Regards from Tunis: Open letter to the Syrian Embassador in Tunis

Journalists, human right defenders and social media activists across the Arab world are watching the events in Syria closely, following day to day developments on Facebook, Twitter, YouTube, websites and blogs. In Tunisia, from where the revolutionary spark spread to other Arab countries after the popular uprising brought down Tunisian dictator Ben Ali in January 2011, the young blogger Liliopatra expressed her concerns over events in Syria in an open letter to the Syrian Embassador in Tunis. The Arabic original of her letter was published on her blog.

Sir,

We’ve received, with great sorrow and despair, news of suppression of demonstrators who are calling for freedom and reform in Syria, as well as the news of death of dozens of civilians during the past two weeks.

As a Tunisian citizen who loves Syria and believes in the sacred human life, I urge you to reflect on the fate of this great people. Repression doesn’t only confirm the brutality of the regime, but it also encourages the rebellion against the oppressor.

The Syrian people, like all others of our Arab region, have the right to enjoy all the human rights that have been denied to them for a long time now. Bloodshed in peaceful demonstrations, and assassination of the aspirations of the people who demand nothing but freedom, dignity, participation, and reform, can only be followed by anger and violence.

So, I call on you, Sir, to infer the correct lessons from what happened in Tunisia and Egypt and what is happening in Libya, Yemen and Bahrain. Attempts to contain the popular discontent by force and bullying only led to more bloodshed, for which the doers shall be accountable in this life and the after life.

Please condemn, in public, the aggressions against the Syrian word of truth so that your people will know that men of conscience are behind them, not thugs.

We hope, sir, to see Syria free. We hope to see Syrians citizen enjoying a life of dignity, enjoying their rights.
God’s angels have knelt in front of the human Adam for a reason, and the name of Islam wasn’t derived from the word “peace” by coincidence.

We count on your understanding.