The world celebrated the Oscars last night and two Syrian documentary films which shed light on the humanitarian cost of the Syrian conflict were nominated. The films – For Sama and The Cave – allowed a brief insight into the daily hell endured by Syrians as war continues to rage and tear their county apart, while the world turns a blind eye to the plight of the 3.5 million innocent Syrians, murdered with impunity by Russian airstrikes and by Iranian forces and their proxies in Syria. Innocent men, women and children, just like Sama and her mother, remain trapped in unimaginable terror under heavy bombardment.
The horror and pain captured in the Syrian documentary is a current reality. More than three million people remain besieged in Idlib as the Syrian government intensifies its fierce assault on the opposition-held enclave. Since December, the blistering offensive has killed scores of innocent civilians and displaced nearly 600,000.
The Muslim Association of Britain expresses great concern over the worrying developments in Idlib and calls on the British government and the international community to act to prevent further war crimes from being committed and the loss of more innocent lives . Those in power must act and ensure Bashar Al-Assad and his allies are brought before the International Criminal Court to face justice for their crimes, which include the bombing of schools and hospitals, and the use of chemical weapons against innocent civilians.
Ragad Altikriti, President of MAB, said: “This year will be marking the 25th anniversary of the Srebrenica genocide, we, the international community, must not sit by and allow another genocide to take place in front of our eyes. The developments in Idlib threaten a new humanitarian crisis. As Assad’s forces continue to break the ceasefire, violate agreements and persist in their relentless assault, we call on our government to demand humanitarian law is respected, including the protection of civilians.”
Muslim Association of Britain
10th February 2020
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