Fwd: New Report: “Is the Worst Yet to Come? Ongoing Mass Atrocity Risks in Syria.” 

GRS

4 cover

Syria, genocide, war and terrorism

Dr. Michael D. McDonald

Coordinator
Global Health Response and Resilience Alliance

Chairman
Global Resilience Systems, Inc.

President
Health Initiatives Foundation, Inc.

Michael.D.McDonald@mac.com
202-468-7899

Begin forwarded message:

> From: Cameron Hudson, US Holocaust Memorial Museum <genocideprevention@ushmm.org>
> Date: April 10, 2018 at 1:00:32 PM EDT
> To: michael.d.mcdonald@mac.com
> Subject: New Report: “Is the Worst Yet to Come? Ongoing Mass Atrocity Risks in Syria.”
> Reply-To: Cameron Hudson, US Holocaust Memorial Museum <genocideprevention@ushmm.org>
>
>
> View this email in your browser
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> In January 2018, staff from the Simon-Skjodt Center traveled to Jordan and the Turkey-Syria border to assess ongoing and future risks to civilians in Syria.
>
> Our report, “Is the Worst Yet to Come? Ongoing Mass Atrocity Risks in Syria,” highlights our findings and potential actions for the international community.
>
> READ THE FULL REPORT
> Our assessment draws from interviews with UN officials, US government officials, NGO staff, Syrian civil society organizations, and Syrian refugees in Amman, Istanbul, and Gaziantep.
>
> Key findings:
> At a moment when Assad is brutally regaining control of opposition-held areas and the international community speaks of an end to fighting and to future stabilization and reconciliation, the worst may be yet to come for Syrian civilians.
> The Assad regime—emboldened by its Russian and Iranian allies and a lack of consequences for the commission of atrocities—believes that it is on the cusp of winning this phase of the war and will continue to target civilians until it has achieved its goal of maintaining power or is stopped.
> Civilians in opposition-controlled areas face heightened risks of mass atrocities, particularly in Eastern Ghouta and Idlib province.
> Civil society in opposition-controlled areas that come under government control face a unique and serious risk. The fear of detention in regime-controlled areas will continue to serve as a deterrent to people returning over the long run.
> As the conflict enters a new phase, where Assad has reasserted his control over substantial parts of the country, shifting demographic and power dynamics set the stage for future conflicts, particularly in areas controlled by the Syrian Democratic Forces and in areas under regime control.
> On March 15, the Simon-Skjodt Center released the report at an event marking seven years of the commission of mass atrocities in Syria and honoring the work of civil society groups working to save civilian lives. Watch the full video program. (1hr 30 min).
> Photo: A man walks on rubble at a damaged site after an air strike on February 9, 2018, in the besieged town of Douma in the Eastern Ghouta area of Damascus, Syria. Bassam Khabieh/Reuters
> Keep Holocaust memory alive to inspire citizens and leaders to confront hatred, prevent genocide, and promote human dignity in a constantly changing world. Visit ushmm.org/campaign to hear more.
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