The Syrian Women’s Political Movement is closely following the notable and concerning developments occurring in the vicinity of the As-Suwayda Governorate. These developments are driven by directives from the National Security Bureau affiliated with the Assad regime. On April 25, 2024, the Military Security Committee began implementing security measures targeting those responsible for organizing peaceful protests in the governorate. These measures include the provisional confiscation of the protesters’ properties, issuing immediate arrest warrants against them, labeling them as terrorist affiliates, and granting the committee the authority to take appropriate actions against them. This opens the door to all the violations and crimes that the Assad regime is accustomed to committing to suppress protests. Additionally, these directives are accompanied by the establishment of a joint operations room, including the Fourth and Seventh Divisions, to deploy military reinforcements with the aim of launching a large-scale military campaign in As-Suwayda. This campaign is intended to restore the Assad regime and its militias’ control over all administrative areas in the governorate and put an end to the opposing protests.

The Syrian Women’s Political Movement warns of the dangers posed by this mobilization by the regime, its militias, and its Iranian allies to the lives of the protesters. We hold the Assad regime fully responsible for any violations or bloodshed that occurs. We call upon the international community to protect our people in As-Suwayda and to prevent the brutal massacres that the regime might commit there. We also reaffirm the demands of the women and men of As-Suwayda for freedom, justice, and dignity, recognizing that it is a continuation of the Syrian people’s movement since 2011. We urge the immediate commencement of implementing Resolution 2254, which calls for a political transition that ensures a political process meeting the aspirations of the Syrian people to build a democratic Syria.

Long live Syria, its land, and its people!

The General Secretariat of the Syrian Women’s Political Movement

Wednesday, May 8, 2024