The Syrian Future Movement follows with deep regret and condemnation the media and social media platforms that have been circulating over the past two days regarding an organized and anonymous digital campaign calling itself “I Am Not a Tree.” This campaign sought to exploit the tragic human tragedy that befell Dr. Rania Al-Abbasi and her six children to serve narrow political goals, ignite sectarian strife, and deepen the societal rift in a country exhausted by five decades of tyranny and war.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The Syrian Future Movement recalls the details of this heinous crime that shook the Syrian and international conscience and demonstrates the brutality of the ousted regime.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The Syrian Future Movement also notes that this campaign was launched just days after the shocking revelation of the fate of Dr. Rania Al-Abbasi’s six children (Dima, Intisar, Najah, Alaa, Ahmed, and Lian), whose ages range from two to thirteen years.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
This came 13 years after their enforced disappearance, following the arrest of the entire family from their home in the Dummar Project in Damascus. Investigations, including recently released evidence, confirmed that the perpetrator was Amjad Youssef, the main suspect in the “Tadamon Massacre.”<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The Syrian Future Movement notes that the campaign, which spread across multiple platforms (Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, Telegram, TikTok), resorted to creating a unified visual identity through parallel networks of accounts, and presented clear information that reveals a “geometric fascination.”<\/p>\n\n\n\n
We believe that its launch coinciding with the revelation of the crime’s details is an attempt to hijack the event and the feelings of Syrians, and to redirect legitimate public anger towards a path of collective revenge that serves neither truth nor justice.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The Syrian Future Movement exposes the destructive logic underlying this campaign and demonstrates its contradiction with the values \u200b\u200bof justice. We believe that the campaign’s exploitation of this painful tragedy to disseminate hate speech and blatant incitement, calling for the excommunication, boycott, and comprehensive social and economic isolation of entire Syrian communities, is nothing more than a reproduction of the same logic of collective punishment practiced by the former regime against its own people for decades.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
We believe that holding innocent individuals responsible for crimes they did not commit constitutes a grave violation of international humanitarian law, which criminalizes collective punishment under Article 33 of the Fourth Geneva Convention and affirms the principle of individual criminal responsibility under Article 102 of customary international humanitarian law.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The Syrian Future Movement is astonished by the timing and precise coordination of this campaign and asks: “Who benefits from undermining the unity of Syrians and tearing apart their social fabric?”<\/p>\n\n\n\n
We believe that any weakening of civil peace at this critical juncture directly serves the remnants of the former regime and the external powers that have wagered on derailing the path to a “new Syria.” Our analysis suggests that the nature and methods of the campaign indicate it is not a spontaneous popular movement, but rather appears to be orchestrated and directed to serve an agenda aimed at confining society to sectarian enclaves.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The Syrian Future Movement cites its consistent positions, published on its official website, which always emphasize the centrality of justice and the rule of law. These positions include:<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n <\/p>\n\n\n\n The Syrian Future Movement warns that any attempt to hold perpetrators accountable must be based on individual responsibility and the criminal act itself, not on sectarian or familial affiliations. Linking accountability to collective identity transforms justice into a form of collective condemnation.<\/p>\n\n\n\n We stress that the state is obligated to fulfill its responsibilities by adopting an official discourse that rejects sectarian incitement and collective revenge, in addition to enacting legislation that criminalizes hate speech, discrimination, and incitement. We also warn that delays in transitional justice processes contribute to the growth of public anger and push some individuals to seek retaliatory alternatives outside the framework of the law.<\/p>\n\n\n\n The Syrian Future Movement clarifies its position on the “justice or revenge” dilemma, asserting that the only way to restore the dignity of the victims of the former regime, foremost among them the family of Rania al-Abbasi, is through the full implementation of transitional justice. This justice must be based on the principles of truth-seeking, holding perpetrators accountable as individuals (not groups), providing reparations, and ensuring that such tragedies are never repeated.<\/p>\n\n\n\n We believe that any deviation from these principles will push the country toward the abyss of civil war and serve the enemies of the Syrian people.<\/p>\n\n\n\n We also call upon the Syrian government to fully assume its responsibilities by committing to achieving justice through state institutions and holding every perpetrator accountable without exception.<\/p>\n\n\n\n The Syrian Future Movement reiterates its absolute solidarity with the families of the victims of the former regime and its just demand for retribution against every murderer, torturer, and arbitrarily detained person, regardless of their affiliation. We see the passage of more than 13 years since this crime as proof that the former regime hid behind a false sectarianism to justify its crimes, and today, hidden hands are attempting to exploit the pain through the same sectarian gateway.<\/p>\n\n\n\n The Syrian Future Movement extends its support to all patriotic and rational voices that ridicule or strongly condemn the campaign, and affirms that building a new Syria can only be achieved on the basis of equal citizenship and the rule of law, not on the ruins of hatred and revenge.<\/p>\n\n\n\n On the anniversary of this tragedy, we remember that the blood of the innocent awaits a justice that will hold the perpetrators accountable wherever they may be, not a justice that is merely for show. The tree that seeks to generalize punishment and perpetuate hatred.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" The ‘I am not a tree’ campaign highlights aspects of Rania Al-Abbasi’s tragedy and its impact on Syrian society and sectarian strife.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":35,"featured_media":64684,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[135],"tags":[4706],"class_list":["post-64686","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-media-office-en","tag-press-release"],"yoast_head":"\n\n