans by regime forces and the Iranian-backed militias to force the civilian population of eastern Ghouta out of their homes. These plans, which amount to crimes against humanity, are part of the Assad regime’s policy aimed at changing the demographic landscape in Syria, the Coalition stressed.
Pro-regime forces have recently launched a large-scale onslaught on several fronts in eastern Ghouta in Rural Damascus in a new blatant violation of the cease-fire agreement that took effect on December 29, 2016.
In a statement released last week, the Coalition called for activating the ceasefire monitoring mechanism and to issue formal reports determining those responsible for the truce violations so that they can be held accountable and forced to stop these violations. (Source: Syrian Coalition’s Media Department + Smart News Network)
