A delegation of the Syrian Opposition Coalition meet with the Bureau of Democracy, Human Rights, and Labor at the US State Department in Washington, DC. The two sides discussed the ongoing crimes and violations against civilians in the areas held by the Assad regime and the PYD terrorist militia.
The delegation comprised SOC’s Vice President Abdulahad Astepho, Abdel Hakim Bashar and Ruba Habboush, Secretary of the Political Committee Abdel Majid Barakat, and SOC’s member Dima Moussa.
The two sides discussed the violations that the Assad regime forces and their allied militias are committing in the areas under their control, which is forcing tens of thousands of Syrians to flee these areas in order to escape arrest, torture, the rampant crimes and dire living conditions.
The two sides spoke about the violations that the PYD militia is committing in the areas under their control, especially the recruitment of child soldiers and the mass forced displacement of the indigenous population with the aim of bringing about a demographic change in Syria. They also talked about the PYD’s imposition of ideologized educational curricula on students.
Furthermore, the two sides discussed the measures taken by the Syrian Interim Government and its committees to address individual abuses in the liberated areas; restore rights to their rightful owners; and conduct intensive educational courses for the Syrian National Army fighters with the aim of raising their awareness of human rights and international law.
The SOC’s delegation extended an official invitation to the Bureau members to visit the liberated areas and ascertain the reality of the judiciary, prison system, and the treatment of prisoners. They also invited the Bureau members to visit the towns of Ras al-Ayn and Tal Abyad to check up on the reality there and help lift the blockade imposed on them.
(Source: SOC’s media department)
