The situation in Syria remained far from safe for any return for the displaced Syrians, despite the Syrian regime’s media propaganda that implied otherwise. Preventing premature return to unsafe environment, especially in Assad-held areas where arbitrary arrest, enforced disappearance, forced recruitment and other human rights violations are rampant, is one of the main strategic goals of the Association. In August, the Association had to address a blatant misrepresentation of this reality coming from one of the most important media outlets in – Germany.

To SACD’s great astonishment, Deutsche Welle published a video featuring a story of Nour, a Syrian girl who leaves Syria to come to Austria and then returns to Damascus without any obstacles or problems. Her departure from Syria and stay in Austria is described as a rich cultural and personal journey, her return safe to a home unaffected by the horrific reality of Syria under the regime of Bashar Al Assad. Deutsche Welle’s incomplete, decontextualized and misleading reporting pushed SACD to publish a response, “Deutsche Welle presenting a parallel reality in Syria, endangering Syrian refugees everywhere”, explaining the reality of the situation in Syria and the dangers most refugees face upon their return.

 Following the deadly Beirut blast, SACD issued a statement offering its condolences to the families of the innocent victims of the Beirut explosion that took place on August 4, 2020, which affected large numbers of civilians and their properties, regardless of their backgrounds and nationalities, including at least 39 Syrians who were victims of the bombings, along with more than a hundred victims who were mostly Lebanese, but also included different nationalities.

On the 7^th anniversary of the Syrian regime’s deadliest chemical attack on Eastern Ghouta SACD actively participated in social media campaign, using hashtags #DoNotSuffocateTruth and #ChemicalAssad, honoring the victims of the attack and reminding the world of Assad regime’s crimes. “Seven years since the deadliest chemical attack in Syria: Eastern Ghouta shows why return is impossible with Syrian regime in charge” was an article written by SACD’s Haya Atassi explaining why, in light of absence of justice for Syrians, no return to Syria is impossible while Assad remains in power. Atassi also held a conversation with two activists from Eastern Ghouta, Hassan al-Basha and Amer Zaidan, who witnessed the massacre and lived its horrors.

Furthermore, in memory of the Great Darya Massacre, SACD held a seminar with key activists from Daraya who lived the siege and massacre committed by the Syrian regime forces and explained why they will never return to their hometown as long as the very perpetrators who committed these crimes are still in power.

 On the #InternationalDayoftheDisappeared, SACD’s Mounir al-Fakir explained the significance of the truth about the disappeared Syrians for any hope of a safe, voluntary and dignified return. The key message of the conversation is that safe environment as a key pre-condition for return of displaced Syrians cannot exist if people are not free of fear of being arbitrarily arrested or disappeared, or if they don’t know the fate of their loved ones who were taken.