2016 ANNUAL REPORT

Directors’ letter 2

2016: Impact in numbers 4

The White Helmets on the world stage 6

Supporting Aleppo’s Heroes 14

Break the silence, Break the siege 22

2016 Income and expenses 26

Thank you 28

“ MOBILISING PEOPLE AROUND THE WORLD TO PROTECT SYRIAN CIVILIANS AND ACCELERATE PROGRESS TOWARDS A PEACEFUL AND DEMOCRATIC FUTURE FOR SYRIA.”The Syria Campaign mission statement

2016 THE SYRIA CAMPAIGN | 1

The bombing of schools, hospitals and homes continued unabated. The use of chemical weapons remained a regular occurrence. And the tactic of mass starvation of civilian areas continued unchecked.

In the context of a failure by the international community to address this crisis, The Syria Campaign focused on elevating the voices of Syria’s peacemakers and mobilising people around the world to support them.

This report features our proudest work. Here are some highlights. In 2016 we:

• Raised more than $9 million. Crowdfunding support from around the world for the lifesaving work of Syria’s rescue workers, the White Helmets, and building a children’s hospital to treat those injured by the bombings

• Brought the demands of Syria’s besieged to the world. Working with the late British MP Jo Cox to create an alliance of politicians standing with the women of Daraya, one of the most severely starved areas in the country

• Challenged the lack of action from the United Nations on aid access. Along with 50 leading Syrian humanitarian groups, launched a groundbreaking report which featured on the front pages of The Guardian, The New York Times and Foreign Policy which led to more open and robust criticism of the UN’s role in Syria

IN 2016 IN SYRIA WE WITNESSED THE VERY WORST OF HUMANITY. BUT WE ALSO SAW THE VERY BEST.

Anna Nolan Co-Executive Director

James Sadri Co-Executive Director

• Propelled Syrian heroes into the mainstream. Working with the Oscar nominated team of Orlando Von Einsiedel and Joanna Natasegara to create the Netflix film ‘The White Helmets’ a powerful, hard-hitting and inspiring look at Syria’s rescue workers reaching audiences around the world

• Celebrated peacemakers. Organising a campaign to support the nomination of the White Helmets for the Nobel Peace Prize— the most popular in history - backed by celebrities from George Clooney to Alicia Keys. Newspaper editorial boards from The Guardian to The Boston Globe also supported the call

• Crisis support. Working with the media and through elite advocacy to elevate the demands of the White Helmets, doctors and other civil society groups for safe passage out of the siege of Aleppo. This generated an international media spotlight that prevented the worst excesses of the attacks continuing and saved countless lives

2016 taught us that the international political failure on Syria is profound. However, we remain more convinced than ever that there is still scope for real impact. In a conflict of this ferocity, even the smallest reduction in the violence can affect tens of thousands of lives.

We want to extend the deepest gratitude and love to our partners across Syria - it is a true privilege to be able to support their work. We want to thank all those that make this work possible including our supporters, membership, volunteers and board.

2016 THE SYRIA CAMPAIGN | 3 2 | DIRECTOR’S LETTER

IMPACT IN NUMBERS

Raised for the White Helmets from 154,000 donors across the globe

in 195 countries taking action to support Syria’s heroes

On a single ‘viral’ Facebook video we supported

2,000 PLASTIC LIMBS Placed outside the Russian Embassy in London to protest the killings in Aleppo

Featuring our Syrian partners in major and popular media outlets

1 HOSPITAL Crowdfunded to support those displaced by the siege of Aleppo

+120 SYRIAN PARTNERS supported by our media and communication work

10 IMPACT SCREENINGSOf the Netflix ‘The White Helmets’ film in parliaments, UN Security Council and  European Parliament

$8.75 MILLION 67,500

MEDIA STORIES

49 MILLION VIEWS

537,869 MEMBERS

54 GLOBAL PUBLIC FIGURESSupport the White Helmets’ nomination for the Nobel Peace Prize

2016 THE SYRIA CAMPAIGN | 5 4 | 2016: IMPACT IN NUMBERS

THE WHITE HELMETS ON

THE WORLD STAGE

“ THE SYRIA CAMPAIGN HAD AN INCREDIBLY POSITIVE IMPACT ON THE WORK AND PROFILE OF THE WHITE HELMETS. THEY HELPED US EXPAND THE PROFILE OF OUR WORK FROM SYRIA TO THE WIDER WORLD AND BUILD IMPORTANT ADVOCACY RELATIONSHIPS.

