WCA to International Community: "Condemn the actions of the PYD/YPG"
On Tuesday 17 September 2019, the WCA urged the International Community to condemn the actions of the Kurdish PYD/YPG. WCA's Director for UN Affairs, Ms. Sarah Bakir, delivered her statement in front of the Independent Commission of Inquiry on Syria during the 42nd Session of the United Nations Human Rights Council.
UN Office in Geneva courtyard
Thank you, Mr. President.
We commend the near-creation of Syria’s Constitutional Committee by the UN and welcome yesterday’s summit in Ankara between Russia, Turkey and Iran to find a political solution to the lingering conflict in the land of our ancestors.
Vulnerable minority groups such as Syria’s indigenous Arameans need your urgent help. In historical places such as Maaloula, Aleppo, Saddad, Homs and Raqqa, they have suffered the greatest tragedies, sometimes at the hands of their own neighbors. Yet, their commitment to rebuild their homes to continue their 3,000-year-old presence in their homeland is a beacon of hope at a time when the future existence of minorities is highly doubtful.
Arguably, the biggest threat to Syria’s territorial integrity and to the Christians of Northeast Syria comes from heavily armed Kurdish nationalists.
The military arm, the security forces and the proxies of the Kurdish PYD/YPG/Asayesh have murdered young Arameans, while beating up teachers almost to the point of death. They have intimidated, threatened and fired warning shots at religious leaders of the Syriac Orthodox and Catholic Churches. They have frequently kidnapped, tortured and exploited Christian youths. They have illegally seized lands, properties and villages of defenseless Arameans and Armenians. And more than once, they have attempted to close down, seize and Kurdify Christian schools.
There is nothing democratic about their self-proclaimed “Democratic Federation of Northern Syria.” The portrayal of this self-declared autonomous region of “Western” Kurdistan, “Rojava” in their own language, as a model of governance and a safe haven for persecuted Christians is highly misleading.
Therefore, for the sake of Syria’s peace and unity, we call on UN member states to condemn the actions of the PYD/YPG and to prevent the YPG-controlled SDF from being further armed to the teeth.
We appeal to you to ratchet up support and invest in those Syrians who sincerely seek to defend the unity of their country, to reconcile broken families and diverse communities with one another, and to rebuild their country into a place that embraces a truly free, diverse and prosperous society. In the end, this is what democracy is really about and this is what reflects our shared values.
Thank you, Mr. President.
Thank you, Mr. President.
We commend the near-creation of Syria’s Constitutional Committee by the UN and welcome yesterday’s summit in Ankara between Russia, Turkey and Iran to find a political solution to the lingering conflict in the land of our ancestors.
Vulnerable minority groups such as Syria’s indigenous Arameans need your urgent help. In historical places such as Maaloula, Aleppo, Saddad, Homs and Raqqa, they have suffered the greatest tragedies, sometimes at the hands of their own neighbors. Yet, their commitment to rebuild their homes to continue their 3,000-year-old presence in their homeland is a beacon of hope at a time when the future existence of minorities is highly doubtful.
Arguably, the biggest threat to Syria’s territorial integrity and to the Christians of Northeast Syria comes from heavily armed Kurdish nationalists.
The military arm, the security forces and the proxies of the Kurdish PYD/YPG/Asayesh have murdered young Arameans, while beating up teachers almost to the point of death. They have intimidated, threatened and fired warning shots at religious leaders of the Syriac Orthodox and Catholic Churches. They have frequently kidnapped, tortured and exploited Christian youths. They have illegally seized lands, properties and villages of defenseless Arameans and Armenians. And more than once, they have attempted to close down, seize and Kurdify Christian schools.
There is nothing democratic about their self-proclaimed “Democratic Federation of Northern Syria.” The portrayal of this self-declared autonomous region of “Western” Kurdistan, “Rojava” in their own language, as a model of governance and a safe haven for persecuted Christians is highly misleading.
Therefore, for the sake of Syria’s peace and unity, we call on UN member states to condemn the actions of the PYD/YPG and to prevent the YPG-controlled SDF from being further armed to the teeth.
We appeal to you to ratchet up support and invest in those Syrians who sincerely seek to defend the unity of their country, to reconcile broken families and diverse communities with one another, and to rebuild their country into a place that embraces a truly free, diverse and prosperous society. In the end, this is what democracy is really about and this is what reflects our shared values.
Thank you, Mr. President.
