YouSaid · the spoken record

Alkanawati

lines on the record
8
first
2023-08-23
most recent
2023-08-23
sittings or episodes
1
sources
un-security-council

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  1. “We were part of a revolution demanding democracy, dignity and freedom. We were met with terrible brutality and abandoned by the international community. But despite all of that, Syrians are still demanding change. They are showing unbelievable courage, and I am inspired by them to speak out today. Right now, as I speak here, Syrians are in the streets protesting, saying the same words that we said 12 years ago. It is time for Al-Assad to leave, so that we can have a chance to build a new country based on freedom, equality and democracy. It is now the turn of the members of the Security Council to show us courage.”

    2023-08-23 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.9403 (2023) · source

  2. “We need to activate a wider political process, ensuring a political transition at the centre within a clear timeline. That cannot happen without a strong international commitment to the process capable of countering the dominance of the Syrian regime’s allies Russia and Iran over Syria’s future. In addition, any political process must ensure the participation of Syrians from all sectors and parts of the country, including civil society, survivors and survivor-led groups. Women’s participation must not be a box-checking exercise for the Special Envoy. An inclusive approach is vital. It is not enough to consult Syrian women. Our full, equal and meaningful participation in decision-making and policy formation must be ensured. Twelve years ago, the streets of Syria were filled with hope for change.”

    2023-08-23 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.9403 (2023) · source

  3. “There is one way out of the situation, which is a real political process that meets the demands of the Syrians and leads to a political transition. The United Nations-backed Constitutional Committee has failed to produce any tangible outcome, largely due to the Syrian regime’s intentional and systematic disruption and to fading international support and commitment. The political and peace processes cannot and should not be reduced to mere constitutional debates. Accountability and justice are an essential step in any peace agreement. As a human rights defender and a feminist, I demand accountability for all the perpetrators of human rights violations and for all crimes committed by parties to the conflict. The political process should prioritize the release of all detainees.”

    2023-08-23 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.9403 (2023) · source

  4. “Today Syrian refugees in Türkiye and Lebanon fear for their lives as both countries are escalating their deportations of refugees to Syria, putting them at risk of grave human rights violations that run counter to their State commitments under international law. It is the duty of Council members to pressure host countries to protect refugees. My country is not safe. The conditions for the dignified, safe and voluntary return of refugees do not exist right now. Many efforts are being made by the international community, including the Council, to secure humanitarian aid and cross-border access, document war crimes and more, but while they are important, they are treating only the symptoms, and the root causes of the Syrian crisis remain.”

    2023-08-23 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.9403 (2023) · source

  5. “The United Nations Independent Institution on Missing Persons in the Syrian Arab Republic, newly established with a view to uncovering their fate, is a positive step, the result of an effort led by brave women. It is now the Council’s duty to ensure that the Syrian regime collaborates with it to reveal the fate of all who are missing in Syria. Today I am a refugee in France. I wish I could go back to Syria and stand with the brave men and women protesting in As-Suwayda, Jaramana, Tartus and other areas, but I cannot, because I know that if I return to Syria I will end up detained, tortured or killed.”

    2023-08-23 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.9403 (2023) · source

  6. “I understand their pain very well and admire their courage in being willing to protest today under the threat of a very real risk of death, detention, torture or disappearance. Over the past 12 years, 100,000 people have been detained or forcibly disappeared, the majority of them at the hands of the Syrian regime. But the Islamic State in Iraq and the Sham and other armed forces have also used those practices as a weapon of war. Detainees are subjected to torture and rape and denied food, health services and visits. Thousands have been killed. The families of disappeared persons are waiting in anguish for any news about their missing loved ones, not knowing whether they are alive or dead.”

    2023-08-23 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.9403 (2023) · source

  7. “I have witnessed and survived many of those violations. I survived a mustard gas attack on Harasta and witnessed the Syrian regime’s chemical weapons massacre in Ghouta in 2013. I lived under the regime’s siege of Ghouta, completely cut off from all services at a time when even obtaining a loaf of bread was a battle. Starvation and dire economic conditions were the main features of that period. The regime intentionally crushed the area with no regard for the lives of the people living there. It is no wonder that the same regime does not care that 90 per cent of Syrians today are living below the poverty line. The conditions have driven brave men and women to take to the streets to demand change.”

    2023-08-23 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.9403 (2023) · source

  8. “Ms. Alkanawati: I thank you, Madam President, for inviting me to speak today and for prioritizing the voices of civil society and survivors of war crimes. I am at this meeting today to speak to the Security Council about the political situation in Syria, to shed light on grave human rights violations that Council members are aware of owing to the incredible efforts of brave Syrian men and women who documented those violations and briefed the Council and other international bodies time and time again. In response to those incredible efforts, the Security Council has afforded war criminals impunity, with many countries now normalizing relations with the Syrian regime, warmly welcoming Bashar Al-Assad, the main perpetrator of war crimes and the man who turned Syria into a narco-State, back to the diplomatic stage.”

    2023-08-23 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.9403 (2023) · source