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º£½ÇÖ±²¥ among Syrian people’s ‘strongest’ supporters, says latter’s UN representative

º£½ÇÖ±²¥ among Syrian people’s ‘strongest’ supporters, says latter’s UN representative
Assad fled Syria after a lightning offensive spearheaded by the Hayat Tahrir Al-Sham group and its allies, which brought to a spectacular end more than five decades of rule by his clan. (AFP)
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Updated 12 December 2024

º£½ÇÖ±²¥ among Syrian people’s ‘strongest’ supporters, says latter’s UN representative

º£½ÇÖ±²¥ among Syrian people’s ‘strongest’ supporters, says latter’s UN representative
  • Qusay Al-Dahhak rejects Israel’s attacks on Syrian soil
  • New leaders ‘working hard’ to defend nation’s interests

DUBAI: º£½ÇÖ±²¥ was one of several Arab countries which showed the “strongest support†for Syria’s people after the fall of Bashar Assad’s government.

This is according to Qusay Al-Dahhak, permanent representative of Syria to the UN, who made the comments in an interview with AlHadath on Tuesday.

“The strongest support came from the Arab countries, especially from º£½ÇÖ±²¥. We received many messages of support that reiterated their support for the Syrian people and the rejection of any Israeli aggression on the land and people,†he explained.

Assad fled Syria after a lightning offensive spearheaded by the Hayat Tahrir Al-Sham group and its allies, which brought to a spectacular end more than five decades of rule by his clan.

Syrians across the country and around the world erupted in celebration, after enduring a stifling era during which anyone suspected of dissent could be thrown into jail or killed.

With Assad’s overthrow plunging Syria into the unknown, its new leaders have sought to assure members of the country’s religious minorities that they will not repress them.

“Changing the Syrian flag at the UN headquarters has a protocol which involves the government and requires the Syrian government to officially implement the new flag in order to raise it in the building,†said Al-Dahhak.

“Through different embassies, Syrian representatives are working hard to defend the interests of Syria and follow all the orders of officials coming from Damascus,†explained Al-Dahhak.

“Prime Minister Mohammad Al-Bashir ordered embassies and Syrian diplomats to protect Syria’s interests. At the UN we spread Syria’s message that is currently going through a historical change while the new regime is being put into place,†he said.


Tunisian opponents go on collective hunger strike to support jailed figure

Tunisian opponents go on collective hunger strike to support jailed figure
Updated 58 min 2 sec ago

Tunisian opponents go on collective hunger strike to support jailed figure

Tunisian opponents go on collective hunger strike to support jailed figure
  • Ben Mbarek launched a hunger strike last week to protest his detention since February 2023
  • Hazgui said “the family would also launch a hunger strike beginning tomorrow“

TUNIS: Prominent Tunisian opposition figures including Rached Ghannouchi said Friday they would go on hunger strike in solidarity with a jailed politician whose health they say has severely deteriorated after nine days without food.
Jawhar Ben Mbarek, co-founder of the National Salvation Front, Tunisia’s main opposition alliance, launched a hunger strike last week to protest his detention since February 2023.
In April, he was sentenced to 18 years behind bars on charges of “conspiracy against state security†and “belonging to a terrorist group†in a mass trial criticized by rights groups.
Members of Ben Mbarek’s family and leaders from opposition Ennahdha and Al Joumhouri parties said they would join the strike.
“Jawhar is in a worrisome condition, and his health is deteriorating,†said Ezzeddine Hazgui, his father and a veteran activist, during a press conference in Tunis.
Hazgui said “the family would also launch a hunger strike beginning tomorrow,†without specifying which relatives would take part.
“We will not forgive (President) Kais Saied,†he said.
Rights groups have warned of a sharp decline in civil liberties in the North African country since a sweeping power grab by Saied in July 2021.
Many of his critics are currently behind bars.
Ghannouchi, the 84-year-old leader of the Islamist-inspired Ennahdha party who is also serving hefty prison sentences, said he joined the protest on Friday, according to a post on his official Facebook page.
Ghannouchi said his hunger strike sought to support Ben Mbarek, but also to “defend freedoms in the country.â€
Centrist Al Joumhouri party leader Issam Chebbi, who is also behind bars, announced he launched a hunger strike on Friday as well.
Wissam Sghaier, another leader in Al Joumhouri, said some members of the party would follow suit.
Sghaier said the party’s headquarters in the capital would serve as a gathering point for anyone willing to join.
Relatives and a delegation from the Tunisian League for Human Rights (LTDH) visited Ben Mbarek at the Belli Civil Prison where he is held southeast of Tunis and reported a “serious deterioration of his state.â€
Many gathered near the prison to demand Ben Mbarek’s release.
The LTDH said there have been “numerous attempts†to persuade Ben Mbarek to suspend the hunger strike, but “he refused and said he was committed to maintain it until the injustice inflicted upon him is lifted.â€
On Wednesday, prison authorities denied in a statement that the health of any prisoners had deteriorated because of a hunger strike, without naming Ben Mbarek.