Vice-President of Syrian Coalition Muwafaq Nairabiya stressed that the Syrian revolution continues in the same vigor that has characterized it since the first Syrian was killed by regime forces in Dara’a in March 2011.
Nairabiya pointed to a resurrection of the role of Syria’s civil society and the role of the Syrian women who have been actively engaged in the revolution. He stressed the importance of holding Assad accountable, achieving transitional justice and fostering national reconciliation at the start of the transitional period.
Nairabiya was speaking at an event on Syria organized by the Euro-Syrian Democratic Forum and No Peace Without Justice organization on the sidelines of the 31st session of the Human Rights Council currently being held in Geneva and will continue until March 24. The event, which was co-sponsored by the Syrian Coalition, was entitled: “Syria After Five Years in Pursuit of Democracy and Accountability.”
The event was organized in cooperation with the permanent missions of Qatar, Belgium, France, Germany, Italy, Liechtenstein, the Netherlands, Turkey, the United Kingdom, the United States along with “No Peace Without Justice” at the United Nations Office in Geneva.
Gareth Bayley, UK Special Representative for Syria; Muwafaq Nairabiye, Vice-President of the Syrian Coalition; and Michael Ratney, the US Special Envoy for Syria were among the keynote participants.
The event was co-managed by Hussein Sabbagh, Secretary General of Euro-Syrian Democratic Forum and Niccolo Figa-Talamanca, Secretary General of “No Peace Without Justice.”
The event was attended by a number of representatives of the member states of the UN Human Rights Council, Syrian non-governmental organizations (NGOs) and other international institutions.
The event coincided with the fifth anniversary of the outbreak of the Syrian revolution which began peacefully for freedom and dignity and was met by violence by the Assad regime. It provided an opportunity to conduct a debate between leaders and Syrian activists in the field of human rights and democracy to make peace a top priority for the Syrian moderate opposition and the international community as a guarantor of the Syrian talks in Geneva.
Discussions during the debate covered effects of the “cessation of hostilities” agreement on the ground, prospects for accountability, redress and reparation for all victims as the basis for a durable peace. They also stressed the role of women in peace-building, politics and civil society as a “partner” and not a “participant” in addition to their role in documenting of past and present crimes against Syrian civilians in the ongoing peace negotiation. (Source: Syrian Coalition)
