Madaniya’s Monthly Newsletter

Dear colleagues, representatives of civil society organisations, and members of the press 

We hope you have had a productive month! 

Below is our newsletter for the month of August, where we share the latest developments in Madaniya and the Syrian civic space with you. 

Our best wishes, 

Madaniya’s Team 

Programmatic Updates 

Advancing National Dialogue on the Political Process in Syria in Accordance with UNSC Resolution 2254 

Since the beginning of March this year, many of Madaniya's member organisations have participated in dialogue sessions for our project, which aims to advance the national dialogue on the political process in Syria, in accordance with UN Security Council Resolution 2254.

The first round of dialogues, which included 13 workshops, has concluded. These workshops were held in Sweida, Damascus, Rural Damascus, Hama, Latakia, Idlib, Azaz, Deir ez-Zor, Qamishli, and Raqqa, in addition to three virtual workshops that included civic actors from neighboring countries and the diaspora. Member organisations of Madaniya invested time and effort into these dialogues, where each workshop discussed four main topics: the political process, the establishment of a transitional governing body, constitutional reform, and national elections.

The research team and the steering committee are now working on extracting the outcomes of these workshops and preparing a comprehensive report that will be shared with our member organisations for in-depth discussion. This report aims to ensure a smooth transition to the second phase of the project, which seeks to facilitate internal Syrian dialogues that transcend local and geographical boundaries. This will be achieved through direct dialogues between civic actors in various regions of Syria, with the goal of expanding areas of consensus, bridging gaps, and striving to build national understandings that go beyond local boundaries. The working mechanisms and main topics of these dialogues will be determined based on the outcomes of the first phase. Planning and preparation for the second phase will begin in the last quarter of 2024, with these dialogues set to commence in 2025. 

In the Syria Strategy Project, in which Madaniya collaborates with the Atlantic Council, the Middle East Institute, and the European Institute of Peace, we seek to explore the dimensions of the Syrian situation through a comprehensive analysis of the key issues related to it, such as the humanitarian situation, economic recovery, governance, security conditions, the justice and accountability process, and the political process. This effort is part of four planned rounds of technical working groups, which include a select group of Syrian and international experts, aiming to facilitate in-depth discussions and develop comprehensive policy recommendations that address short-, medium-, and long-term needs. 

Each working group has completed two out of the four planned sessions, resulting in a set of important recommendations aimed at addressing urgent and medium-term issues, as well as developing long-term strategies for achieving stability and development in Syria. 

The Annual Syrian Conference, 2024 

Starting this year, Madaniya is launching a new initiative to organise an annual Syrian conference that focuses on addressing critical aspects of the Syrian conflict, including humanitarian, political, accountability, and human rights dimensions. This conference will bring together civil society actors from within Syria, neighboring countries, and the diaspora, and will be coordinated with a group of Syrian political entities. The goal is to strategise collective positions on key issues affecting Syrians locally and internationally, reinforcing Madaniya’s commitment to ensuring that Syrian voices are at the heart of discussions about their country’s future. 

Unlike Madaniya’s inaugural conference in 2023, which was designed to launch Madaniya, facilitate discussions to set priorities for reclaiming the political agency of the Syrian civic space, and shape Madaniya’s strategic plan with member organisations, these annual conferences will be ongoing events. The conferences will be designed to adapt to and address the evolving challenges facing Syria. They will focus on three main priorities: unifying the voices of Syrian civil society in coordination with political entities, addressing the deadlock in political and technical files, and engaging with international actors. 

This year’s conference will be organised and jointly funded by an organising committee led by Madaniya, along with other Syrian organisations committed to a principled, human rights-based political solution to the Syrian crisis. The committee currently includes Madaniya, the Local Councils Unit, the Bahar Organisation, Baytna, and the Syrian Civil Defense (White Helmets), along with other organisations inside Syria that will partner in designing and planning the conference program. The committee will be restructured annually to reflect the interests and capacities of participating oragnisations. The committee will collaboratively design the agenda and plan the event, ensuring broad participation from entities and individuals aligned with the conference’s values and goals. 

This year’s conference will be held in Brussels in November, and more details regarding the conference’s objectives and participation will be shared soon to enable you to confirm your attendance. 

Madaniya’s Engagements with ongoing Events 

Position paper and high-level meetings on recent political developments and the escalation of violence against refugees. 

In the middle of this month, Madaniya, in collaboration with several Syrian civil society organisations, including the Syria Campaign, Baytna, and the Syrian Centre for Media and Freedom of Expression, and in coordination with the Syrian Civil Society Networks Platform, issued a Syrian civic position paper on the recent efforts to normalise relations with the Syrian regime and the systematic racist campaigns against Syrian refugees. This paper raises serious concerns about the potential consequences of these diplomatic moves, emphasising that rapprochement with the Syrian regime not only threatens to undermine the political process but also perpetuates the conditions that led to the ongoing humanitarian crisis and widespread human rights violations. The paper calls for a firm commitment to the UN-led political process in accordance with UN Security Council Resolution 2254 and urges international and regional actors to avoid parallel diplomatic paths that could legitimise a regime responsible for war crimes and crimes against humanity. 

