Without Europe, no end to Syrian bloodshed
My country has become a living hell. We need the EU to finally step up.
by Assaad Al Achi
Syrian government forces gather in a camp north of Aleppo | George Ourfalian/AFP via Getty Images
Civil society, from activists to local councils and humanitarians to human rights defenders, are laying the foundation for a political solution in Syria. We share a vision of Syria’s future based on the principles of the March 2011 uprising: Syria as a sovereign, democratic and pluralistic nation.
We have strived to achieve these goals for six years, and will not give up. But the truth is that we cannot do it alone — not while our people are being bombed, starved and tortured. We need Europe to fulfill its responsibilities to help pave the way toward an end to this conflict and to protect our civilians.
The indiscriminate targeting of civilians has turned Syria into a living hell. The attacks perpetrated by the Syrian President Bashar al-Assad’s regime and Russia are by far the leading killer in Syria, accounting for more than half of all civilian deaths. Civilian infrastructure — from medical facilities to local councils — has been targeted by regime airstrikes in a deliberate attempt to destroy ordinary life in opposition-held areas. Syrians have been calling for protection from these attacks and for a no-bombing zone for years — to no avail.
U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry made it unequivocally clear to the United Nations Security Council late September that if there is any hope of a ceasefire holding in Syria, the first step is the protection of civilians from Syrian government and Russian aircraft. The international community must urgently address the fundamental flaw that has undermined the two previous ceasefires: the absence of enforcement. The inevitable failure of both ceasefires has been followed by massive escalations in the indiscriminate aerial bombing campaign. Violations cannot be simply swept aside. It is Syrian civilians who are paying the price.
A clear demonstration that war criminals will not escape justice would be an important sign of hope for the Syrian people and central to any comprehensive approach to the crisis.
Europe has expressed outrage and condemnation in the face of these disgraceful attacks. But without consequences, there is nothing to deter the perpetrators from staging new ones. Until the international community takes concrete steps protect Syrian citizens, the Assad regime will continue to systematically target civilians and humanitarian workers. European leaders who are genuinely committed to reviving the ceasefire, ending the conflict and supporting our common vision for Syria must now support the protection of civilians with concrete action.
German Foreign Minister Frank-Walter Steinmeier has supported Kerry and called for a no-fly zone. Other European leaders need to follow his leadership and show a united European position on the protection of civilians.
The alternative is bleak. Assad and Russia will continue to plunge to new depths of depravity in pursuit of a military solution.
During the short-lived ceasefire, the regime continued to block aid access — directly undermining the agreed terms, while Russia was either unwilling or unable to force it to relent. The United States has indicated that it believes Russia was responsible for a recent airstrike on an aid convoy. If confirmed, Russia must immediately be given an ultimatum and forced to show that it can deliver on agreements to provide humanitarian access. If it fails to do so within the specified time period, unilateral humanitarian airdrops must be conducted in areas where the regime continues to block access.
Syrian civil society, local councils and humanitarian groups inside Syria are prepared to support this effort through the mapping of drop zones and coordinated collection of airdrops.
Impunity for war crimes is at the heart of the ongoing violence and mass exodus of Syrians from their homeland. While Russia continues to block accountability at the U.N. Security Council, other options must be actively pursued.
The failure to deter war crimes has given rise to the global terror threat of the Islamic State and the unprecedented refugee crisis currently facing Europe.
European nations in particular have the capability to open war crimes prosecution cases under national and universal jurisdictions. Enough credible evidence has been amassed, including through the important work of EU member countries, for cases to be brought forward against individuals — including regime figures who have sought refuge in Europe.
A clear demonstration that war criminals will not escape justice would be an important sign of hope for the Syrian people and central to any comprehensive approach to the crisis.
The conflict in Syria is the defining crisis of our era. The failure to deter war crimes has given rise to the global terror threat of the Islamic State and the unprecedented refugee crisis currently facing Europe. The fallout of this conflict challenges the post-World War II consensus in Europe and threatens to undermine hard-earned post-war liberal, centrist European values. With so much at stake, European leaders must step up and do more to end the conflict in Syria.
Assaad Al Achi is executive director of Baytna, a leading grassroots institution that fosters the Syrian civil society movement and a founding member of the Local Coordination Committees in Syria and the Civil Society Geneva Declaration Initiative.
Originally published on https://www.politico.eu/article/without-europe-no-end-to-syrian-bloodshed-united-states-russia-human-rights-bombing-strikes-war/.
