The celebrations are still in full swing. Happy and relaxed faces can be seen everywhere. The people on the streets of Damascus are more tolerant and polite than ever, full of confidence in a better future.
Since the end of Assad's rule, many Syrians have returned from the diaspora. Civil society is more active than ever before. Workshops and events on a wide range of topics are taking place every day: on the role of civil society, the new constitution, the active participation of women in decision-making processes, addressing the crimes and issues of transitional justice, property and housing rights, and much more. It is amazing to see how large and diverse the participation and enthusiasm in the discussions is - despite the extreme cold and lack of heating.
In the evening, after the events, the activists continue their debates in Café Al Rawda in the center of Damascus. Here, people who have just returned to the city are greeted and celebrated with singing, and then the discussions continue. In the café, people meet friends and colleagues they haven't seen for years and feel the joy of their return. Journalists from Syrian, Arab and Western media are conspicuously present.
Returning to Syria from exile
The lucky returnees often stay with relatives or friends or live in a hotel where hot water for showers is available only for a limited number of hours each day. Their houses – if not destroyed by shelling or barrel bombs or confiscated by the regime – have been empty for years. Without repairs, access to electricity and water supplies, and the installation of a heating system, they are no longer habitable.
This is how I experience the atmosphere in Damascus. The city has become the destination for everyone who wants to explore and debate politics, form alliances and prepare for the next stage. However, this is by no means the case in most other Syrian cities – with some exceptions, such as Salamiya and Masyaf in the Hama governorate, where civil society is very active.
Syria at a crossroads
But alongside the joyful spirit of optimism, everyone also has fears and worries. Whether because the new government has failed to use clear and direct language to break with its past or because it’s relying on verbal orders and decisions instead of formulating clear written statements, especially at the level of the judiciary. Or because of uncertainty about the future of Syria, especially since the word democracy has not appeared in the official speeches so far.
Syria is at a crossroads today. Two possible political directions, with their respective political proponents, are competing with each other on almost equal footing: the first, democratic option is a civil constitutional state, which would protect the rights of all its citizens equally and without discrimination. This direction will undoubtedly lead Syria to reconstruction and prosperity and secure the support of democratic countries and the West. The second option is the new government's adherence to the possibility of an Islamic state. However, given Syria's diversity, this direction would lead to a civil war, the consequences of which are unpredictable. There are already signs of this in sectarian tensions in cities such as Homs.
However, one positive thing that all Syrians agree on is that the destroyed and exhausted Syria, after being liberated from over 50 years of dictatorship, now needs all its citizens, along with all their energy and knowledge. But it also needs the support of Western countries and international partners.
Germany's role in the reconstruction of Syria
Given the close ties that many Syrians have built with Germany, I hope that Germany will play an important role in supporting the development of the new Syria. One million Syrian refugees have found shelter here, many of whom have also taken on German citizenship in addition to their Syrian citizenship. They study at German universities, work at German companies, and their children attend German schools. These people will act as a strong bridge for future cooperation.
Germany was also the first state to use the principle of universal jurisdiction to open the door to justice for survivors and to hold those responsible for the crimes of the Assad regime to account. The German government issued the first international arrest warrant, and the world's first trial against state torture and systematic killing in Syria took place in Koblenz.
Towards a national dialogue
Syria needs an honest, transparent and continuous national dialogue. Only in this way can the outstanding issues and concerns be addressed and solutions found, which strengthen all Syrians in their diversity and encourage them to participate in rebuilding their country and shaping its future. Political and cultural forums are needed to establish the still fragile internal peace and to discuss the form of government, transitional justice, and how to come to terms with the past and make amends. Without these forums, there will be no lasting peace.
I myself am working hard with the help of a group of activists to rebuild the Forum for National Dialogue founded by my father Riad Seif. It was the starting point of the Damascus Spring in 2000 and marked the end of the upheaval with its closure and the arrest of my father and all activists in September 2001. When the forum reopens soon, I will make sure that it becomes a place where we can discuss important issues such as the constitution and the political participation of women.
I am also setting up my law office in the center of Damascus, which will be a center for constitutional and human rights, drawing on my years of experience working with my colleagues at ECCHR. I will regularly visit Germany, my second country, to work and see friends and colleagues.
Both my law office and the National Dialogue Forum have a symbolic value: the history of the National Dialogue Forum is the story of the Damascus Spring. The Forum was the first spark that ignited the spring. Its closure in February 2001 and the arrest of its first employee, my father, MP Riad Seif, were the beginning of the end of the Damascus Spring. Now, after the end of the Assad regime, we are at a new beginning after the last two decades. A new awakening in the history of Syria.
With warm wishes, Joumana Seif |
