Sweida-The peaceful protests erupted in the Druze majority city of Sweida over the high inflation rate and deteriorating economic situation in Syria on August 17, 2023 continue. In an interview with NuJINHA, Iman Abu Assaf, member of the Human Rights Organization in Sweida, commented on the Syrian crisis and the ongoing protests in Sweida.

‘People were driven to hunger and misery’

Iman Abu Assaf pointed out that the protest movement in Syria erupted spontaneously.

“Totalitarian parties and dictatorial governments ignored the demands of the people. The people were driven to hunger and misery by the Syrian regime. The people were suffering from economic and social crises. Only some parts of society enjoyed justice and equality while ethnic groups suffered from injustice. The protest movement erupted due to the policies of the regime.”

‘The concepts of regionalism, racism and discrimination emerged’

Iman Abu Assaf thinks that political parties were turned into sectarian and tribal parties before the Syrian crisis. “Therefore, the concepts of regionalism, racism and discrimination emerged. Each revolution started by people has more than a way, manifestation and form. Now, we are in a new revolutionary way. The economic crisis deepens every day and people suffer from poverty. If the regime keeps carrying out the same policies and if the United Nations Security Council Resolution 2254 is not implemented, the situation will be worse.”

‘The real face of the Syrian government was revealed in Sweida’

Iman Abu Assaf pointed out that those who criticize the Syrian government took to the streets in Sweida.

“Before the peaceful protests erupted in Sweida, the regime controlled everything; many people were arrested every day. People were oppressed and targeted. Women were arrested, killed and raped. The people took to the streets to protest not only the high inflation rate and deteriorating economic situation but also oppressive policies of the Syrian government. The real face of the Syrian government as revealed in Sweida. The popular movement in Sweida uncovered the rights violations committed by the regime. This movement has shown that the Syrian government is an atrocious and dictatorial government targeting all groups in the country. Women have suffered a lot during the rule of the Assad regime.”

‘Women cannot enjoy their rights despite the laws’

Speaking about the laws protecting women’s rights, she said, “Women cannot enjoy their rights despite the laws. The Ba'ath Party amended the laws to silence feminists; however, the laws have not been effectively implemented. Women are seen as decorative objects in political parties and organizations. We are against this.”

‘Everyone should be free’

Many women were detained while protesting the government in Sweida and they faced mistreatment in detention centers. Iman Abu Assaf said, “The mistreatment faced by women has been documented,” said Iman Abu Assaf. “These women now receive physiological support. The relatives of some women became the victims of enforced disappearance in the regime's detention centers. The women began to participate in the labor force due to the deteriorating economic situation because they were the only breadwinners of their families. A society cannot be free unless the women are free. Everyone in society should be free.”