Protests in Sweida demand freedom, and self-determination

The protests were organized in rejection of what demonstrators described as a “suffocating blockade and barbaric assault” targeting the Druze community and the broader population of the province. 

Voices from the Ground

Activist Nasser Abu Halla stressed in a speech to the protesters that the people of the province “will accept nothing short of a full return to their villages destroyed by terrorism,” emphasizing that the native inhabitants—Druze, Christians, and Muslims alike—“deserve full freedom, free from repression and guardianship.”

He called for an “independent international investigation” into the killings, displacement, and looting suffered by the province, pointing to grave violations that included attacks on mosques, churches, and hospitals, where snipers were stationed to target civilians.

Meanwhile, Wael Abu Assali declared that “complete independence” was the only option, noting that the transitional government had imposed a strict blockade, obstructed the entry of aid, tightened restrictions on food and medicine, and cut off electricity, water, and essential services.

Return to the ‘Squares of Dignity

Poet and activist Raqiya al-Shaer affirmed that the people of the province were reviving the spirit of the “Squares of Dignity,” stressing that the crowds had taken to the streets to demand the freedom of their province away from what she described as a “barbaric state,” and rejecting any guardianship imposed by Damascus or de facto authorities.

Between Blockade and Dignity

Participants underscored that the people of the province had been “killed on the basis of identity,” while their villages were looted under the pretext of “spoils of war,” leaving families at the mercy of siege conditions and the collapse of basic services.

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ANHA