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“The international community has completely failed us.”
That was the assessment of Razan Saffour, 30, a British-Syrian human rights activist who watched in disbelief and anger on Friday as Syrian President Bashar al-Assad was welcomed onto the international stage – his return to the Arab League after 11 years. year lock.
Though the League wields limited political power, Assad’s attendance at the regional summit was a major symbolic triumph for the former political pariah, whose forces have been accused of using chemical weapons during a bloody civil war that lasted more than 300 years, damaging hospitals and civilian areas attack a decade and is still ongoing.
The Gulf states were among those who had previously supported efforts to train and arm rebel groups seeking to overthrow Assad. Since then, however, Assad has regained control of much of the country with the help of Iran-backed militias and the Russian air force, and some Arab countries have resumed diplomatic relations.
For many Syrians affected by the conflict, Assad’s rehabilitation left a feeling not only of being betrayed, but also as if the suffering of the civil war had been completely erased from the region’s memory.
“Rather than holding Assad accountable for his heinous crimes … he is welcomed and even rewarded as if the last 12 years of suffering and bloodshed never existed,” said Wafa Ali Mustafa, 32.
Mustafa, who fled Syria to Germany when her country was plunged into civil war following the Arab Spring uprisings, said her father, Ali Mustafa, a fruit seller, was forcibly disappeared by the Assad regime in July 2013.
When she and her three siblings last saw their father, he was being removed from their home in Damascus, she said. “The normalization of relations is a betrayal of the victims and their families, including my own family. … Normalization cannot bring peace.”
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Saudi Arabia’s Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman opened the summit, paying tribute to the “painful years of struggle” in Syria but adding that he hopes the country’s rapprochement will lead to greater stability in the region. Arab leaders have accused the United States of neglecting the region and instead focusing on competing with China and Russia, and analysts say this has prompted many countries to start hedging their bets.
Many Syrians have described feeling forgotten as world attention has been drawn to other crises, including the coronavirus pandemic and the Russian invasion of Ukraine, and it seems Syria is no longer seen as an American priority.
“It bothers us as Syrians how the international community has dealt with the war in Ukraine and the support that has been given to Ukrainians…compared to the Syrian refugees,” said Haya Atassi, organizer of a civil society group, referring to the Involvement of Russia in both conflicts.
Atassi said her family fled Homs after her brother was arrested by government forces and schools closed. She now lives between Beirut and Istanbul.
Inside Syria, protests erupted in several opposition-controlled cities on Friday as people took to the streets to express their outrage at Assad’s attendance at the summit.
However, some Syrians noted that his reintegration could bring some economic benefits to the country, which is struggling with sanctions, the aftermath of the earthquake and the coronavirus pandemic.
Assad-friendly social media users hailed Assad’s return as a victory, sharing pictures of him smiling and shaking hands with his fellow leaders. A user on Twitter said he had “staid steadfast” after Arab leaders “betted on his downfall.” descriptive The reversal of the Arab states, which funded factions to overthrow him, was a major victory.
Syria’s President Bashar al-Assad greets Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman and Egyptian Abdel Fattah El-Sisi before the Arab League summit on May 19. (Video: Saudi TV)
Despite Assad’s presence at the event, the Biden administration, like its European allies, has vowed to uphold its policy of isolation and pressure against him – pointing out that the war has claimed hundreds of thousands of lives and displaced half the country’s population.
And Qatar, which has been at odds with other Gulf states in recent years, said it disagreed with Syria’s readmission to the Arab League but would not pose an “obstacle” to a move backed by regional powers. His Emir Tamim bin Hamad al-Thani reportedly left the summit before Assad’s address.
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Saffour, the human rights activist who now lives in Doha, remained critical of both Arab and Western nations, saying, “They could definitely have done so much more.”
Her family from Aleppo and Homs have faced torture, bombing, detention and their homes destroyed, she said, and relatives who survived are now living as refugees in Turkey and Jordan or are struggling with the aftermath of an earthquake in February that struck Parts of northern Syria shook.
Although the world’s attention is turning, the plight of Syrians is still affecting the entire world, she said, noting that “Syrians have fled Assad…not just war” and that his political rehabilitation will ensure that fewer Syrians will be willing to return home.
Mustafa, who continues to campaign for her father’s return, argued that Assad’s international reintegration is also sending a “dangerous message” beyond Syria’s borders to other authoritarian leaders.
“We are all vulnerable in a world that overlooks the seriousness of war crimes, crimes against humanity and genocide,” she said.
Syrian activists speaking to the Washington Post were not optimistic that the political situation in Syria will improve. Saffour pointed out that many Syrians have felt “betrayed and abandoned” for a very long time.
However, some also reported that they used their shared experiences as well as the memories of their loved ones as a source of strength.
“Unfortunately, we have suffered a lot of trauma and learned to rely only on ourselves and we will do that,” Atassi said, adding that the war has created resilience.
Mustafa, meanwhile, said this about her father: “I cherish the lasting memory of our car rides together…hour-long trips into the mountains.” There is an indescribable beauty in those moments that I carry within me.”
Ellen Francis contributed to this report.