Open Letter by Arab Civil Society Organizations to HE,
Amr Moussa, Secretary General of the League of Arab States, Foreign Ministers
and Heads of Member States Delegations.
We must not turn a blind eye to the continuous crackdown
against protestors in Syria
We, the undersigned (100) Civil Society organizations from
(17) countries across the Arab World, appreciate the League of Arab States’
statement of 25th April 2011 which strongly supports the calls for freedom and
democracy in the Arab world and condemns the use of violent force against
protestors calling for these rights.
The ‘Arab Spring’ in Egypt and Tunisia has demonstrated to
the world that cries for basic freedom and democracy can no longer be silenced
with bullets. Yet Arab leaders in Syria, Bahrain and Yemen continue to respond
to calls for reform by using brutal force and weapons against unarmed
civilians. We fear that the credibility of the League of Arab States, and the
strength of leadership it has shown elsewhere, will be damaged irreparably
unless the League condemns and calls for a swift end to violence wherever it
occurs.
Since the 15th March 2011, over 800 peaceful demonstrators
have been killed and 9,000 arrested in 16 Syrian cities. The lack of running
water and electricity in towns such as Derra and Homs has left innocent
civilians, including many women and children, without essential basic services.
The humanitarian situation is worsening day by day. As the suffering increases, the communications
blackout imposed since 22nd April continues to prevent the Syrian people from
calling for help.
On Friday the 29th of April the United Nations Human Rights
Council (HRC) in Geneva issued a resolution unequivocally condemning the use of
lethal force against protestors and requesting the Office of the High
Commissioner for Human Rights to immediately dispatch a mission to Syria to
investigate all violations of human rights law committed with view to avoid
impunity and ensure full accountability of the Syrian regime. However, over one
week later, reports of the use of force and military artillery against
civilians, collective punishment and large scale arbitrary arrest and detention
in Syria continue.
We commend the League’s position to prevent mass atrocities
in Libya; we now call on the League of Arab States to show consistent Arab
Leadership in dealing with the situation in Syria. United Nation member states
from around the world have now made clear that the situation in Syria is
unacceptable; we urge the League of Arab States not to become isolated in its
silence.
Furthermore, in solidarity with the Syrian’s people’s plight
to gain their basic Human Rights and freedom, we call upon the Ministerial
committee, meeting on the 15th of May 2011 to send a strong signal to the
Syrian Leadership by:
– Condemning
the excessive use of force against peaceful protestors in Syria.
– Acting
in line with articles (8, 14, 18 and 36) of the Arab Charter for Human Rights
which state that Arab Governments must ensure that their responsibility for the
protection of civilians in Syria is upheld, against all other political
interests.
– Calling
on the Syrian authorities to abide by International Humanitarian and Human
Rights Law, including respect for freedom of association and expression and the
provision of humanitarian assistance.
– Calling
on the Syrian authorities to lift the communication blackout immediately and
end the ban on journalists entering Syria.
– Finally,
the league must support the work and findings of the International
Investigative mission authorised by the UN Human Rights Council resolution
A/HRC/RES/S-16/1 on Syria.
Arab states did not stand still when confronted with the
legitimate aspirations and suffering of the people in Tunisia, Egypt and Libya.
Arab governments must now show that this region is capable of protecting its
own civilian populations during times of such acute need without hypocrisy and
double standards. The eyes of the world are on us and history will judge the
humanity of this region according to our reaction to events in Syria and
elsewhere. We urge you to leave a record that we and our children are proud of.
As always, we believe that the League of Arab States has a
vital and essential role to play and we urge the League of Arab States to
demonstrate continued constructive leadership at this crucial time.
Sincerely,
• Cairo
Institute For Human Rights Studies (CIHRS) – Egypt
• Egyptian
Initiative for Personal Rights (EIPR) –
Egypt
• Arab
Programme for Human Rights Activists (APHRA)– Egypt
• Ani
Centre for Human Rights and Developments – Egypt
• Egyptian
Foundation for Refugees Rights – Egypt
• Arab
Network for Human Rights Information (ANHRI) – Egypt
• Andalus
Institute for Tolerance and anti-Violence Studies – Egypt
• Arab
Foundation for Civil Society and Human Rights Support
• Egyptian
Association for Community Participation Enhancement
• Association
of Freedom of Thought and Expression, Egypt
• Egyptian
foundation for Advancement of the Childhood Conditions – Egypt
• Hesham
Mubarak Law Center – Egypt
• Damascus
Centre for Human Rights Studies (DCHRS)– Syria
• National
Organization for Human Rights – Syria
• Arab
Committee for freedom of expression – Syria
• Haitham
Maleh Foundation For the Defense of Syrian Human Rights Defenders – Syria
• Human
Rights First Society (HRFS) – Saudi Arabia
• Bahrain
Youth Society for Human Rights – Bahrain
• Al
Bahrain Centre for Human Rights – Bahrain
• Social
Democratic Forum (SDF) – Yemen
• Yemeni
Organization for Defending Rights and Democratic Freedoms – Yemen
• Human
Rights & Democracy Media Center (SHAMS) – Palestine
• Palestinian
Organization for Human Rights – Palestine
• Sudan
Development Association – Sudan
• Al Khatim
Centre for Enlightenment & Human Development (KACE) – Sudan
• Sudan
Social Development Organization (SUDO)
• The
Algerian League for the Defence of Human Rights – Algeria
• Permanent
Peace Movement (includes 20 member organisations) – Lebanon
• Palestinian
Human Rights Organization, Lebanon
• Iraqi
Human Right Association in Denmark
• The
Mauritanian Association for Human Rights
– Mauritania
• Kuwait
Society for Human Rights for Human Rights – Kuwait
• Arab
Coalition for Darfur (includes 56 member organisations) – Regional
• Arab
Media Crisis Network (includes 20
members) – Regional