Protest in front of UN Office in Lebanon condemns attacks on Sheikh Maqsoud

The demonstration was organized by Kurds and their supporters in Lebanon to denounce attacks on the Sheikh Maqsoud and Ashrafieh neighborhoods of Aleppo. Participants gathered outside the UN ESCWA building in Beirut, including members of the Newroz Cultural and Social Association, Kongreya Star, the Democratic Union Party (PYD), and the Jinology Committee, alongside families of martyrs and Kurdish residents in Lebanon.

The event began with a minute of silence in honor of the martyrs, while participants held photos of wounded civilians and banners reading: “No to forced displacement”, “No to war, yes to peace”, and “Long live the resistance of Sheikh Maqsoud.”

A message to UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres was delivered by PYD council member Khaled Afrin, stating:

“We strongly condemn the military attacks and the siege imposed for months on the Sheikh Maqsoud, Ashrafieh, and Bani Zaid neighborhoods in Aleppo, which have resulted in civilian casualties and direct targeting of medical and service facilities, in clear violation of international humanitarian law and the Geneva Conventions.

We call for an immediate ceasefire, lifting of the siege, withdrawal of heavy weapons from the city, and the establishment of an international investigation committee to hold the responsible parties accountable. We reject forced displacement and call for an inclusive national dialogue ensuring the rights of all Syrian components.”

Abdulsalam Ahmad, representative of the Autonomous Administration of Northern and Eastern Syria in Lebanon, also spoke, emphasizing the urgent need for international intervention under the current conditions in Sheikh Maqsoud and Ashrafieh. He warned against the repetition of massacres similar to those in Syria’s coastal cities and Sweida.

He stressed that the two neighborhoods are managed and protected by their civilian residents, without any military brigades or forces, and that agreements safeguarding the rights of all Syrian communities and sects are fully respected. He held the interim government responsible for the bloodshed of unarmed Kurdish civilians.

Participants called on international powers and human rights organizations to immediately stop the attacks and protect civilians from ongoing massacres.

ANHA