IT IS CRUCIAL THAT WE CONTINUE THIS PARTNERSHIP AND ENSURE THIS WORK CONTINUES.” — Raed Saleh, Director of the White Helmets

(Syria Civil Defence)

GEORGE CLOONEY

ORGANISATIONS SIGNED UP IN SUPPORT

, JUSTIN TIMBERLAKE, , THANDIE NEWTON, DANIEL DAY LEWIS, CHRIS MARTIN, VANESSA REDGRAVE, SUSAN SARANDON

BEN AFFLECK

ISLA FISHER

DANIEL CRAIG

ALICIA KEYS

DANIEL DAY LEWIS

THE WHITE HELMETS: A SYMBOL OF HOPE

In 2016 the Syrian regime and Russia intensified their aerial war targeting schools, markets, homes — anything that allows civilians to exist. These attacks furthered the mass displacement that has contributed to the worst refugee crisis since World War II. Chemical weapons were repeatedly deployed on residential neighbourhoods, and hospitals were targeted with impunity.

In the midst of this darkness, the White Helmets struggled to save the lives others were trying so hard to take. They emerged as a shining example of the Syrian revolution the world forgot: heroes struggling for freedom and democracy caught between dictatorship and extremism. In 2016 we supported the White Helmets in becoming a symbol of hope for those in Syria and for millions more across the world.

The Nobel Peace Prize CampaignWhile the world focussed on the killing in Syria, we wanted to shine a spotlight on these heroes struggling for peace, who many Syrians and people around the world felt would be worthy winners of the Nobel Peace Prize.

We played a key role in securing official nominations for the prize, approaching academics and political figures who were only too happy to support these rescue workers. One of these included the late British MP Jo Cox, whose moving nomination was published after her death.

Then came the public campaign that made them the most supported nomination in history, picking up endorsements from newspapers like The Guardian and The Boston Globe, and featuring on the cover of Time Magazine. We generated over 325,000 signatures in support, leading the Huffington Post to describe them as the ‘People’s Choice’ for the award. As a result, bookmakers at the time had the White Helmets as favourites to win.

On October 8th, the White Helmets gathered around their screens in Syria to watch the ceremony live. While they missed out on the prize itself, the nomination brought them over 7,000 media articles and gained the admiration of millions of new fans around the world.

+133

GLOBAL CELEBRITIES PLEDGE THEIR SUPPORT

50 global celebrities backed the White Helmets for the prize, including:

2016 THE SYRIA CAMPAIGN | 9 8 | THE WHITE HELMETS

“ THE SYRIA CAMPAIGN HAS SUCCESSFULLY UNITED A BROAD COALITION OF CREATIVE PEOPLE TO BRING THE STORIES OF SYRIAN HEROES TO A GLOBAL AUDIENCE. IT’S BEEN A REAL PRIVILEGE TO WORK WITH THEM.” — Orlando von Einsiedel. Director,

The White Helmets.

Netflix Film In early 2016 we met with Oscar-nominated director Orlando Von Einsiedel and producer Joanna Natasegara who were seeking to make a new documentary about the White Helmets. We introduced them to the leadership of the organisation, and brokered a relationship which led to them gaining access to a training camp in southern Turkey.

The Syria Campaign then led the advocacy campaign around the film which included screenings at the UN Security Council with Ambassador Power, at the US Senate with key policy makers, as well as at a number of European parliaments.

In addition, we ran a high profile fundraising campaign alongside the film to ensure that these rescue workers received the greatest public support possible. The film’s screening in the US also enabled us to curate a US tour for the White Helmets leadership, including Raed Saleh, to meet with key figures from political, business and entertainment sectors.

2016 THE SYRIA CAMPAIGN | 11 10 | THE WHITE HELMETS

Khaled Omar Harrah — a hero amongst heroesIn August 2014, a White Helmets volunteer named Khaled Omar rescued a ten-day-old baby from under the rubble of his family’s three-storey home. The rescue was captured on camera and Khaled’s tears of joy became a powerful symbol of the humanity that defines the work of the White Helmets. The resulting video, produced by The Syria Campaign, has been watched by millions including in screenings at the White House, United Nations Security Council and European parliaments.

In 2015 The Syria Campaign organised an advocacy delegation for Khaled Omar to New York and Washington DC. In every meeting he asked the same question, “Why can’t the world stop the bombings?” Khaled wanted an answer for his colleagues in Aleppo. He boarded the plane home without an answer.

