On the painful anniversary of the Suwayda massacres, the Syrian Feminist Lobby commemorates the victims, survivors, and their families, and reaffirms its unwavering solidarity with them. We emphasize that justice, dignity, and redress are not aspirations to be deferred but fundamental rights that must be upheld. Impunity only serves to perpetuate violence and pave the way for the recurrence of atrocities.
Over the past year, Syria has witnessed a series of grave crimes and serious violations against civilians, including the massacres perpetrated on the Syrian coast, followed by the massacres and widespread atrocities and violations committed in Suwayda Governorate. The Independent International Commission of Inquiry on the Syrian Arab Republic has found that these events were characterized by serious violations of international humanitarian law and international human rights law, including wilful killings and extrajudicial executions, torture, arbitrary detention, conflict-related sexual and gender-based violence, looting, the burning and destruction of civilian homes and property, attacks on places of worship, forced displacement, and the targeting of civilians on sectarian grounds. The Commission concluded that these violations may amount to war crimes and crimes against humanity, and indicated that they were linked to individuals in positions of authority and command responsibility.
The continued perpetration of such crimes across different parts of Syria, in the absence of genuine accountability, clearly demonstrates that impunity remains one of the key drivers of ongoing violence and repeated violations against civilians. The atrocities committed on the Syrian coast and later in Suwayda confirm that the absence of justice protects no one. The protection of all Syrians begins with ensuring accountability for all those responsible for these violations, regardless of their position, affiliation, or authority.
The Syrian Feminist Lobby reaffirms that all victims are equal in dignity and rights, and that justice cannot be selective. It is unacceptable to pursue accountability that recognizes some victims while ignoring others, or that prosecutes some perpetrators while shielding others. Every victim has the right to truth, justice, reparations, and an effective remedy. Likewise, all those responsible for these violations must be held accountable, including those who ordered, planned, incited, facilitated, committed, or concealed these crimes, as well as those who bear command responsibility under international law.
Accordingly, we call for:
* The full and urgent implementation of the recommendations of the Independent International Commission of Inquiry on the Syrian Arab Republic.
* Independent, impartial, prompt, and transparent investigations into all crimes committed on the Syrian coast, in Suwayda, and throughout Syria, ensuring the identification of individual criminal responsibility and the prosecution of all perpetrators without exception.
* The establishment of effective mechanisms to guarantee victims’ rights to truth, justice, reparations, and compensation, in accordance with international standards on transitional justice.
* The adoption of effective measures to guarantee the non-recurrence of such violations.
* Combating hate speech and incitement, and ensuring accountability for all those who incited or justified these crimes, given the serious threat such conduct poses to social peace and the rebuilding of trust among Syrians.
The Syrian Feminist Lobby further affirms that sustainable peace cannot be achieved without justice. Any political transition that fails to ensure accountability for perpetrators and justice for victims will remain incapable of building a state founded on equal citizenship, the rule of law, and respect for human rights.
Truth, justice, reparations, and guarantees of non-recurrence are the indispensable foundations for preserving the dignity of victims, rebuilding Syrian society, and securing a just, peaceful, and democratic future for Syria.