A letter to Mr. Filippo Grandi, United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees
We, a group of Syrian Democratic Powers (SDP), believe in human dignity and legal rights, which we assume your international institutions are primarily responsible for preserving and protecting! The United Nations Charter, as well as the mandate of the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR), explicitly state and advocate for this.
We bring to your attention the suffering of our Syrian people, who are still enduring the oppression of the Assad regime! A regime that has not hesitated to use the most lethal weapons to suppress the rightful revolution of its people, including internationally banned weapons, such as chemical weapons!
Out of the national and popular responsibility placed upon us, the Syrian Democratic Powers (SDP) convey to you the suffering of our Syrian people who have fled to Turkey to escape the brutality of the Assad regime, aided by its allies, including the Russians and the Iranian sectarian militias.
It is no secret that our Syrian people in Turkey, both refugees and residents, are also subjected to systematic oppression by Turkish citizens who neither respect the law nor fear justice and accountability! Sometimes, this oppression is even covered by Turkish security, with both the Turkish opposition and the current ruling regime in Turkey sharing the burden of its consequences, in terms of its spread, lack of oversight, accountability, and containment of its negative impacts and risks!
Regardless of all the above, it remains a stain on the conscience of all humanity, which stands by and witnesses the evolving plight of the oppressed Syrians without any audible voice or clear opinion from your institutions or the relevant local, regional, and even international systems!
The situation of Syrian refugees and residents in Turkey has been and remains a subject of great controversy, perhaps due to the lack of a true legal description of the Syrian presence in Turkey!
Are they refugees entitled to global refugee rights, according to the 1951 Convention and its 1967 Protocol, and other customary international laws and instruments that set the standards for refugee protection? Or are they guests whose departure or expulsion is at the discretion of the host country based on whims and developments?
As Syrian Democratic Powers (SDP), we demand that the United Nations and the UNHCR pressure the Turkish government to consider Syrians as war refugees, respect international conventions on refugees fleeing war, and officially communicate to the Turkish government the necessity of fulfilling its responsibilities in protecting the Syrians on its territory and punishing anyone who mistreats them.
We emphasize our demand to pressure for the recognition of Syrians in Turkey as first-degree refugees, with all legal refugee rights, and to halt all forms of arbitrary detention, forced deportation, and similar actions conducted by the Turkish government in an unethical and inhumane manner.
The suffering of our afflicted people will not end without achieving a fair national state and implementing the United Nations resolutions, especially Resolution 2254, concerning the establishment of a full-fledged transitional government that leads Syria towards a safe environment, enabling the voluntary return of its people to their homes, lands, and jobs without any coercion.
We request your esteemed offices to assist our people in this exceptional situation and to take a dignified stance by pressing all countries, especially Turkey and Lebanon, Syria’s neighboring countries, which are tightening the noose on the presence of Syrians on their lands and working on forcibly deporting them before reaching a sustainable solution and a healthy and comprehensive settlement.
Signature:
Syrian Democratic Powers (SDP) inside Syria and in all capitals where their representatives are present around the world.
