Press Statement
Khalid Saleh
Syrian Coalition Media Office President
Istanbul, Turkey
December 26, 2013
The Syrian Coalition condemns the Assad regime’s policy of starving the Syrian people into submission in areas under siege; particularly in Moadamiya. The use of food as a tool of war is not only abhorrent, but is also a violation of international law. However, the Assad regime continues to exploit the silence of the international community and pushes forth with its “kneel or starve” war tactic.
Assad’s tyrannical regime agreed to allow controlled amounts of food into Moadamiya, but only if several unfair conditions are met, including that residents raise the regime flag high in the town, instead of the revolution flag. It is a crime to place any conditions on civilians’ right to access food.
Activists from the area stated that residents who were desperate to save their children from starvation and from the freezing temperatures, reluctantly agreed to the regime’s illegal terms, but Assad’s forces still have not allowed aid convoys into the town. This deal seems to be nothing but another lie from a ruthless dictator.
If the international community cannot save civilians under siege in Syria, it certainly will not be able to force the regime to accept a political solution. We call on all people of the world to ask their governments to take immediate action to save the Syrian people trapped in besieged areas and to demand access for humanitarian relief into those areas before it is too late.
