Late last month, Syrians in the southern Syrian province of Daraa experienced the worst siege in years by the Assad regime when dozens of innocent Syrian citizens were killed in the very cradle of the Syrian Revolution. We thank Sen. Robert Menendez (D-NJ), the chairman of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee for condemning the attacks against innocent civilians in Daraa by the regime and call on the Committee to actively engage the Administration on the latest human rights violations in Syria.
“Senator Menendez’s condemnation of continuous atrocities in Daraa against innocent Syrians is a most welcome step. We hope to see the end of the suffering of the Syrian people once and for all,” said C4SSA President Dr. Bakr Ghbeis. “With over 12 million both internally and externally displaced, the Syria I and my fellow Syrian-Americans were born and grew up in is a far cry from our childhood and young adult memories. We thank Senator Menendez for his strength and commitment to seeing true freedom for the Syrian people.”
Thousands of Syrian families are continuously being deprived of access to essentials like food, medicine and water. The psychological impact of this seemingly never-ending genocide against Syrian men, women and children will be felt for generations to come. The deprivation of such essentials is just one of many torturesome tactics the Assad government uses as a tool of control and moral degradation.
Correctly, Senator Menendez strongly condemned the worsening crisis in Daraa, which threatens the lives of tens of thousands of innocent Syrians.
“This is not the first time the regime has used these atrocious tactics to starve people into submission,” Sen. Menendez said. “Over the past week, nominal Russian mediation attempts have failed and hostilities have escalated, resulting in numerous civilian casualties. I urge the international community to publicly condemn these acts of brutality, call for an immediate ceasefire, and reject any efforts to further forcibly displace the citizens of Syria from their homes.
“I further call on Secretary Blinken and Ambassador Thomas-Greenfield to make the situation in Daraa an immediate focus of U.S. engagement at the United Nations Security Council, including at this month’s Syria consultations, and consider additional sanctions on Syrian, Russian, and Iranian entities complicit in the hostilities. Russia cannot advocate for Syria’s sovereignty and stability and at the same time facilitate this aggression, which endangers not just the citizens of southern Syria, but also Jordan and Israel. The international community must speak out against the events in Daraa and take immediate action to secure de-escalation.”
