A humanitarian Urgency
Syria’s Minister of Health, Dr. Nizar Yazigi, stated yesterday in statements to media outlets that the sanctions imposed on Syria do hinder the urgent need for ventilators in case of COVID-19 spread.
One cannot but to wonder how come! Is it possible in the global village of today to impose and even tighten sanctions against human beings? It is indeed a crime against humanity to deny humans their basic needs, particularly medicine, health care and human life safety and medical needs!
What have the Syrians, Iranian, Russian, or others, done against others, other than fighting terrorism and safeguarding their rights, sovereignty, territory and independence?
Unfortunately, the USA, European Union, in a stark and flagrant violation of human rights principles and rules, have so far refused to lift economic sanctions on Syria during the ongoing COVID-19 outbreak.
In a reckless and inhumane move, the EU, along with the United States, the United Kingdom, Ukraine, and Georgia blocked last week a UN General Assembly motion by Russia that called for the lifting of sanctions amid the epidemiological and economic crises.
Actually, such irresponsible unilateral sanctions endanger the Syrians life and expose them to grave risks and threats, not to mention the risks and threats of about a decade of multinational foreign backed terrorism against their existence!
Is the inhumane and brutal refusal to lift, or at least suspend, the imposed unjustified sanctions in response to the Syrians’ sacrifices and fight against terrorism and against their defense, along with their allies, of humanity, peace and welfare encountering barbarity, war and slaughter!
It is now more than late that all should unanimously and humanly face and deal with the borderless COVID-19. Any outbreak and deterioration of the situation in any part of this global village would but aggravate globally the situation.
Such a global pandemic would but cause the deaths of many civilians, as was the case when many backed and supported multinational terrorists slaughtered the Syrians.
Hopefully, the concerned would consider, if not the humanitarian situation, the repeated calls and pleads by UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres, and countless voices of reason.
It is indeed a matter of a humanitarian urgency to immediately waive unilateral economic sanctions as to ensure access to food, essential health supplies, and COVID-19 medical support in the global interconnected village of today.
Dr. Mohamad Abdo Al-Ibrahim