Madaniya shared the position paper with a wide range of international and regional actors for discussion through upcoming meetings to be held in the first two weeks of September, with the participation of delegations from the Syrian civic space. These meetings aim to emphasise and remind the international community of the dangers of reinforcing a culture of impunity through the restoration of diplomatic relations with the Syrian regime. The paper stresses that sustainable peace in Syria can only be achieved through a political process supported by all countries in their political stances and current policies in various technical files, in line with UN Security Council Resolution 2254. It also underscores the importance of ensuring that diplomatic efforts adhere to international human rights standards and genuinely reflect the aspirations of the Syrian people. The paper concludes by reminding that the voices of Syrians, who continue to protest against the regime and de facto authorities in various regions, must be respected and prioritised in any diplomatic efforts aimed at resolving the Syrian conflict. 

The position paper, which will soon become public, will be the basis for an upcoming press conference we are holding in Brussels on September 12.

Syrian Press Conference in Brussels 

As a continuation of the efforts surrounding the position paper and the meetings that will be held on it, Madaniya, in collaboration with Baytna, the Syria Campaign, the Syrian Centre for Media and Freedom of Expression, the Syrian Civil Society Networks Platform, and several other Syrian humanitarian and human rights organisations, will host a Syrian-led press conference on 12 September at the Press Club in Brussels. This conference is an opportunity to highlight the main demands outlined in the recent position paper, which addresses the complex and urgent issues related to the normalisation of relations with the Syrian regime, as well as the alarming rise in racist campaigns and attacks against Syrian refugees. 

The press conference will present a clear Syrian stance on the potential consequences of the recent diplomatic moves with the Syrian regime, particularly how they threaten the UN-led political process in accordance with UN Security Council Resolution 2254. The conference also aims to shed light on the broader geopolitical and humanitarian implications of normalising relations with a regime responsible for widespread human rights violations, including war crimes and crimes against humanity. Furthermore, the conference will highlight the growing trend of racist attacks against Syrian refugees in various countries, emphasising that these attacks not only violate international human rights treaties but also exacerbate the tragic conditions of millions of Syrians who have been forced to flee their homes. 

Please contact us directly to inform us of your interest in attending as soon as possible, and we will soon share more information about the press conference and the speakers. 

Updates on the Work of Member Organisations  

In this section, we review the achievements and developments in the work of Madaniya's member organisations. 

Participating in the 57th Session of the Human Rights Council - Invitation from the Syrian Center for Media and Freedom of Expression 

The Syrian Center for Media and Freedom of Expression has shared details of the invitation to participate in the events of the 57th session of the Human Rights Council, which will be held in Geneva from 9 September to 11 October 2024. During this session, the Center will focus on a range of sensitive and important issues, including enforced disappearances, arbitrary detention, transitional justice and reparations, the use of mercenaries, forced returns, and the deteriorating conditions of Syrian refugees, with special attention given to the education of Syrian children in neighboring countries such as Lebanon. Below is what the Syrian Center for Media and Freedom of Expression is offering through this invitation: 

• Providing their seat to any of the fellow and partner Syrian organisations that wish to attend the session, hold bilateral meetings, or deliver oral statements. 

• Supporting partner entities in preparing and delivering or recording oral statements, attending session activities and meetings, and organising bilateral meetings by facilitating the provision of information and issuing access badges to the Palais des Nations in Geneva. 

• Registering to deliver five oral statements. 

• Organising two side events (virtual and/or physical) on the issue of education for Syrian children in neighboring countries and on issues of enforced disappearance, arbitrary detention, and torture, linking them to forced returns and the conditions of Syrian refugees. 

• Collaborating with partner Syrian and international organisations to follow up on the resolution regarding the human rights situation in Syria and ensure that the messages and demands of Syrian civil society are included in the resolution. 

Report in Spotlight 

In this section, we highlight the latest reports and updates issued by Syrian organisations or about Syria during the month. 

Report and Complaint in the Case of Samer Al-Ahmad 

Mizan Organisation has shared a report on the case of Syrian journalist Samer Al-Ahmad. The report includes information about a complaint received by Mizan from Samer Al-Ahmad in January 2024 regarding an official document issued by the General Directorate of Civil Affairs in Syria that certifies his death, even though he is still alive. Samer Al-Ahmad, who has worked as a journalist and researcher since 2014, has published numerous articles and studies in both Arabic and English, addressing sensitive issues related to the Syrian conflict, including studies on education in Hasakah and investigations into the relationships between the Syrian regime and Iranian militias, as well as their involvement in drug trafficking. During this period, his family members were subjected to harassment and detention by the Syrian regime's security forces and the de facto authorities in Qamishli. 

Mizan Organisation verified the authenticity of the documents indicating Samer’s death and noted that his registration as deceased may have coincided with the publication of articles exposing the involvement of Syrian regime officers and leaders of Iranian militias in illegal activities. This may have prompted security forces to register him as deceased as an act of retaliation. It is believed that this registration was carried out under the new Syrian Civil Status Law of 2021, which allows the Civil Affairs Directorates to record a person’s death based on the testimony of prison officials without following the usual legal procedures. 

Mizan has called on the United Nations and international human rights organisations to document this incident as a new form of severe human rights violation by the Assad regime, to work towards holding those involved accountable, to correct the civil records, and to ensure that such violations are not repeated. The organisation also urged that this incident is to be included in ongoing international investigations into human rights violations in Syria, considering that registering a living person as deceased constitutes a form of psychological torture for the family and should be criminalised under international law. 

To read the full report in English, please visit the available link.