The Syrian National Coalition’s Department of Foreign Relations on Tuesday convened to prepare a number of activities and events aimed at highlighting the crimes Russia and the Assad regime are committing in Syria, especially in Idlib and rural Aleppo.
The meeting was attended by coordinators of the Coalition’s departments and committees. The discussions focused on the situation in western rural Aleppo and Idlib province and the atrocious crimes Russia is committing right under the eyes of the entire world. Participants stressed that the international community bears direct responsibility for what is happening against civilians because of its long silence about those crimes that have been ongoing on for nine years.
The participants reviewed the local and international human rights documents and reports confirming the involvement of Russia and the Assad regime in widespread crimes, such as targeting civilians and vital facilities such as homes, mosques, schools, medical centers, relief convoys, ambulances, and humanitarian workers.
Tabled for discussion was also the issue of detainees and enforced disappearance. The participants stressed that this issue is one of the most important issues that the international community should deal with in all seriousness by establishing a mechanism to ensure the release of detainees and disclose the fate of the missing.
Coordinator of the Department, Abdulahad Astepho, held another meeting with the political Syria advisor at the French Foreign Ministry, Fabrice Desplechin and discussed with him the dangerous situation in rural Aleppo and Idlib.
Astepho stressed that the international community has so far failed to fulfill its legal and moral obligations towards Syrian civilians or towards the implementation of international resolutions on Syria, most importantly the Geneva Communique of 2012 and UN Resolution 2254 calling for a ceasefire and engagement in a political process in order to achieve democratic transition in the country.
Astepho went on to say that the areas that long fell to the Assad regime are going through a dire situation. He said that these areas has not stabilized due to the crimes of the regime as security forces and intelligence services continued the execution and arrests against civilians. (Source: Syrian National Coalition’s Media Department)
