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“No Dialogue Without Justice” – Suwayda Civil Society Organizations Boycott Damascus Conference Over EU Partnership with the Syrian Government
A group of civil society organizations from As-Suwayda Governorate announced their decision to boycott the upcoming “Day of Dialogue with Syrian Civil Society,” scheduled to take place in Damascus on 15 November 2025, in a joint statement addressed to the Delegation of the European Union and event organizers.
The organizations stated that their refusal stems primarily from the European Union’s decision to organize and coordinate the event in partnership with the Syrian government, emphasizing that the government is a direct party to widespread, documented atrocities and grave human rights violations committed against Syrians. They stressed that involving such a party “undermines the very principles of justice and accountability that any genuine dialogue with civil society must uphold.”
According to the statement, participating in a conference co-organized with an actor accused of massacres and systemic abuses “cannot be framed as constructive engagement,” but rather as “a political recycling of legitimacy at the expense of victims, their rights, and their memory.”
The organizations called on the EU Delegation to include their statement in the conference documentation and read it before the participants, describing it as “a civil voice from As-Suwayda representing victims and rejecting any dialogue process that overlooks the responsibility of perpetrators.”
The statement concluded by stressing the urgent need for a safe and transparent environment for dialogue—one that respects the independence of civil society and excludes any party implicated in violations from shaping Syria’s future.