In August 2016, Khaled was killed in an airstrike in Aleppo whilst driving to the scene of a rescue. We remember the bravery of Khaled and the countless other lives he saved. Before the revolution, Khaled was a painter and decorator. He died a hero, celebrated by his colleagues and by his community as a rescuer of children.

The Hero Fund In building the profile of the White Helmets, we created a story about heroes that people around the world wanted to support. We established and managed an online crowdfunding platform that raised over $7m to look after injured volunteers and families of the fallen.

In the coverage around the siege of Aleppo, the White Helmets emerged at the top of lists of organisations to support in outlets ranging from Vogue, Huffington Post and TIME magazine. Social media amplified this call, including Khloe Kardashian posting to her 70 million followers on Instagram.

“ THE WHITE HELMETS’ HUMANITARIAN WORK AND THEIR DEEP COMMITMENT TO HUMANITY HAS THE POTENTIAL TO UNITE SYRIANS ON ALL SIDES, AND THE WORLD BEHIND THEM.” — Excerpt from Nobel Peace Prize nomination

letter from the late MP Jo Cox, friend of The Syria Campaign.

2016 THE SYRIA CAMPAIGN | 13 12 | THE WHITE HELMETS

SUPPORTING ALEPPO’S

HEROES

Direct Action at the Russian Embassy Despite clear evidence of war crimes, Russia’s bombing campaign in Aleppo was met with impunity and many felt Russia was impervious to public pressure. Responding to an ‘SOS’ call from Syrian activists on the ground, we planned and carried out a direct action at the Russian Embassy in London.

We blockaded the Russian embassy with more than two thousand mannequin limbs to protest the killing in Aleppo. Meanwhile our supporters called their switchboard in their hundreds, shutting down the Embassy telephone lines.

The action led to an official reaction from the Russian embassy in London, which called it “openly provocative” . The protest not only grabbed headlines worldwide but prompted Putin to authorise counter protests at embassies in Moscow. The next day, a hired crowd in Moscow staged a protest outside the British embassy, and even threw a mannequin limb over the gates.

ALEPPO’S DARKEST DAYS

This once vibrant historical city came to symbolise the atrocities of the war as forces allied to the Syrian regime pushed to recapture the east of the city. As a few square kilometres became completely encircled, civilians found themselves facing Russian-backed airstrikes from the sky and regime-affiliated militias going street to street on the ground. There was nowhere to escape. In those last few months we supported humanitarian workers calling out to a world seemingly unwilling to stop these crimes.

Rally for AleppoKnowing that we needed the story of Aleppo to reach the mainstream, we met with the editors of The Daily Mirror and Sunday Mirror and worked with both newspapers to launch a campaign to ‘Save Aleppo’s Children’. Both newspapers ran detailed feature stories on the work of the humanitarian workers in the city during November and December.

The culmination of this campaign partnership was a “rally for Aleppo” that brought together thousands of people outside 10 Downing Street, attended by War Child ambassador actor Carey Mulligan and co-organised by The Syria Campaign. This was covered on the front page of the Observer newspaper as well as all major national TV stations.

Dr. Maaz — a Surgeon of Courage In the lead up to the siege of Aleppo, airstrikes on hospitals increased. When the Al Quds hospital in Aleppo was hit in April 2016, it was the latest of 350 medical facilities that had been targeted.

Yet this attack had killed one of the city’s last remaining paediatricians, a courageous surgeon called Dr. Waseem Maaz. After contacting the Independent Doctors Association, we asked one of Dr. Maaz’s closest colleagues in Aleppo to write a letter in tribute to his friend in the hope of helping the world understand this loss.

After sharing this letter on The Syria Campaign’s Facebook page the story went viral online, shared by over 100,000 people and reaching over 10 million people. At that point the doctor’s story became a major news item, covered widely across international media including Channel 4, BBC News and CNN.

“OPENLY PROVOCATIVE” — Official statement from

The Russian Embassy in London about The Syria Campaign’s mannequin protest

16 | SUPPORTING ALEPPO’S HEROES

‘Hope’ HospitalWith the news that the final children’s hospital in Aleppo was forced to close its doors, we wanted a campaign that could transform public outrage at these attacks into a source of hope for frontline medics on the ground.

Partnering with Can Do and other Syrian and British doctors, we launched a crowdfunding website and campaign for a ‘Hope Hospital’ in the countryside near Aleppo to treat the children and women. We created the campaign in just ten days and thanks to our supporters and media work, we raised over $275,000 in just over two weeks.

