The Syrian Observatory For Human Rights

For 10th day in row | Security regime imposes siege on Daraa population to fulfill Russian demands

 

Daraa province: Daraa al-Balad and other areas under control of Daraa city has witnessed continuous siege that has been imposed by the regime forces and its security service over ten days, from June 25 until now via closing the main roads in the region to make pressure on the people and the inhabitants in the city who reject the Russian demands of striking new settlements for dozens of people, hand over their weapons and transfer former leaders of the factions who stroke reconciliation to al- Duraij area.

 

The pressure started in the second half of June when Russian officers have met with the Central Committee in Daraa city and asked them to hand over the personal weapons of several people in some districts in Daraa city, and then work on striking new settlement, the demands that were widely rejected by the inhabitants of Hawran.

 

However, the popular rejection was met with huge pressure from the Russian and the regime forces. 

 

On June 25, SOHR activists witnessed military reinforcement, security alert and addition of soil barriers in Daraa and its surrounding for the first time since regime forces captured the province in 2018. The people responded with protests in Daraa al-Balad against the Russian demands. 

 

 

On June 26, SOHR sources reported flights by fighter jets over Daraa province for the second consecutive day, along with flight by Russian reconnaissance drones over the eastern countryside of Daraa.

 

This development comes as a part of the Syrian regime’s attempts to exert pressure over tens of the residents of Daraa city who refuse to strike new reconciliation deals and hand over their individual weapons and force ex-commanders who struck reconciliation deals to move their work to al-Duraij area.

 

On July 2, SOHR sources reported seeing hundreds of residents participating in a demonstration in the square of al-Omary mosque in Daraa al-Balad, protesting the siege imposed by the Syrian regime on the region. The demonstrators have chanted slogans demanding the toppling of the Syrian regime and the president “Bashar al-Assad, they also emphasized on adherence to the principles and goals of the “Syrian Revolution”, including freedom, dignity, and the release of detainees in the regime’s prisons.

 

Until today, regime forces have still imposing siege of some areas in the city amid threats of intensifying that siege more in the coming few hours. SOHR appealed on the international bodies to press the Syrian regime and its Russian ally to lift the siege of the civilian in that region.