Rights group: American inaction in Syria constitutes ‘support’ for Assad

American inaction in Syria “goes against the most basic human right, the right to life,” one of the founders of America Supports Assad, a Facebook group composed of Syrian journalists and rights activists, tells Osama Abu Zeid.

Q: What’s the purpose of this campaign? What type of support is America providing to Assad?

“The purpose of the campaign is so that no one, including America, thinks that the Syrian people are able to be tricked. No one is able to deceive us by presenting some humanitarian aid and at the same time making it easy for Bashar al-Assad to commit massacres every day. We cannot accept the abuse of Syrian blood via shameless statements by American officials.”

Q: You mean Kerry’s recent statements around a no-fly zone and safe zones?

“Yes. This was one statement of several. This type of talk goes against the most basic human right, the right to life.”

Q: Does your group claim that America supports Assad simply because of the language of these statements? Or are you gathering documents that condemn America for specific, direct aid to Assad?

“America helped Assad in a great number of matters. Most importantly, by encouraging him to kill by focusing on withdrawing his chemical weapons at the expense of prosecuting his criminality.

This isn’t merely a statement, but rather a license to kill, and a tacit approval of killing Syrians with indiscriminate weapons like barrel bombs and daily bombardments from the sky.”