The departure of the ‘People’s Convoy’ from the Chelsea and Westminster Hospital for Syria was a major media event, attended by broadcast news outlets including BBC TV and Radio, Sky News, ITV, London Tonight and the Press Association. This provided a platform for the doctors to explain the situation facing their counterparts in Syria, and to call on the UK government to take action to protect medical workers from deliberate attacks. The hospital has now opened and is treating children from Aleppo and across the region.

Direct Advocacy In September we supported Raed al Saleh (Head of the White Helmets) on an advocacy trip to the UN General Assembly where he met with Syria envoys from the US, Germany, Holland, UK and France, and with the US Secretary of State John Kerry. We also co-hosted a side event with the Dutch Mission focussed on Aleppo.

In the last weeks leading up to the fall of Aleppo we organised an advocacy and media tour for the White Helmets and Dr Osama Abo Elezz from Syrian American Medical Society to meet key European decision makers and discuss their demands for safe passage out of the Aleppo siege. They had meetings with key advisors to Merkel and representatives from the Green and CDU parties. In Paris they met the Ambassador for Syria and a number of politicians from across the political spectrum. We also secured them media including the homepage of BILD and on Germany’s biggest morning TV show.

Safe Passage Call During the chaotic final days of the siege of Aleppo, we helped deliver a single, clear message from the White Helmets and other humanitarian workers: the need for safe passage for civilians. We placed an op-ed from Raed Saleh on the front page of the Guardian site which was shared thousands of times on social media.

Responding to the urgent need for more human stories from the ground, we released daily dispatches from Aleppo as well data on airstrikes and the availability of food and other supplies. Working around the clock, we connected journalists to contacts on the ground resulting in over 50 broadcast news stories.

Although The Syria Campaign was only one of a network of people and organisations working to highlight the horrific situation in Aleppo, we heard from high-level government and UN sources that the public outcry and media spotlight generated played a key role in Russia’s decision to allow safe passage from the city.

Doctors’ Call to Obama In the attacks on Aleppo we saw an unprecedented targeting of hospitals with multiple strikes on the same facility in a single day. In partnership with Crisis Action we worked on a public call from the last remaining doctors in Aleppo to President Obama asking for protection. The letter grabbed headlines around the world including on the BBC, CNN and the Guardian, forcing the White House to comment on it within 24 hours.

“ THE SYRIA CAMPAIGN MADE THE PERFECT PARTNER. THEY HAD THE AGILITY NEEDED FOR AN EMERGENCY, THE EXPERIENCE AND REACH TO CO-CREATE A REALLY IMPACTFUL CAMPAIGN AND THE DEDICATION AND DETERMINATION TO MAKE IT HAPPEN. THAT IS EXACTLY WHAT HUMAN RIGHTS ADVOCATES SHOULD BE MADE OF.” —Dr. Rola Hallam, Founder of CanDo

2016 THE SYRIA CAMPAIGN | 19 18 | SUPPORTING ALEPPO’S HEROES

BREAK THE SIEGE

Creative interventionIn January 2016 we brought the issue of siege and aid access to the heart of political negotiations around Syria. We travelled to Geneva, Switzerland and along with activists in Planet Syria we set up a stall selling “Siege Soup” to journalists and delegates attending the peace talks. Dressed as leaders who were continuing to fail the people of Syria, the stunt had a simple and powerful message to the world’s media: that ordinary people were being starved due to their inaction.

For the first time, questions about aid access were being posed by journalists to negotiators involved in the talks. Pictures and videos from our action were carried by the Associated Press, Agence France Presse, the BBC, the New York Times and printed on the front page of the Daily Star Lebanon, the Middle East’s leading English-language daily.

Understanding the scaleThe slow, gradual increase of suffering in places like Daraya and Madaya was calculated to avoid producing the kind of dramatic moments that would engage a global audience.

In order to break the sieges, we needed key decision makers to understand the size of the problem because official UN figures were vastly underestimating the scale of the crisis. We worked to elevate the figures produced by Siege Watch, an initiative by the Syria Institute and Pax International, and soon after, the true figure of a million under siege was being referenced on newspaper front pages and on TV news.

We needed to make sure voices from under siege were being heard. We built networks of trusted sources in towns under siege and connected them to international journalists. We supported an open letter from besieged activists and humanitarians inside Syria, referenced in the Washington Post, which called out the UN for failing the people of Madaya.

