On the seventeenth of April, the Syrian people celebrate Independence Day, the anniversary of the evacuation of the last French soldier from the Syrian territories, after an occupation that lasted for more than a quarter of a century and years of revolution and struggle of the Syrian people to achieve their freedom.

The Syrian Women’s Political Movement, while celebrating with the daughters and sons of Syria the anniversary of independence from the French occupation, recalls alongside the revolutionary Syrian people whose revolution has entered its ninth year, the struggles and sacrifices made by Syrian women and men for many decades to gain freedom.

On this day, we renew the flame of struggle in the hearts of the Syrian women and men, their hopes, ambitions to live without from all forms of tyranny, direct occupations or disguised ones. The revolution of the Syrian people against the French occupation, which began in 1922 and continued its struggle at all levels until the attainment of freedom and independence in 1946, is a call to read and understand the lessons of the history of the Syrian people, a call to awakening those depending on their ability to subject these people though abuse, displacement, killing, arrests, impoverishment and ignorance.

Hence, inspired by the struggle of our people, the Syrian Women’s Political Movement affirms that we stand among the masses of Syrians, and its support for their demands for freedom, dignity and civil rights, and again stresses its constants in terms of:

The Syrian Women’s Political Movement stresses the need to continue the struggle against all forms of tyranny and occupation and ending the suffering of the Syrian people to achieve new independence that represents the aspirations of Syrians for their state and independence, the Syrian Women’s Political Movement calls on the international community and all concerned parties, especially the Syrian parties that consider themselves representative of the Syrian people to stand in the face of the military interventions and reject them and work to return the path of negotiations to achieve stability and end the war that was so long by working to achieve a political transition, Democratization and implementation of Security Council Resolution 2254.

Rejection of all forms of foreign interference in Syria, whether it supports the regime or the other armed factions and in any pretext and for any purpose, these interventions are nothing but occupations that will have a far-reaching impact on any attempt for rehabilitation or consideration of the interest of the Syrian people away from the interests of other countries.

– Rejects the policy of extortion of  Syrian refugees in the countries to which they sought refuge, it is assumed that asylum is a pursuit of the lost dignity in the homeland, and the dignity of Syrians can not be insulted while they are in their weakest state or dealing with them as a constant threat Either to other countries or within the countries that they have resorted to as a political card in inter-party battles.

– Rejects the policy of forced displacement for people, and works to achieve the stability that guarantees basic care, especially for women and children who are not part of militarization.

– Refuses to grant back legitimacy to the regime under any name and for any pretext, and refuses to impose this legitimacy as a fait accompli necessary to achieve stability. And affirms that imposing the restoration of legitimacy is nothing but a betrayal of the blood of the Syrians and their revolution and their demands of freedom, justice and dignity.

– Rejects the abuse policy pursued by the Syrian regime for decades, a policy recently manifested in the security- basis response of the regime to the outbreak of the “Corona epidemic” and the policies of obfuscation, withholding information, and placing additional economic and security burdens on the Syrians.

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

The General Secretariat of the Syrian Women’s Political Movement

Friday, April 17, 2020