Urging Canadian Action Against the Killing and Violence of Syrian Civilians

Dear Prime Minister Stephen Harper,

RE: Thousands of peaceful protestors are being fired upon by the Syrian regimes security forces all over Syria with over 500 killed and thousands more injured.

I am writing to you as a resident of this country to draw your attention to the tragic & horrific events unfolding in Syria, which the media is reporting very vividly.

Hundreds of peaceful protestors have been shot dead by the regimes security forces loyal to President Bashar Al-Assad during nationwide protests that have taken place in towns and cities all over Syria. Thousands have been wounded, many of which have serious and critical injuries. Hospitals are struggling with the growing numbers of fatalities, running the risk of the security forces arresting the wounded and taking them to unknown places.

The Syrian authorities have also sought to prevent the spreading of information on the protests by enforcing a media blackout and by blocking websites and closing the email accounts of internet activists, in particular those using Facebook & Twitter, as well as the regular electricity cuts they are enforcing in many hotspot areas. The regime has a track record of horrendous media repression.

These protests are taking place following decades of systematic repression, violence, corruption, poverty and the silencing of all voices of dissent within the country. Please turn your attention to Syria. Their citizens deserve the right to be heard and to live without fear. Your help could save lives.

With this alarming situation unfolding, I urge you to call upon the Canadian Foreign Secretary to demand the following:
1. To recognize and support the rights of the Syrian people in a democratic and free country
2. To apply political pressure on the Syrian government to stop the killing and violence inflicted on innocent peaceful protesters
3. To apply pressure on the Syrian government to protect the people’s rights to demonstrate peacefully
4. To place further pressure for the immediate release of all political prisoners in Syrian jails, for freedom of speech and free media
5. To end arbitrary arrests and the torture of the protesters

Canada must not stand as a spectator in all this and allow the Syrian regime to continue to commit these crimes against humanity. It must take urgent action to prevent further loss of life and the escalation of events.

Yours sincerely,