YASA: Appeal - Support the peaceful demonstrators in Syria

The people in Syria went on the streets in Daraa, Damascus, Lattakia, Homs, Qamishli and many other cities and showed their will to have change in their country. They said no to the massive violation of Human Rights, no to corruption, no to dictatorship.

The Syrians have been suffering over the last decades under Al Baath regime and under Al Assad Senior and junior. The regime has violated the Syrian people in their dignity and never respected basic human rights and individual freedoms. Through monopoly of the economy by the ruling elite corruption and systematic corruption throughout the administration the regime has managed to have classes in the society, the rich and powerful small group, and the poor frustrated wide group.

To maintain a benefit to the first group, the regime has build up a secret service apparatus and corrupted the police and judicial system with a puppet parliament.

The human rights situation in Syria is becoming worse every year. Even Syria has signed very few international law human rights agreements; the implementation of the rights of these agreements was never a serious issue for the government, quite the contrary, torture, kidnapping, murder with a merciless secret service were the method to govern the people of Syria. Ethnic and religious groups were excluded from the political, economic and culture life; systematic suppression and to ignore were the reply on their will for equality and participation. The existence of the Kurdish minority as such, is still officially denied. Suppression, marginalization, banning of political parties, assimilation, and violation of cultural and economical rights direct the policy of the Al Baath and Assad regime against the Kurds for decades which is a cultural genocide.

Syria plays a key role in the peace process in the Middle East. Such a regime will never play a positive role in having a good relationship to his neighbouring states. Stability in the region means the end for such a regime; so the Assad regime misused its key role in the region to create instability in the Middle East to survive.

The uprising in Tunisia and Egypt is a wind of freedom blowing throughout the Middle East and more and more nations of the region see it as a big chance to put an end to their suffering and make a change.

The Syrian people have decided to not miss the opportunity and take their destiny into their own hands and started on March 15, 2011 to stand up for their rights; The rights to freely determine their political status and freely pursue their economic, social and cultural development and freely dispose of their natural wealth and resources.

Face book, you tube have helped the people in Syria to communicate and start the peaceful revolution and still do. Media and politicians are requested to support the democratic movement.

We call upon the democratic governments to do press on the Syrian Government to stop killing the demonstrators and guarantee them the right of free opinion.

We call upon the media to take over its responsibility and report about the situation and killings in Syria and to inform the public opinion about it.

Jian Badrakhan, Second chairman

YASA e.V. – Kurdish Center for Legal Studies & Consultancy