Subcommittee on International Human Rights Committee on March 1st, 2018

[Muzna Dureid]

It's the same situation in South Damascus, but there is no bombing at the same level as in eastern Ghouta. The al Qadam, Yelda, Tadamon, and Yarmouk camps are also under siege at the same time, in the same situation, but the level of the bombing is not the same.

[The Chair, Liberal, Michael Levitt]

I think MP Khalid had a last question.

[Iqra Khalid, Liberal, Mississauga—Erin Mills, ON]

Thank you, Chair.

Ms. Dureid, you described a conflict that is more based on political ideologies. Dr. Al Fakir, you talked a bit about accountability and justice.

Syria has been under siege for a very long time. What is the way forward when we talk about bringing justice to the victims of this siege, about the ongoing humanitarian crisis, and about rebuilding a country that has suffered so much in the past number of years?

[Muzna Dureid]

There is no justice with the Assad regime, unfortunately.

After the Caesar operation, 1,500 photos came from prisons, photos of victims who died in prison. Two of my family members are dying. Those photos were smuggled by Caesar after the chemical attack in 2013, when 1,200 people were killed. I think there's much evidence about how this regime is criminal, and how it's dealing with the international community and with us.

For accountability, there are many organizations, such as Urnammu and other organizations of civil society, that are working on documenting the violations in Syria. It's a daily documenting.

There are Syrian refugees here in Canada who were victims in Syria, and they were detained by the Assad regime. After just a few years, they will be Canadian citizens. We can ask for justice for them as Canadian citizens, if Syrian citizens are not the same level of humans.

We can start from the national courts, as is happening in Germany, Sweden, and France in Europe. We can put pressure on this level at individual courts, or on the regime in general through the IIIM, the international, impartial, and independent mechanism.

[Iqra Khalid, Liberal, Mississauga—Erin Mills, ON]

Thank you.

[The Chair, Liberal, Michael Levitt]

Thank you very much.

I see that, unfortunately, our time is running out. I want to thank all three of you for coming in today on really short notice.

I think it's a wake-up call for all of us because we know that the sad reality of these situations is that, for a moment in time, they have the front pages. We saw it with Aleppo. I was just looking at the work this committee did over a year ago. Then, sadly, these things fall off the front page and fall out of our consciousness, but when we see the depravity and the crimes that have occurred against humanity, the war crimes that are occurring in this region yet again by the Assad regime, it is a wake-up call that we all need to be doing more.

I think nothing brings that home more than having each of you here sharing your stories, whether it's the stories of the medical professionals battling it out in the hospitals to try to save lives, or of Ms. Dureid's family over there and what they've been subject to over the last five years. We will make sure, once again, certainly within Parliament Hill, that we are messaging this out and making clear that the world cannot stand by while these atrocities continue to happen on a daily basis. I want to thank you for coming and sharing your testimony with us.

I just want to get approval to send out the news release. Do all members approve?

[Some hon. members]

Agreed.

[The Chair, Liberal, Michael Levitt]

Thank you.

With that, I will adjourn.