The Idlib governorate, the northern countryside of Hama, and the western countryside of Aleppo continue to be under a brutal military attack with all types of lethal weapons. This led to the destruction of civil infrastructure and service utilities particularly medical centers, markets, and schools, and has resulted in many casualties, mostly women and children. This campaign has been ongoing since late April 2019, even though these areas are covered by the de-escalation agreement between Russia and Turkey reached in the Astana track and enshrined in the memorandum of understanding signed by both states in September 2018.

As the campaign continues, the number of victims and magnitude of destruction increase. The most recent episode has occurred this morning in the city of Maaret al-Numan, where regime forces supported by their Russian ally targeted a public market killing dozens of civilians.

We, in the SWPM, condemn in the strongest terms the massacres perpetrated by the Assad forces and their allies against the Syrian people. We further demand the international community intervenes immediately to pressure the regime via its allies, particularly Russia, to cease all military operations in Syria and comply with international laws to which the regime gives no heed amid international inaction toward its crimes against humanity and war crimes in flagrantly targeting civilians.

We also hold the international community accountable for the massacres against Syria and the Syrian people and call upon the guarantor states to uphold their responsibilities by committing to the agreement reached and ensuring avoidance of civilians in any military operations.

 We call upon the United Nations, the Security Council, and the international community to act to immediately put an end to this brutal campaign and activate a political process that leads to a comprehensive political solution in accordance with the Geneva Communiqué and UNSCR 2254, and stop these military campaigns against the Syrian people who have completely lost faith in international laws and rhetorical slogans of human rights, which are fiercely violated on a daily basis without any serious action to stop them or hold perpetrators thereof accountable.

May martyrs rest in peace, detainees and disappeared persons be free, and our great people emerge victorious

General Secretariat of the Syrian Women’s Political Movement

July 22, 2019