January 2, 2012

The Secretary-General of the Arab League acknowledged today that Syrians doubt the nature of the observers’ mission in Syria. The Arab League has demonstrated, despite their alleged good intentions, their ignorance of the daily reality Syrians face and the regime’s true nature and methods it is willing to employ. We will assume that the Arab League did not play a conscious role in giving the despotic regime in Syria more time to suppress the Syrian Revolution by working with regional and international regimes in pursuing a political solution that is contrary to the Revolution’s objectives.

The mission of the Arab League observers is to ensure that the Syrian regime implements the conditions of the Arab League initiative, which calls for an end to the daily killing; withdrawal of the army and its vehicles from the cities, towns, and demonstrating neighborhoods; an end to all torture and detention; and the release of all political prisoners.

The regime has been setting obstacles and delaying the proper execution of this mission, and the Arab League has fallen victim to the regime's typical traps, in which observers have no choice but to witness regime-staged events, and move about the country only with the full knowledge of the regime. This has rendered the observers unable to work or move independently or in a neutral manner.

Disguising soldiers and army officers in police uniforms, painting their vehicles, and hiding them in various cities and neighborhoods does not mean withdrawing the army and its vehicles, and does not indicate a commitment by the regime to implement the requirements of the protocol.

The Local Coordination Committees has documented 5,899 Syrian martyrs since March 15, 2011. Of these, 390 have been martyred since the Arab League’s observer mission began on December 21, 2011. Of these martyrs, 24 died under torture. The death toll includes 30 children.

It is important to remind the Secretary-General that the observers’ inability to arrive to various areas at their scheduled times, and their lack of professional behavior, have contributed to the martyrdom of many people in multiple areas.

In addition, the Secretary-General’s deception has not stopped at this: he continued to speak about the notion that the Syrian regime is committed to releasing thousands of detainees from its prisons and torture cellars. We remind the Secretary-General that tens of thousands are detained in over-crowded prisons of security branches, as well as official and non-official government headquarters, all over the country. In addition, the regime’s detention campaigns increased in aggression and savagery after the Arab League observers arrived.

The members of the Local Coordination Committees herewith express their grave concern about such statements by the Secretary-General, which contribute to giving false testimony to positive behavior on the part of a criminal regime that has brutalized its people without monitoring or accountability. We remind the Secretary-General and the observers of their mandated role and responsibility to protect civilians in Syria. We demand a minimal level of ethics, impartiality, straightforwardness, and objectivity from the Arab League, its Secretary-General, and its observers, and we call on them to assume, at minimum, their professional and humanitarian responsibilities. We request that the Arab League and its observer committee acknowledge their inability to perform their mission independently, and therefore, request professional and technical support from international organizations in this field.