BREAK THE SILENCE, BREAK THE SIEGE

The areas that were once the beating heart of Syria’s peaceful revolution have been subjected to the most brutal sieges for daring to oppose dictatorship. The Syrian regime has pursued a strategy of “starve or submit”, encircling entire neighbourhoods and cutting them off from food and medicine. This started in the early days of the uprising in Dera’a and then spread to Homs, Daraya, Moadamiya, Ghouta, Aleppo and many other towns besides. Although all sides have used siege as a weapon of war, it is the Syrian regime that is responsible for restricting access to 99% of the one million civilians under siege.

At the beginning of 2016, aid was being routinely denied to millions of Syrians and yet there was very little international attention on the issue. Even more shocking was the fact that some of the worst hit areas were only a few minutes’ drive from the UN’s headquarters in Damascus, where it was overseeing the largest aid budget in the organisation’s history.

22 | BREAK THE SILENCE, BREAK THE SIEGE

Truth to Power: The ‘Taking Sides’ Report In June we broke a major worldwide story around the international failure to lift the starvation sieges in Syria. With the backing of more than 50 of Syria’s leading humanitarian groups, we released a report and campaign pushing the UN to establish clear conditions on its aid operation inside the country to avoid becoming exploited and weaponised in the conflict.

Our “Taking Sides” report was a carefully researched critique of the UN’s aid programme in Damascus and it sparked a wave of international media coverage and demonstrated our readiness to speak truth to power. The report pushed the issue of aid access once again onto the agenda of political talks and led to a major debate at the UN.

The report was based on the demands of our Syrian partners themselves, and the recommendations were signed by 56 organisations including the White Helmets, Kesh Malek, Women Now for Development, the Douma local council and many more.

On the day of its release, the report led Foreign Policy’s international briefing and was the lead news story on Al Jazeera as well as covered extensively by the BBC. All the international wires carried the news and the investigation fired the starting gun on several independent efforts to uncover UN wrongdoing in Syria.

Taking Sides: The United Nations’ Loss Of Impartiality, Independence And Neutrality In Syria

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DIE ZEITW O C H E N Z E I T U N G F Ü R P O L I T I K W I R T S C H A F T W I S S E N U N D K U L T U R 4. MAI 2016 No 20

HeldentodEin Marder hat im Europäischen Kernforschungszentrum (CERN) einen Kurzschluss verursacht. Die Supermaschine schaltete sich ab. Die Protonen dort rasen je Sekun‑de 11 000‑mal durch die 27 Kilo‑meter lange Röhre. Der Marder, der sein Können schon an simplen Autos unter Beweis gestellt hatte, suchte die größere Herausforde‑rung. Dass er dabei den Heldentod fand, wird in die Annalen der Mar‑dergeschichte eingehen. GRN.

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20

Von allen Möglichkeiten, mit denen eine Regierung auf die Veröffent‑lichung von Geheimdokumenten reagieren kann, ist die denkbar schlechteste, einfach so weiterzu‑machen wie bisher. Denn dann

breitet sich Misstrauen im Land aus, und es wächst die Wut auf »die da oben«, die auf »uns hier unten« schon lange nicht mehr hören.

Kaum ein internationales Abkommen ist so um stritten wie die geplante transatlantische Frei handelsvereinbarung TTIP; selten stießen Wirtschaftsverhandlungen auf eine so breite Ableh nung von Linken wie Konservativen. Nun hat Green peace einen geheimen TTIP‑Vertrags‑entwurf enthüllt, der alle dunklen Ahnungen übertrifft. Und wie reagiert die Bundeskanzlerin? Angela Merkel will den Vertragsabschluss mit den USA nun noch beschleunigen. Damit ver‑größert sie die Vertrauenskrise, in der die Politik ohnehin steckt.

Weltweit müsste »made in the USA-EU« zum Qualitätssiegel werden

Erst in der vergangenen Woche hatte Merkel ge‑meinsam mit US‑Präsident Barack Obama vehe‑ment für TTIP geworben: Das Handelsabkom‑men werde Wohlstand bringen und auf keinen Fall europäische Errungenschaften gefährden. Nun ist klar: Die USA üben mehr Druck auf die Europäer aus als bisher bekannt. Sie wollen den Verbraucherschutz in der EU lockern; die Euro‑päer sollen mehr Gen‑Food und Hormonfleisch kaufen; die europäischen Grenzwerte für Pesti‑zide in der Landwirtschaft sollen weniger streng sein. Noch ist der Vertrag nicht fertig verhandelt, noch stehen im Entwurf vor allem die Wünsche beider Seiten. Und doch zeigt die Veröffentli‑chung der Geheimdokumente, dass bei den Ver‑handlungen etwas grundsätzlich falsch läuft.

