SACD Review

March 2021

In Focus

Syrian Dream for Karama
On the tenth anniversary of the Syrian Revolution, SACD took part in the global commemoration of the day Syrians took it to the streets to demand freedom and dignity.
On this day, SACD aimed to capture the voices of all Syrians, wherever they were, and convey their dreams of living with freedom and dignity in Syria. As such, our campaign focused on the “Syrian Dream” and “Karama” (dignity). Each voice, idea, and dream, is a pillar to create the safe environment Syrians aimed for from the very first day. This safe environment is the way for Syrians to achieve their goals and hopes they deserve and their rights with the dignity and freedom they have been struggling for since the last 10 years.

Video In Focus

Bente Scheller: Germany should think about integrating, not returning Syrian refugees
In a series of conversations with current and former officials and experts from countries whose policies have major impact on displaced Syrians, journalist and transitional justice expert Refik Hodzic will seek to illuminate some of the key policies, decisions and plans of these countries.
In a rich, candid interview with Refik Hodzic, Dr. Bente Scheller, Director of the Middle East section in the Heinrich Boell Foundation, who has served in the German embassy in Damascus between 2002-2004 and has written extensively on Syria and the political aspects of the crisis, addressed a wide spectrum of issues, from the process of integration of Syrian refugees in Germany to the analysis of Germany’s vision for the safe and dignified return of displaced Syrians.

SACD
on Social Media

Elections in Syria without safe environment are science fiction

SACD member Mounir al-Fakir, who is a a founding partner in the Association of Detainees and Missing Persons of Sednaya Prison and himself a former detainee at Sednaya prison , writes on his dream of elections in Syria & insists that “talking about elections when there is not even a prospect of a safe environment for all Syrians is not only a waste of time, but in fact dangerous.” 

Al-Fakir explains how there are several obstacles that need to be surpassed in order to hold free and fair elections, where Syrians are not only free to vote but also free to run for office. Such elections require a comprehensive framework that Syrians perceive to be legitimate, which can only be implemented as part of a comprehensive and sustainable political solution that guarantees a safe environment for all Syrians, including the displaced.

Displaced Syrians: Between regime’s hammer and international community’s anvil

Syrians have contradictory feelings in the month of March. On the eighth of March of 1963, the army seized power in Syria with a political cover from Al-Ba'ath Party and ended the democratic life in Syria, while on the fifteenth of March of 2011 witnessed the rise of the popular demonstrations calling for freedom and democracy, encouraged by the Arab Spring. This eventually turned into an armed confrontation in response to the brutal and unjustified repression by the regime, leading to the displacement of more than half of the Syrian people.

SACD wrote an article describing the international community’s inability to achieve a solution to end this Syrian tragedy. Indeed, the waves of asylum continued, and the countries affected by asylum dealt with Syrians with varying degrees of full commitment to international law and the 1951 Convention regarding the rights of refugees and respect for human rights.

Follow us

[email protected]

Publications

Safe Environment Before Everything Else: Why elections in Syria are illegitimate without political solution
SACD published a 12-page briefing, complemented by a survey of 500 displaced Syrians, which illustrates a key point: fair and free elections are impossible without a comprehensive political solution and a safe environment for all Syrians.

Click for more of SACD’s publications