Statements & Publications
Baytna in times of change
Like all times of change, they can be venues for many speculations and misunderstandings. Therefore, Baytna feels it is appropriate to reaffirm its full commitment to developing and empowering Syrian civil society. Baytna also reaffirms its deep association to its core mandate: to serve and enable.
Statement about violations against Syrian refugees in neighboring countries
Violation are still being committed against Syrian refugees in neighboring countries and decisions by governments in those countries continue to violate the fundamental international human rights law principle of non-refoulement and the prohibition of collective expulsion to areas where their lives, freedom, or safety might be at risk.
Statement Demanding the Establishment of an Exceptional Chemical Weapons Tribunal
We, a group of Syrian human rights, humanitarian and civil society organizations, associations and groups of victims and their families, and witnesses and survivors of chemical attacks in Syria.
Statement by a Group of Syrian Civil Society Organizations Welcoming the Issuance of Arrest Warrants Against President Bashar al-Assad and Three Other Generals
The signatory organizations welcome this unprecedented judicial measure, which is a significant advancement in the pursuit of justice for the victims of the chemical brutal attacks.
International and Arab Failure to Prevent the Annihilation of the Palestinian People Must End
The undersigned Arab human rights organizations call on permanent member states of the United Nations Security Council and member states of the League of Arab States to take immediate action to prevent the situation in Gaza from developing into the crime of genocide against Palestinian civilians.
Joint Statement: Violations Are Still Being Committed in All Parts of Syria, including Northern Syria, Refoulment of Refugees Poses a Serious Threat
Turkish Authorities Must Respect Their Obligations Under Customary International Law Which Strictly Prohibits Refoulement.
Addressing the Water Crisis in Northern Syria: Bridging Gaps for Sustainable Solutions
This side event of the Brussels VII Conference on The Future Of Syria And The Region aims to shed light on the gravity of the water crisis in Northwest- and Northeast-Syria, to explore its multifaceted impact on local communities (encompassing access to drinking water, agriculture, economy, and health), and to provide a platform to hear directly from local CSOs operating in the area about their expectations towards the EU, EU member states and other international actors.
Joint Open Letter to the UNHCR in Lebanon
This open letter has been prepared in a coordinated effort by the below-signed civil society and non-governmental organizations with the aim of calling on UNHCR to increase cooperation and transparency with local organizations to adequately respond to the alarming deportations of Syrian refugees from Lebanon to Syria.
Syrian Humanitarian & Relief Organizations are Standing Alone
Statement by Syrian and Non-Syrian Organizations and Groups on the Current Situation in Northwest Syria following the Türkiye-Syria Earthquakes.
Launch of the "Cross Border Aid into Syria is Legal" Initiative
This announcement comes following the conclusion of an event organised by the American Relief Coalition for Syria (“ARCS”) in Washington DC to launch their unprecedented report: ‘2014 is not 2022: Why the Continuation of UN-Coordinated Cross-Border aid into Syria Absent a UN Security Council Resolution is Lawful’, drafted by Guernica 37 Members Jack Sproson and Ibrahim Olabi.
Over 150 Organizations Demand International Community Stands Against Raids and Closures of 7 Palestinian Organizations
Amid Israel’s escalating attacks targeting their work, a group of more than 150 Palestinian, regional, and international organizations express our full solidarity with the designated seven leading Palestinian civil society organizations.
Press Release
London/Brussels, January 31, 2022 – Sanctions imposed on supporters of the Syrian regime were meant to hold the perpetrators of human rights violations and crimes in Syria accountable, and to deter others from supporting the regime. After over a decade of sanctions, however, the regime has managed to survive economic sanctions by finding ways to evade them.
Open letter to President Biden from Syrian human rights organisations, after one year in office
Nearly 11 years after it brutally crushed protesters calling for freedom and democracy, the Syrian regime is still escaping justice for crimes against humanity. Over 350,000 civilians have been killed and 7 million more fled the country, yet in the past year Arab states – including key US allies – have moved to restore ties with the Assad regime.
The International Community Must Support and Protect Palestinian Civil Society
We call upon the international community to publicly condemn and reject Israel’s designation of Palestinian human rights and civil society organizations as “terrorist organizations” as an internationally wrongful act, to call for Israel to immediately rescind the designation.
UNHCR Must Protect Syrian Refugees in Lebanon from Refoulement
We, the undersigned organizations, call on United Nations’ Secretary General, the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR), and the international community, in particular the EU, France, Germany, the United States, and the United Kingdom, to exercise their power to prevent the forced return of Syrian refugees under duress or pressure from Lebanon to Syria. Syria is not yet safe for the return of refugees as returnees are at risk of detention, torture, and even death.
Bashar Al-Assad: End Syria Sanctions Programmes
We, the undersigned Syrian organisations, in Syria and abroad, call upon Bashar al-Assad to end the Syria sanctions programmes immediately. Assad holds the keys to ending the sanctions by engaging genuinely in the political process outlined by in the UN Security Council resolution 2254, ending human rights violations and submitting to the pillars of genuine justice.
Douma 4
A group of civil society organizations concerned with Syrian affairs demands the immediate disclosing of the fate of the four activists kidnapped in the Douma incident in December 2013, holding the kidnappers accountable, and having the international stakeholders in the Syrian issue bear their responsibilities.
Statement regarding the holding of the Refugee Conference under the auspices of the Syrian government.
Through an invitation by the Syrian and Russian governments, a conference is being held in Damascus on the return of Syrian refugees and displaced persons. This conference also coincides with a military escalation campaign led by the two governments in northwestern Syria.
Fears of exploitation of the COVID-19 response politically
After nine years of politicizing and weaponizing health and health services in Syria, the response to the Corona pandemic must not be politicized nor used to overlook crimes committed in Syria.