ŞIRIN MUHAMMED

Qamishlo- In an interview with NuJINHA, Evin Cuma, one of the executives of the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights (SOHR), condemned the rights violations in various parts of Syria, calling on all Syrians to engage in political dialogue. “Those who incite sectarian violence must be brought to justice.”

Since the fall of the Assad regime, the Hayat Tahrir al-Sham (HTS) takeover of Syria, massacres have been committed against the Alawites in Syria’s coastal areas, the Druze in Sweida and other ethnic and religious groups in other cities. The person directly responsible for all these massacres is Ahmed Hussein al-Sharaa, known by his nom de guerre Abu Mohammad al-Julani, and his interim government, Evin Cuma emphasized.

The hopes of the Syrian people were shattered when the jihadist group Hay'at Tahrir al-Sham took power in Syria, Evin Cuma said. “Following the fall of the regime, we were full of hope for building a new Syria; however, our hopes were shattered. Weapons became widespread, the dialogue was ignored. Everyone is in fear due to the current situation.”

Mentioning the massacres taking place in the coastal areas, Evin Cuma indicated that the report prepared by the UN did not reflect the facts and that many violations were not included in the report.

‘The ethnic and sectarian conflict poses a threat to the region’

Evin Cuma also reminded the violations were committed against civilians in Homs, Hama, Jaramana, Sahnaya and Sweida and the suicide attack was carried on a church in Damascus. “What is happening in Syria is the beginning of a civil war.”

Evin Cuma believes the reason for the current situation in Syria is lack of communication and distrust. “Syria is known for its diversity, the home of people from different sects and religions. No group, sect, or ethnicity can be excluded.”

Evin Cuma stated that the scenario of civil war imposed on Syria, the approach of the centralized government and the failure to include all ethnic and religious groups in the government would deteriorate the situation in Syria. “A serious dialogue among all ethnic and religious groups is a must in order to resolve crises through peaceful politics. A new civil war will cause more suffering to the people, especially women.”

Evin Cuma emphasized that local and international legal mechanisms must be put into place to prevent violations. “In Syria, a true constitution must be drafted with the participation of all people,” she said, stressing that the constitutional declaration approved by Syria’s interim government is not accepted by most Syrians.

‘Not being on the ground is an obstacle to document violations’

Evin Cuma concluded her speech by highlighting the role of the SOHR in documenting the massacres and violations committed against civilians in Syria. “We follow most of the cases taking place in North and East Syria and many other areas in Syria. We are in touch with many human rights activists to document rights violations. As a human rights organization in Syria, we heard many rights violations but not being on the ground is an obstacle for us to document violations.”