Eigentlich wollen die Europäer und die Ame‑rikaner ja das größte, modernste und weitrei‑chendste Abkommen aller Zeiten schließen. Was aber genau verhandelt wird, soll möglichst lange geheim bleiben. Die Öffentlichkeit erfährt bis heute nur bruchstückhaft, um was es geht. Selbst Bundestagsabgeordnete dürfen Vertragsentwürfe nur in einem speziellen Leseraum in Berlin ein‑sehen – und hinterher nicht darüber sprechen, was sie dort gelesen haben. Das ganze Prozedere vermittelt nur eine Botschaft: Die Regierungen

misstrauen ihren Bürgern. Wen wundert es da, wenn im Gegenzug die Bürger den Politikern immer weniger trauen?

Dabei liegt die Stärke westlicher Demokra‑tien doch in Offenheit und Diskussion. Bei je‑dem Gesetz, das durchs Parlament geht, wird in der Regel ein Entwurf formuliert, über den man streiten kann – und soll. Der Entwurf wird ver‑öffentlicht; dann tauschen Befürworter und Gegner ihre Argumente aus. Wenn alles gut läuft, ist das fertige Gesetz besser als der Entwurf. Wenn nicht, kann das Parlament das Gesetz ablehnen. Oder, nach der nächsten Wahl, mit anderen Mehrheiten ein neues schreiben.

All das war bei TTIP nicht vorgesehen. Schlimmer noch: Wenn Details aus den Ver‑handlungen bekannt wurden, bestätigten sie die Ängste der Bürger, dass Standards gesenkt und Regeln geschleift werden sollen. Widerspruch war nicht vorgesehen. Das ist so, als wollte die Bundesregierung das Grundgesetz ändern – und im Parlament würde über die Details nie gespro‑chen, weil die einen sie nicht kennen und die anderen nicht über sie reden dürfen. Kein Wun‑der, dass die meisten Deutschen TTIP ablehnen.

Bitter ist das, weil TTIP trotz aller Kritik eine Chance bietet. Gerade eine Exportnation wie Deutschland braucht offene Märkte und faire globale Regeln. Europa und die USA könnten diese Regeln gemeinsam ja tatsächlich viel besser definieren als China oder Russland. Nur müss‑ten sie strengere Regeln zum Schutz von Klima, Umwelt, Sozialstandards und Verbraucherrech‑ten dabei nicht als Last begreifen, sondern als gemeinsame Vision. Sie müssten »made in the USA‑EU« zum Qualitätssiegel machen.

Unter Zeitdruck geht das nicht, jetzt weniger denn je. Denn die Amerikaner werden auf die Veröffentlichung des Textes eher frostig reagie‑ren und noch weniger Zugeständnisse machen.

TTIP rettet man nicht, indem man möglichst schnell zu Ende verhandelt, wie Angela Merkel es will. Wer TTIP retten will, sollte die Verhand‑lungen jetzt stoppen – und von vorn beginnen. Unabhängig vom vermeintlichen Zeitdruck durch die amerikanischen Präsidentschaftswah‑len oder die nächste Bundestagswahl. Und vor allem: ohne Angst vor den eigenen Bürgern.

Angst vor dem VolkMerkel will TTIP im Eilverfahren durchbringen, doch wer es retten will, sollte die Verhandlungen jetzt stoppen VON PETRA PINZLER

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FREIHANDELSABKOMMEN

71. JAHRGANG C 7451 C

No20

»I have a dream«. Diesen legendären Satz hat der Bürgerrechtler Martin Luther King oft gesagt; hier fotografiert bei einer Rede am 25. März 1965 in Montgomery/Alabama. © S. F. Somerstein/Getty Images

Jetzt am Kiosk!Der neue ZEIT Studien‑ führer mit dem Uni‑ Ranking des Centrums für Hochschul entwicklung

Die Kunst des RedensWie fesselt man das Publikum?

