YouSaid · the spoken record

Freij

lines on the record

9

first

2020-02-07

most recent

2020-02-07

sittings or episodes

1

sources

un-security-council

Every line below is reproduced as it was said and linked to the record it came from. Nothing here is summarised or generated. Directory · Search · Corrections

1. “Ceasefire and disarmament constitute the only path to finding a solution. All roads must now lead to Geneva so that serious negotiations can begin. I would like to thank the delegation of Belgium for the opportunity to brief the Council. I, along with millions of Syrians, would be very grateful if the Council were to make every effort to launch a process of transitional justice in Syria and end impunity so that all those responsible for perpetrating serious human rights violations will be accountable. The political process should move forward in order to achieve a full political transition in Syria. The transition should meet the aspirations of Syrian men and women for a democratic, pluralistic regime that respects human rights. Terrorism does not occur in a vacuum, and it does not happen by coincidence.”

   2020-02-07 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.8716 (2020) · source

2. “They were faced with shootings, killings, oppression, rape, sexual slavery and forced displacement. What saddens me today is the fact that the international community has forgotten us. As I address the Council, international law is being violated. Civilians in Idlib are the victims of premeditated bombings, perpetrated with weapons of all kinds. Such violence has continued for weeks and has led to the forced displacement of thousands of families, who are still seeking refuge. That reminds me of what took place in Raqqa and the spread of terrorism in it. It is now our fear that terrorism can spread to any city in Syria. We request that the Security Council assist civilians in preventing another humanitarian disaster in Idlib, northern Syria and the rest of the country.”

   2020-02-07 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.8716 (2020) · source

3. “I also raised various issues, such as women’s participation in public life and in the political arena, the importance of promoting women’s empowerment, their cognitive and economic abilities as well as their participation in politics and decision-making. Da’esh suffered a military defeat. Raqqa triumphed over terrorism, but not yet over tyranny. We attempted to vanquish tyranny since the very first day of the Syrian revolution. That tyranny has been personified by the Al-Assad regime. We continued to fight tyranny when it was personified by Da’esh. We cannot disregard the tyranny in Raqqa today. My experience is not unique; it is similar to those of thousands of women in various parts of Syria. Those women have confronted tyranny, chanted for freedom and continue to demand their political, economic and social rights.”

   2020-02-07 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.8716 (2020) · source

4. “Even today, those women have difficulty determining the paternity of their children. My experience with tyranny did not begin with Da’esh and has not ended yet. Since I returned, I attempted as much as I could to create a safe space for women. I visited camps and listened to their needs. I was then in contact with certain organizations to meet those needs. I encouraged women to not give up on life while in the camps and to remain resilient by working. That is what some of them have done in their respective fields, such as nursing, sewing and even selling vegetables. Some of them have qualifications and are literate, so they took training courses in certain skills, such as using computers or child care.”

   2020-02-07 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.8716 (2020) · source

5. “Women were the most miserable and helpless. Everybody was a victim of Da’esh, but women were deprived of education at schools and universities. They could not leave their houses without a close relative male escort — a father, brother or an uncle. Young Girls could not travel for any reason, so as to ensure that they too would not receive education in areas not under Da’esh control. I met young women taking care of orphaned children whose fathers had been killed in battles. The women told me they were forced to marry Da’esh fighters and bear their children. If they refused the sexual advances of the fighters, they were beaten. They were unable to put an end to their pregnancies due to lack of medicine and medical treatment. They were semi detained and had to obey the orders of those monsters.”

   2020-02-07 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.8716 (2020) · source

6. “During one of those demonstrations I carried a sign calling for the fall of ISIL. My family and friends have been terrified ever since because of the brutality of Da’esh. I and others always tried to use peaceful means to resist Da’esh. We stressed education and raising awareness among children. We held secret classes in our homes, despite the dangers, including the threat of death. We knew that education and raising awareness were the only way to get rid of Da’esh. After my escape I remained outside of Raqqa until the withdrawal of Da’esh, waiting for the right time to return. I did return, at the end of 2017, after the last elements of Da’esh had left the city. Back in Raqqa I was unable to recognize the terrified, incredulous faces of people who could not believe that the Da’esh nightmare was over.”

   2020-02-07 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.8716 (2020) · source

7. “Since the beginning of the Syrian revolution, I have been working as an activist for women’s rights in civil society institutions based on my sense of civic responsibility. I am convinced that women have a role in society free from gender stereotypes. I was one of the first women to work in local councils in Syria after 2011. I have always shed light on all the practices and violations that took place in my city, without fearing for possible consequences. When Da’esh took down the cross from the Church of Our Lady of the Annunciation in 2013, I participated in demonstrations to protest that action. I participated in the civil movement. We raised the cross and demonstrated in front of Da’esh headquarters calling for the release of detainees who, to this very day, have still not resurfaced.”

   2020-02-07 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.8716 (2020) · source

8. “That a woman was able to escape made the Da’esh men furious. They believed it to be a failure and a stain on their reputation that a woman was able to flee the city in nearly 48 hours. Because I escaped, my family suffered threats and intimidation. My brother’s wife was arrested with her children, followed by my sister and my brother. They were tortured and traumatized and have not yet recovered. Raqqa was liberated from that tyrannical regime and became a free city on 4 March 2013, which marked the birth of a genuine civil society in every sense. The members of that civil society were able to manage the city’s affairs and distribute its resources, ensuring freedom throughout.”

   2020-02-07 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.8716 (2020) · source

9. “I am grateful for this opportunity to share with the Security Council part of what I experienced in my city. My name is Mona. I am from the city of Raqqa in north-east Syria. I received news of the death of my mother and brother while I was in exile. My last memories of them go back to mid-September 2014 before I left Syria, when elements of the Islamic State in Iraq and the Levant (ISIL)/Da’esh, armed to the teeth, burst into my house to arrest me. The sounds of shots fired in the air to scare us still ring in my head. I remember the pain I felt when I was pulled by the hair into the inner courtyard of the house. My mother fainted because her heart was broken. One of our neighbours stood up to Da’esh and created a problem with them to help me flee. Miraculously, I manged to escape.”

   2020-02-07 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.8716 (2020) · source