Zenobia Women’s Gathering: repression of protesters undermines peace, reconstruction

The Zenobia Women’s Gathering announced its deep discontent with the use of violence and repression by the transitional government forces against participants in popular protests in Syria’s interior and coastal areas.

This came in a statement issued by the Gathering today, which said: “In light of the rapidly unfolding events and the dangerous escalation witnessed in some Syrian regions, particularly the repression and violations accompanying peaceful demonstrations in the coast, Homs, and Hama, the Zenobia Women’s Gathering affirms its categorical rejection of all practices that could drag the country toward further tension and division, or push it into the abyss of a new civil war whose price would be paid by innocent civilians.”

The statement stressed that suppressing peaceful demonstrations constitutes a clear violation of Syrians’ right, women and men alike, to freely express their opinions and legitimate demands, and represents a dangerous sign that threatens civil peace and undermines any opportunity to build a future based on national partnership and justice.

The Zenobia Women’s Gathering also renewed its emphasis that preserving civil peace and preventing a slide into violence or internal fighting is a national and moral responsibility borne by all parties, noting that “the use of force against civilians will only deepen divisions and increase the suffering of the Syrian people.”

The statement highlighted the importance of recognizing the rights of all Syrian components and ensuring their fair and genuine representation in political and administrative life, free from exclusion or marginalization. It added: “The diversity that Syria enjoys is a source of strength, not conflict, and a stable state cannot be built without true partnership among all its sons and daughters.”

It continued: “In this context, we affirm that Syrian women have been and remain at the forefront of those calling for peace and dialogue and rejecting all forms of violence and war. Excluding them or ignoring their role in decision-making constitutes a real loss for any inclusive national project.”

Through the statement, the Zenobia Women’s Gathering called for respecting the right to peaceful protest, protecting demonstrators, immediately halting all forms of repression and violence, and avoiding dragging the country into internal conflicts that threaten the unity of Syrian society.

It also called for ensuring fair and genuine representation for all Syrian components without exception, and for engaging in a comprehensive national dialogue leading to a just and sustainable political solution.

The statement concluded by affirming that Syria “will not be built by force or exclusion, but through dialogue, justice, and respect for the will of its people, and that women will remain the voice of wisdom and guardians of the country’s unity and peace.”

A-H 

ANHA