Warum reden Frauen anders als Männer? Wo endet Rhetorik,

und wo beginnt Propaganda? WISSEN

Das erste Gespräch mit Jan Böhmermann nach seiner

Staatsaffäre Feuilleton, Seite 41

»Merkel hat aus mir einen deutschen Ai Weiwei gemacht«

Zur Geheimhaltung siehe auch Wirtschaft, S. 31

Manchmal verdichtet sich im Schicksal eines Menschen das Wesen einer Katastrophe. Das Bild des Kinderarztes Moham‑med Wasim Maas, getötet am 27. April bei einem Luft‑

angriff syrischer Kampfbomber auf ein Kranken‑haus in Aleppo, hat einen internationalen Aufschrei ausgelöst. Es war Augenzeugen zufolge ein ge zielter Angriff. Mit Maas starben mehr als fünfzig Men‑schen – Ärzte, Krankenschwestern und Patienten. Für einen kurzen Moment wurde deutlich, was der »Bürgerkrieg« in Syrien im Kern ist: ein Krieg des Regimes gegen seine Bürger.

An all jene, die jetzt die Hand zum Einwand erheben: Nein, der IS ist nicht die tödlichste Kriegspartei in Syrien. Das ist mit großem Ab‑stand das Regime. Und: Ja, alle Kampfparteien begehen Kriegsverbrechen. Aber keine bombar‑diert und stranguliert mit solcher Systematik die Zivilbevölkerung, wie es das Regime mit russi‑scher und iranischer Hilfe tut. Assads Luftwaffe attackiert gezielt Krankenhäuser, Schulen, Marktplätze, auf denen Menschen Schlange ste‑hen für das Wenige, was es noch zu kaufen gibt. In manchen belagerten Städten ernähren sich Be‑wohner von Gras und »Suppe« aus Wasser und Gewürzen. Kinder sterben an Unterernährung, Kranke aus Mangel an Medikamenten.

Auf den Genfer Verhandlungen ruhen kaum noch Hoffnungen

Es ist ein Krieg, in den Europa sich endlich ein‑mischen muss. Nicht aufseiten irgendwelcher Rebellen. Sondern aufseiten von Syrern wie Mo‑hammed Wasim Maas, die mit schier über‑menschlicher Sturheit daran glauben, dass es besser ist, zu bleiben, als (nach Europa) zu flie‑hen. Und die an den Zielen der Proteste von 2011 festhalten: dem Ende von Repression und Korruption – und dem Abtritt Assads.

Fünf Jahre nach dem Beginn der Arabellio‑nen klingt das grenzenlos naiv – vor allem in An‑betracht der aktuellen Lage: Die im Februar be‑gonnene Waffenruhe in Syrien ist gescheitert, darüber können lokale Feuerpausen nicht hin‑wegtäuschen. Auf den Genfer Verhandlungs‑prozess setzt kaum noch jemand Hoffnung. Denn selbst wenn die Hotelzimmer für die Dele‑gationen reserviert bleiben, ist eines klar: Baschar al‑Assad, gut aufgerüstet aus russischen Bestän‑

Wir FeiglingeAssad führt Krieg gegen Kinder und Krankenschwestern. Europa muss sich endlich einmischen. Es gäbe einen Weg VON ANDREA BÖHM

DAS DRAMA IN SYRIEN

den, setzt auf eine militärische Lösung. Seine Strategie: Wir bombardieren und belagern, bis man uns in Genf gibt, was wir wollen. Das Ziel ist Machterhalt um jeden Preis.

Bis auf Weiteres stellt sich ihm niemand in den Weg, nicht Wladimir Putin, der es könnte, noch Barack Obama, der es gar nicht erst ver‑suchen will, noch die Regionalmächte Saudi‑ Arabien und Iran, die ihr geostrategisches Arm‑drücken auf dem Rücken der Syrer fortsetzen.

Bleibt ausgerechnet das von der Flüchtlings‑krise angeschlagene Europa. Es geht hier um Himmels willen nicht um das nächste große In‑terventionsprojekt. Wie kontraproduktiv ein sol‑ches sein kann, wissen wir seit dem Irakkrieg. Aber es gibt einen Spielraum, der in den vergan‑genen Jahren sträflich verschenkt wurde.

Die Militarisierung der Nahostpolitik hat uns blind gemacht für jene syrischen Akteure, die keine Kalaschnikow in der Hand halten. Dass gerade in dem arabischen Land, in dem das Re‑gime am brutalsten zurückschlug, demokratische Experimente der Selbstverwaltung entstanden – und bis heute bestehen –, ist untergegangen.

In den Wochen, in denen die Waffenruhe weithin eingehalten wurde, gingen die Menschen in den oppositionellen Gebieten wieder zu Tau‑senden auf die Straße. Gegen den IS, auch gegen islamistische Rebellen, vor allem aber gegen das Regime. Die »Wiederauferstehung« der Protest‑bewegung niederzuwalzen ist ein zentrales Ziel der jetzigen Bombardements und Belagerungen.

