As Syria peace talks resume, Syrians urge US, Russia and Jordan to include the release of almost 107,000 detainees as part of the Ceasefire Agreement
By: AP Photo/Evan Vucci.
[11 JULY] Following the announcement of a ceasefire agreement in Southern Syria between Russia, the United States and Jordan, the Chairman of the Syrian Network for Human Rights (SNHR) said: “as a member of Syrian civil society, I welcome any efforts to ease the suffering of the Syrian people and especially efforts to stop the daily attacks perpetrated by the Assad regime and its allies against Syrian civilians. However, previous ceasefire agreements have proven that without credible mechanisms for monitoring and verification, and consequences for violations, no ceasefire agreement will ensure the protection Syrians deserve.
“Moreover,” Mr. Abdul Ghany continues, “unlike previous agreements, the current ceasefire does not include progress on the issue of detainees for the areas included in the agreement”.
The SNHR has documented that there are almost 21,000 detainees in the three governorates included in the Ceasefire Agreement and almost 107,000 in the rest of the country.
“It is clear that the immediate release of arbitrarily-held detainees, must be included in any discussion on Syria. The release of detainees is key to securing a lasting peace for the crisis in Syria and cannot be sidelined at the expense of a political deal ” concludes Mr. Abdul Ghany.