On Thu, Apr 25, 2024 at 9:05 AM Ameenah Sawwan - The Syria Campaign < i...@thesyriacampaign.org> wrote:
> *This is a message from Ameenah Sawwan who witnessed the Ghouta chemical > attack. **Sign the petition to demand a tribunal on chemical attacks.* > <https://act.thesyriacampaign.org/go/5903?t=8&akid=7214%2E178622%2E6S4hkc> > > Dear Dennis, > > In 2013 I was living under siege in western Ghouta, on the outskirts of > the Syrian capital Damascus, when Assad’s air force unleashed a devastating > chemical weapon attack on people still sleeping in their beds. It was early > in the morning and I rushed to volunteer at our makeshift field hospital. I > remember how helpless we felt, but I started to wash people, trying to save > those who were dying and to lessen the pain for people who were slipping > into unconsciousness. > > For so many, it was too late. No less than 1,127 individuals suffocated to > death that day, including 107 children. It was a desperate moment for all > Syrian people. My family and I survived, but the regime’s bombing > continued, and eight days later my brother, his wife and their son Ahmad > were killed by a mortar shell. > > *Since I managed to escape Syria in 2014, I have committed myself to > bringing the perpetrators of these crimes to justice.* > > As part of this work, I will be speaking next week at a side event to the > important Brussels VIII Conference on Syria, which is attended by key > decision makers from across Europe. *I’ll be asking states to support the > call to create an Exceptional Chemical Weapons Tribunal*, which I believe > is crucial for holding perpetrators of chemical attacks to account and > ending years of impunity. This is deeply meaningful for victims and their > families. > > *Thanks to over 8,700 people who have already signed our petition, I’ll be > doing so knowing that there are thousands of people alongside me*, > supporting the call for the establishment of the tribunal. *If you > haven’t signed yet, can you add your name before Monday? The more of us who > sign, the more powerful my message will be when I speak about the campaign. > <https://act.thesyriacampaign.org/go/5903?t=9&akid=7214%2E178622%2E6S4hkc>* > Yes, I'll sign the petition > <https://act.thesyriacampaign.org/go/5925?t=10&akid=7214%2E178622%2E6S4hkc> > I don't support a tribunal > <https://act.thesyriacampaign.org/go/175?t=11&akid=7214%2E178622%2E6S4hkc> > > There’s already been an amazing show of solidarity, with people signing > from countries as far apart as Japan, the UK, Lebanon, Spain, New Zealand, > and South Africa. Together, we are supporting the huge efforts by chemical > attack survivors and Syrian human rights defenders who are making sure that > these crimes won’t be forgotten – no matter how hard Assad and his cronies > try to destroy evidence and smear survivors with disinformation. > > I will use our petition as evidence of worldwide support for states to > stand up and take action, where current international justice has failed > Syrians. *And I will emphasise that as survivors, we must be included in > the tribunal at every step of the way, and treated as equals in the path > towards justice. *The pursuit of justice involves more than just legal > proceedings. It's about acknowledging the profound impact of these crimes > on victims' lives and giving them the recognition they deserve. > > Even though an Exceptional Chemical Weapons Tribunal isn’t necessarily the > perfect option for justice, our avenues for justice are limited. So if it > gives some sense of accountability to the families of the victims that day > in Ghouta, then it's something I want to happen. The victims of the attack > that I witnessed deserve justice, as well as all those who lost their lives > in more than 300 chemical attacks before and after Ghouta. *So please > sign the petition before Monday.* > <https://act.thesyriacampaign.org/go/5903?t=12&akid=7214%2E178622%2E6S4hkc> > > In solidary, > > Ameenah > ------------------------------ > > [image: Donate to The Syria Campaign] > <https://act.thesyriacampaign.org/donate/donate-to-tsc-donate/?source=nf&t=2&akid=7214%2E178622%2E6S4hkc> > > *The Syria Campaign > <https://act.thesyriacampaign.org/go/175?t=3&akid=7214%2E178622%2E6S4hkc> *is > a human rights organisation that supports Syria’s heroes in their struggle > for freedom, justice and democracy. Read more about our work here > <https://act.thesyriacampaign.org/go/2689?t=4&akid=7214%2E178622%2E6S4hkc> > . > > To ensure our emails reach your inbox, please add > i...@thesyriacampaign.org to your address book. > > Online donations by credit card are processed by Voices Project USA and > are tax deductible in the United States to the full extent allowable under > the law. Online donations by PayPal are processed by The Voices Project > (UK) and are not currently tax deductible in the US or available for gift > aid in the UK. Voices Project USA Federal Identification Number is > 82-3505967. > > Follow us on Facebook > <https://act.thesyriacampaign.org/go/226?t=5&akid=7214%2E178622%2E6S4hkc>, > Twitter > <https://act.thesyriacampaign.org/go/227?t=6&akid=7214%2E178622%2E6S4hkc>, > and Instagram > <https://act.thesyriacampaign.org/go/1703?t=7&akid=7214%2E178622%2E6S4hkc> > . > > Syria needs all the support we can give it, but if you no longer want to > receive these emails, you can unsubscribe here > <http://act.thesyriacampaign.org/cms/unsubscribe/unsubscribe/?akid=7214%2E178622%2E6S4hkc> > . > -=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=- Groups.io Links: You receive all messages sent to this group. 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