Syria :: Brazilian Ministry of Foreign Affairs should be more pro-active

Conectas has sent yesterday (24/07) a letter to the Brazilian Minister of Foreign Affairs, Antonio Patriota, seeking information about the position of Brazil given the escalation of violence and the worsening of the human rights crisis in Syria. The letter inquires the Brazilian government on its position on alternatives such as sending the case to the International Criminal Court and the adoption of measures such as arms embargo and targeted sanctions against individual members of the Syrian regime.

 

"The increasing leading role of Brazil in the international arena demands a more pro-active stance. We know that the government does not support the use of force in Syria. However, the Brazilian government must also put forth what concrete measures it proposes before the worsening of the situation and the thousands of deaths of Syrians,” said Camila Asano, Foreign Policy Coordinator of Conectas.

 

Since March 2011, the government repression of the pro-democracy uprisings in Syria, which began peacefully, has led to the death of more than 10,000 people, most of whom are civilians, according to the UN. Other estimates put the number to more than 19,000 dead. Also according to the UN, more than a million people have been internally displaced in the country and more than 100,000 have sought refuge in neighboring countries.

 

Read the letter sent to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs here (in Portuguese).