Press release
Syrian Opposition Coalition
Department of Media and Communications
April 19, 2024
The Syrian Opposition Coalition (SOC) condemns the endangerment of innocent Syrian lives at sea, the refusal to provide rescue operations, and the denial of their fundamental rights as outlined in the Universal Declaration of Human Rights. This includes Article 3, affirming that “everyone has the right to life, liberty, and security of person,” and the first paragraph of Article Fourteen, which states that “everyone has the right to seek and to enjoy in other countries asylum from persecution.”
The SOC denounces the restrictions imposed by Cypriot authorities on Syrian asylum seekers, notably the prevention of fragile boats lacking safety equipment, carrying dozens of Syrian asylum seekers, from entering Cypriot territory. These individuals were forced to leave Lebanon due to life-threatening risks, violations, security unrest, and discriminatory policies, facing the threat of forced return to Syria from which they fled to escape persecution and seek safety and dignity.
The SOC calls on Cypriot authorities to reassess their decisions and policies towards Syrian asylum seekers and urges the United Nations, particularly the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees, to fulfill its responsibility towards them and ensure their safety.
Furthermore, the SOC emphasizes to all host countries that Syrian refugees are victims of systematic persecution by the Assad regime and its supporters, compelling them to seek asylum abroad to safeguard their families’ lives and seek refuge from ongoing threats amid the Assad regime’s obstruction of political processes and continued repression.
The SOC underscores that alleviating Syrian human suffering, including displacement, is contingent upon the international community fulfilling its legal and moral obligations towards the Syrian people. This necessitates full and strict implementation of Security Council resolutions on Syria, particularly UN Resolutions 2118 (2013) and 2254 (2015), serving as pathways to resolving the Syrian crisis, facilitating the return of Syrians to their homeland, and constructing a unified Syria founded on principles of freedom, justice, democracy, and the rule of law.