Über zwei Dutzend Abgeordnete aus vier europäischen Ländern – Großbritannien, Frank‑reich, den Niederlanden und Deutschland – haben nun ihre Regierungen aufgefordert, die Hunger‑ringe mit Luftbrücken zu durchbrechen, und zwar mithilfe der Flugzeuge, die in Syrien gegen den IS im Einsatz sind. Das ist machbar: Aus‑gerechnet Russland hat das bereits demonstriert, mit einer Luftbrücke für die Bewohner einer vom IS eingeschlossenen Stadt. »Die anhaltenden Be‑lagerungen«, schreiben die Abgeordneten, »sind eine Schande für Europa.«

Luftbrücken gegen den Hunger wären eine erste europäische Initiative zum Schutz der Zivil‑bevölkerung in Syrien. Und ein Zeichen an das Regime, dass Europa nicht mehr tatenlos zusieht, wie ein Diktator weiter Abertausende Flüchtlinge produziert.

www.zeit.de/audio

“ FOR THE FIRST TIME THE WOMEN FELT THEIR VOICE WAS HEARD”— Mariah Alabdeh, Executive

Director of Women Now for Development

Women of Daraya push for air dropsWe partnered with the inspiring activists of Women Now in Daraya to elevate their demands to the world. Daraya, a small town governed by a democratic council and just 10 miles from Damascus should have been easy to reach, and yet locals were forced to eat grass because of the tight blockade.

We worked with the late Jo Cox MP to galvanise the support of dozens of European MPs to push for airdrops to communities as land routes remained blocked. The Guardian newspaper ran an exclusive, while Germany’s most widely read and influential paper Die Zeit put it on the front page under the headline “we are cowards”. The press coverage, combined with questions asked in UK Parliament, rapidly led to increased international pressure for aid access to Daraya. As the clamour increased for air drops, Russia intervened and pushed its ally the Syrian regime to open the land route to Daraya. There is little doubt that the eventual deliveries to Daraya after more than four years of siege were linked to this public pressure.

2016 THE SYRIA CAMPAIGN | 25

2016 Income 2016 Expenses

Total Income £530,000

Individual £301,300 57%

Crowd-funding £142,500 27%

Foundation £63,400 12%

Other Income £22,800 4%

Fundraising & Development £3,852 1%

Travel & Meeting £29,059 5%

Business Expenses £11,886 2%

Office Expenses £21,171 4%

Campaign £70,280 13%

Staffing £396,753 74%

2016 CAMPAIGN FOR SYRIA | 27 26 | 2016 INCOME AND EXPENSES

2016 INCOME AND EXPENSES

Total Expense £533,000

THANK YOU

We are hugely indebted to everyone who has enabled The Syria Campaign to deliver this level of impact.

First and foremost, our Syrian partners who continue to inspire us with their courage, determination and hope despite the constant attacks they face. We want to thank you for your openness, your support for our work and for partnering with us in the deepest way possible. You are the reason we do this work and it is a true honour to support your struggle for a free and democratic Syria.

We would like to extend the most sincere thank you to the individuals and foundations who have made this work possible. None of this would exist without your values, dedication and generosity.

We want to thank everyone in The Syria Campaign whose commitment, creativity and courage drives everything we do. We appreciate all the sacrifices and extra miles you have gone to bring together these inspiring campaigns. Thank you to our Board Members Ben Stewart, Dan Gorman, Lina Sergie, Sawsan Asfari and Tim Dixon who provided endless amounts of support, guidance and leadership to help build the organisation.

Finally we want to thank the wide network of people who we are so deeply proud to call friends of the campaign.

FUNDERS

We would like to extend the most sincere thank you to the individuals and foundations that support our work and share our values.

The Syria Campaign is fiercely independent and we have not taken money from governments or individuals linked to the violence of the conflict. All our donors have strong commitments to democracy and human rights, the values we share in our team.

Rockefellers Brothers Fund

The Asfari Foundation

The Funding Network

Network for Social change

Threshold Foundation

Britdoc

The Syria Campaign members

28 | THANK YOU

“ THE SYRIA CAMPAIGN HAS COME TO REPRESENT THE MISSING LINK BETWEEN SYRIAN PEOPLE AND THE INTERNATIONAL COMMUNITY.”—Salma Kahale, Executive Director of Dalwaty

A special thank you to Tammam Azzam for the use of the cover image