December 19, 2024

Ten years standing with the people of Syria


In a historic turn of events, the people of Syria overthrew the murderous Assad regime on 8 December. The past weeks have been a rollercoaster – unbelievable joy and the exhilarating taste of freedom, quickly followed by heartbreak as our families, friends and partners are still searching for information about their loved ones who were disappeared by the Assad regime.

Thousands of released detainees of conscience have been left with very little support to find family, shelter and the basics of life. We have called on international agencies to respond, but so far only minimal action has been taken. This must be scaled up and fast.

Your solidarity has never been more urgent: we are working tirelessly to hold the international community to account, to amplify the voices of families and to ensure that the media sensitively reports their stories.

Now begins the tough road to political transition and pathways to justice, and this process must be led by Syrians of all backgrounds, women in particular. There is an opportunity for civil society to shape the future. But we cannot do this without your support.

With your support, in 2025 we can ensure that the voices of Syrian civil society are heard and empowered to actively support the country’s democratic transition. We can urge the international community to guarantee humanitarian aid to civilians and protect refugee rights. We can advocate at both international and national levels for accountability for the regime’s war crimes, and ensure that the victims and their families finally receive the justice they have awaited for decades. Will you chip in to support this amazing project?

From supporting the heroic White Helmets and medics to exposing heinous war crimes, you’ve been a critical part of this fight. Your efforts have pushed back against the normalization of Assad’s regime, strengthened survivor-led justice movements, and advanced our shared vision of freedom and democracy – even when the world refused to listen. For that, we are profoundly grateful.

When you took action to support the families of detainees, or frontline humanitarians, you made our movement stronger and helped prepare us for this moment. You helped put the accountability mechanisms and civil society networks in place that will play a vital role now in the future of Syria.

Together, we’ve achieved incredible milestones: amplifying the voices of doctors under attack when Russia bombed hospitals, exposing UN failures after the massive earthquake in 2023, barring war criminals from global platforms like the Olympics and COP conferences, the White Helmets’ Nobel Peace Prize nomination, and protecting refugees from deportation in Denmark. These victories are a testament to what we can achieve when united.

The rapid, seismic events of the past few weeks have reminded us all of the colleagues and friends we’ve lost: so many human rights defenders, humanitarians, journalists and citizens were killed for demanding freedom. Their vision propels us forward into the next challenge.

If you continue to support us, you will ensure that their struggle endures, and together we will keep pushing for justice for war crimes, protecting civic space from extremism and disinformation, ensuring that women and diverse communities play a leading role in the peace process, and continuing to expose human rights abuses in Syria.

Would you be willing to continue supporting us and help make 2025 the year when all the people of Syria can finally build a future rooted in justice and democracy?

There is still much to be done, but the last ten years have shown that when we come together with a clear vision for change, we can achieve far more than we ever thought possible.