The Syrian American Council Calls for Renewal of the Cross-border Resolution by United Nations Security Council

The Assad regime and its Russian backers continue to use denial of aid as a weapon of war against Syrian civilians

WASHINGTON D.C., July 7, 2020 – The Syrian American Council urges the United Nations Security Council (UNSC) to renew Resolution 2504 (2165), which will expire on July 10, 2020, for 12 months. Further, the Syrian American Council calls on the UNSC to amend the resolution to include, in addition to Bab al-Hawa and Bab al-Salam border crossings, the Al Yaroubiyah and Al Ramtha border crossings. The Assad regime, backed by Russia, continue to weaponize aid, a war crime under the Rome statute, and a crime condemned by the UNSC in Resolution 2417. 

Syrian American Community Welcomes Implementation of Caesar Syria Civilian Protection Act as First Step to Accountability and Justice in Syria

WASHINGTON D.C., June 18, 2020 – Yesterday, the U.S. Department of the Treasury began its implementation of the Caesar Syria Civilian Protection Act, designating nine entities and individuals with financial connections to the Assad regime for sanctions under the auspices of the Caesar Law. The U.S. Department of State and Department of the Treasury also took this opportunity to announce targeted sanctions against an additional 30 entities, including Bashar al-Assad and many members of his inner circle, under the authority of existing executive orders. 

Syrian American Council and Americans for a Free Syria Host Virtual Town Hall with Ambassador James Jeffrey and Deputy Assistant Secretary of State Joel Rayburn 

WASHINGTON D.C., June 12, 2020​ – On Sunday, June 7, the Syrian American Council and Americans for a Free Syria hosted a webinar for the Syrian American community with U.S. ​Special Representative for Syria Engagement and the Special Envoy for the ​Global Coalition to Defeat ISIL, Ambassador James Jeffrey and ​Deputy Assistant Secretary for Levant Affairs ​and U.S. Special Envoy for Syria, Joel Rayburn. The panel provided the community an opportunity to engage senior officials on U.S. policy in Syria.

Syrian American Council Stands with Black Community

WASHINGTON D.C., June 3, 2020 – The Syrian American Council stands in solidarity with the Black community. We share the outrage over the deaths of George Floyd, Breonna Taylor and Ahmaud Arbery, among countless other innocent men, women and children killed by law enforcement and vigilantes, and we join in the call for justice.

Daraa, Syria at Risk for Large Scale Attack by Regime Forces

The Assad regime and its backers gather in the countryside as the citizens of Daraa are once again rising up, continuing their fight for freedom and justice

WASHINGTON D.C., May 22, 2020 – The residents of Daraa, a city in southwestern Syria, have taken to the streets peacefully, once again standing up in demanding basic freedoms, and have been met with violent force from the Syrian regime and Iranian militias, who are poised for a full-scale attack. The members of the Syrian American Council call on the U.S. government and nations who support a free and democratic Syria to demand a stop to the lethal acts of violence by the Assad regime and its backers.

Deadly Terrorist Bombing in Afrin, Syria Highlights Local Corruption and Instability 

Syrian American Council calls for immediate reforms among opposition factions in northeast Syria  

WASHINGTON D.C., May 2, 2020 – On Tuesday, April 28, nearly 50 civilians were killed in a terrorist attack in the city of Afrin, Syria. A truck bomb targeted a market area full of families buying food to break their Ramadan fast. Nearly a dozen children were among the victims. 

Every attack against civilians in Syria is an intolerable crime, but this incident – coming at a moment of collective global crisis – stands out for its cruelty and callousness. The Syrian American Council strongly condemns those responsible for this horrific act of terrorism and expresses sympathy for the families impacted by this violence. 

Syrian American Council To Participate In Together We Remember Global Virtual Vigil

On April 30, executive director, Suzanne Meriden will join a coalition of leading genocide education and human rights organizations in a 24-hour virtual vigil to conclude Genocide Awareness Month

WASHINGTON D.C., April 29, 2020 – On Thursday, April 30, from 10-11 a.m. EST, Syrian American Council executive director, Suzanne Meriden will join an esteemed panel of activists and frontline workers in a discussion on “Working for peace, justice, and healing in Syria” as part of a 24-hour Global Virtual Vigil, hosted by Together We Remember. The panel will be moderated by journalist and author Sam Dagher, and additional panelists will include Abdulrahman Almawwas of the White Helmets and Ahed Festuk of the Multifaith Alliance for Syrian Refugees.

The Syrian American Council Cautions Aid Organizations Against the Weaponization of Aid by the Syrian Regime

In light of COVID-19, World Health Organization and others must confront Assad’s exploitation of aid organizations 

WASHINGTON D.C., April 13, 2020 – The Syrian American Council advises careful decision making by policymakers and aid organizations in the face of calls by members of the United Nations to lift economic sanctions during the COVID-19 pandemic. Nine years of war in Syria have revealed that the Syrian regime has used aid as a weapon of war while killing its own people, and will continue to do so, while deceiving aid organizations. 

Syrian American Council Calls For Safe Zone in Idlib

Today, the people of Idlib face two lethal crises. In brazen defiance of previous agreements and the laws of war, the Assad regime and its Russian allies have waged a brutal military campaign against the 3.5 million civilians in Idlib, Syria. Turkey has been left as the only defender of the more than one million civilians who have fled the bombardment to the Turkish border, 60% of whom are children who risk death in freezing winter conditions. And now, some of those who fled the fighting find themselves with no choice but to return to Idlib as fears grow of COVID-19 spreading in overcrowded camps on the Turkish border.

Senators Lindsey Graham and Marco Rubio and former U.S. Ambassador to Syria Robert Ford recently called for similar measures to be applied. Sen. Graham said that the no-fly zone would pave the way for political negotiations to end the war in Syria. Ford called for a safe zone in February, saying that a safe zone could “forestall a humanitarian crisis”. A no-fly zone protects civilians from aerial attacks, and a safe zone would provide an extra safeguard by also protecting civilians from ground-based attacks. This will allow Syrians to practice social distancing measures in order to slow the spread of COVID-19 and to halt the ever-increasing humanitarian catastrophe unfolding.

Today, we ask that you contact your members of Congress and ask them to take a stand in the face of the greatest humanitarian disaster of this century. Ask them to call upon President Trump to work with our NATO ally, Turkey and the international community to establish and enforce a safe zone in opposition-held portions of Idlib to prevent the spread of COVID-19 and attacks by regime forces.

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