Press release
Syrian Opposition Coalition
Department of Media and Communications
November 18, 2021
The Syrian Opposition Coalition (SOC) demands an immediate end to the heinous exploitation and politicization of the plight of Syrian refugees. Continuing to turn the suffering of refugees into a means of managing regional, international and political conflicts is unacceptable and reprehensible.
The SOC stresses, as it repeatedly made clear, that the worsening crisis on the Belarusian-Polish border – with all its suffering, violations, employment and painful loss of lives – is a direct result of the crimes and terrorism of the Assad regime, Russia and Iran against the Syrian people.
The murderous Assad regime and its backers have been displacing Syrian civilians in several ways since the beginning of the revolution, especially by brutal bombing of populated areas, forced agreements for the settlement of status, and more recently by facilitating flights to Belarus with the aim of creating a refugee crisis and exploiting it to legitimize and rehabilitate the regime.
Averting these crises and ensuring their end can only be achieved by dismantling the root cause of all disasters, namely the Assad regime.
What is happening today in Belarus is unacceptable, inhumane and immoral. Refugees must not be used as a bargaining chip or a means of blackmail. We call on the humanitarian and international organizations to work seriously and immediately with the concerned countries to address the plight of refugees stranded at the Belarussian-Polish border. We also demand an immediate end to all acts of violence against them, treating them humanely, and providing them with the necessary relief and shelter.
The SOC reaffirms the urgent need for a serious, concrete international intervention based on the UN Security Council resolutions to ensure that the regime and its allies comply with these resolutions as they are the party obstructing a solution. We also call for the adoption of an urgent agenda that guarantees the implementation of political transition, addressing the causes of successive crises and disasters, and holding those responsible to account.
