16.11.2015

Stop the violence

ADC “Memorial” is shocked by the murder of peaceful people in Paris and by the tragic death of the passengers of the flight A321 from Egypt to St. Petersburg. Pain, sorrow and refusal to accept these event must unite people in this hard time, mobilise them in opposing terror – everywhere and always. But opposing terror, violence and violation of the fundamental rights for peace, health, save life should not take a form of a new aggression; search for the guilty should not limit the rights of the common people – be that refuges, migrants, Muslim or any other. Human rights of all groups should be protected – first of all of the most vulnerable groups. Wars, terror, murders and pogroms are the links of the same chain, it can only be broken by the conscious choice for freedom, peace and solidarity.

Statement

ADC Memorial is a Human Rights organization promoting the rights of migrants’ and refugees and opposing discrimination.

The latest months have shown a dramatic turn in the armed conflict that rages in Syria. This conflict causes death and grave infringement of human rights of those remaining in Syria and a large flow of refugees. As it is stated in the Universal Declaration of Human Rights and United Nations Declaration on the right to peace, all people have the Right to Life and the Right for Peace; no political aims and reasons can justify grave violations of these two basic rights.

ADC Memorial expresses great concern about the fact that thousands of Syrians became victims of crucial bombing done by different groups: the Syrian Army, the Hezbollah, Iranian militants, but also Russian and American attacks. The violence caused by the Russian Armed Forces has to be condemned as a grave violation of Human Rights.

These mass attacks on a number of Syrian provinces cause a new flood of refugees adding up to the millions who had to leave their homes looking for safety in other countries. Most of them ended up in refugee camps in Turkey, Lebanon and Jordan and went through years of suffering in a homeless and hopeless situation. It is becoming clear that these countries have limited resources, both in providing safety and in giving material support to those who had to leave Syria.

Recently, the European Union started to face the results of the Syrian conflict as some large groups of Syrian refugees started to reach European borders. There is no consensus how to behave towards refugees. President of ADC Memorial Rita Süssmuth said “Refugees have Human Rights : our governments cannot refuse them such basic things as housing, education and medical care. Nobody should face discrimination. We have to stop this war still ongoing since 2011 in order to finish violence and murdering human lives.”

Meanwhile de facto hundreds of thousands of Syrian refugees have crossed the borders of EU and it is a matter of great urgency to develop a rational action plan on how to host them and how to support their dignity life in a short term and long term perspective. It is highly important to work on general public acceptance that these refugees came to Europe to save their lives; the governments have to take serious measures to oppose hostility and hostile actions.

ADC Memorial calls for all sides directly or indirectly involved to do everything for saving lives and promoting Human Rights to the victims of the Syrian conflict. All forms of violence and Human Rights’ violations should be opposed and stopped.