Abi McDougal reads out a CSI statement on Syria at the UN Human Rights Council. Video screenshot: csi
On the evening of June 22, two assailants stormed the Mar Elias Orthodox church in Damascus’s old city district, opening fire with an automatic weapon and detonating a bomb. Close to 30 worshipers were killed, including the father of a little girl who saw him die in front of her. The Christian community was shaken by the attack, fearing that after massacres of Alawites in March, and Druzes in April, their turn had come.
The new government, which has continually promised Syria’s Christians safety and equality in the “new Syria” since coming to power nearly seven months ago, condemned the attack, blaming it on the Islamic State (ISIS). But a splinter group of HTS, the al Qaeda-linked organization that President Ahmed al-Sharaa used to lead, later claimed it had carried out the attack.
Saraya Ansar al-Sunna stated that the attack was in retaliation for Christians in Duweila, the neighborhood where Mar Elias Church stands, protesting against Muslims trying to convert them to Islam. The group also took a stance against President Sharaa’s government, accusing it of being “apostate” and saying it must be fought against.
Threat of genocide
Although al-Sharaa pledged to find those responsible for the church bombing and bring them to justice, Syrian Christians are skeptical.
“It is important for us to know who stands behind this heinous act,” said Patriarch John X Yazigi of the Greek Orthodox Church in Syria. But he added that even more important was “that the government bears full responsibility.”
The day after the massacre, CSI warned at the United Nations Human Rights Council of the threat of genocide facing Syria’s religious minorities.
In an oral statement, CSI’s Abi McDougal pointed out that since March, when pro-government forces slaughtered hundreds, the violence against Alawites, Druze, and now Christians had continued.
“Combined with the fragile security situation in Syria, we believe the conditions now exist for genocide in the Syrian Arab Republic,” McDougal concluded. “UN member states must fulfill their obligations under the Genocide Convention and take action to prevent it.”
Nagorno Karabakh peace forum faces resistance
After 19 members of the Swiss parliament established the cross-party Swiss Peace Initiative for Nagorno Karabakh in May, the Swiss government now says it will not organize a planned peace forum.
Responding to questions by parliamentarian Erich Vontobel – one of the co-chairs of the Initiative committee – the Swiss Federal Council stated on June 10 that “the Foreign Ministry is currently unable to plan the organization of a forum” as mandated by Parliamentary Motion 24.4259.
The government cited Azerbaijan’s refusal to acknowledge the existence of Nagorno Karabakh and its rejection of the peace forum aimed at enabling the return of the 120,000 Armenian Christians forcibly displaced following Azerbaijan’s September 2023 invasion.
In a media release, CSI pointed out that parliament had explicitly tasked the government with enabling open dialogue between Azerbaijan and representatives of the Nagorno Karabakh Armenians to negotiate conditions for the safe return of the displaced.
“The Federal Council is ignoring the core of Parliament’s mandate: giving those affected a voice in the peace process,” CSI said.
Kowtowing to a dictatorship
In their response to the government announcement, Vontobel and co-chair Stefan Müller-Altermatt said that the government’s climbdown effectively amounted to “accepting a dictatorship’s veto over a humanitarian mission.”
“Switzerland enjoys a high reputation as the depositary state of the Geneva Conventions and a traditional mediator. Right now, we could make an important contribution to stabilization and justice. Instead, we are making ourselves Azerbaijan’s accomplices,” Vontobel and Müller-Altermatt wrote.
“By turning a blind eye to ethnic cleansing, our foreign policy is undermining its own credibility. The final word has not yet been spoken – parliament must insist on the implementation of its mandate.”
Advocating for Myanmar
On June 27, CSI delivered a statement on the situation of minorities in Myanmar during an enhanced interactive dialogue with the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights and the Special Rapporteur on the situation of human rights in Myanmar.
“Christian Solidarity International believes that creating conditions for long-term peace in Myanmar must involve explicitly addressing religious freedom concerns,” Abi McDougal told the assembly.
Amid the widespread suffering of the civil war since 2021, Christian ethnic groups, such as the Chin and Karen, and Rohingya Muslims and Christians – who predominantly live in conflict zones – are particularly affected.
Now, with the collapse of the military regime’s control in much of the country, a crucial window has opened to support a future federal democratic transition and end the conflict.
“We ask for explicit recognition of local faith leaders as a key constituency for change. Engaging Buddhist as well as religious minority faith leaders can spearhead the shift from Buddhist nationalism to religious liberty, laying groundwork for long-term peace,” McDougal said.
