In May 2023, the Syrian Association for Citizen’s Dignity shared a message from Dr. Mazen Ksibi, a member of the Association’s General Board of Trustees, about the safe environment and its necessity. In this message, he answers the question: Why has the return of refugees and a safe environment become one of the most important topics on the scene, and what is the interest of Syrians in this proposal? 

In the message, Dr. Mazen talked about the long journey of work, studies, and questionnaires to determine the important details of the causes of displacement and asylum, and he said: “There is a main reason, which is killing, displacement, and destruction, but there are other reasons. He added that ”The road map paper for a safe environment in Syria “represents the correct path to restoring the Syrian state and ridding it of tyranny. It is a tool that we are pushing to adopt as a cornerstone for any transitional governing body that will take over the reins in Syria at some stage.” 

The Syrian Association for Citizens’ Dignity commented on the statements of the Assistant Foreign Minister of the Syrian regime about linking and conditioning the return of refugees and displaced persons to carrying out reconstruction and lifting sanctions, and that these comments are nothing but an open attempt to secure new sources of funding for the regime that would ensure its economic floatation and bring it out of a state of complete economic collapse, and these are statements that are close to farcical and are based on crude fallacies that are not strange to the regime. 

SACD reviewed the issue of the continued crossing of Syrian refugees on death boats from Turkey to Greece and stressed that there is no solution to this crisis other than reaching a political solution that guarantees a safe environment for the voluntary and dignified return of displaced Syrians and refugees. 

The Association pointed out that the harsh reality that Syrians are living in areas under Assad’s control forced them to choose death boats to escape the machine of killing, persecution, arrest, and the authority of Iranian militias, and to protect their children and give them a chance to live away from the Captagon gangs, relying on their right to protection under international law and what the European Union pledged to protect refugees fleeing the war. 

The article “Safe Environment First: Normalization with the Syrian Regime Will Not Convince Displaced Syrians to Return!”, published by the Association in May, addressed the bitter truth that Syrians live in Syria, and pointed to the continued violations and repression as the main reason for their reluctance to return. The Association stresses that a decrease in the number of deaths does not mean a security improvement, and the article highlights the continuation of hostilities and human rights violations. It also stresses the rejection of normalization with the Syrian regime and the need to hold it accountable for its crimes before the International Court, while emphasizing that justice and a comprehensive political solution form the basis for a safe and voluntary return of Syrians and a sustainable future for Syria.