Oct, 05, 2011

Press Release Responding to allegations regarding harassment of dissidents

Whereas the Syrian Embassy in Washington remains committed to engage with the Syrian-American community in a serious, respectful and constructive dialogue, there have been concerted efforts recently by individuals and the media to spread lies and distortions regarding the Embassy of Syria. These preposterous allegations claim that the Embassy is involved in targeting or intimidating Syrian expatriates in the US, which is absolutely untrue. This is an outrageous travesty of truth. Promoted and proclaimed by vicious circles. It comes within the framework of an extensive campaign to instigate hatred and incite animosity. The purpose is simply to undermine any engagement process aiming to solve the crisis in Syria. One particularly disgraceful example is that of the heinous report of Amnesty International. This report brazenly claims that Syrian embassies were involved in these totally fabricated stories without the slightest effort from its side to verify the veracity of these wild stories. We call upon Amnesty International not to become a party to this campaign of lies against Syria. The Embassy of Syria utterly denounces these false allegations, and reaffirms that the only viable path is to conduct an honest, candid and productive dialogue with all components of the Syrian community regardless of their political affiliations. This is how a common ground can be established and bridges extended. After all, despite all divisions, what unites us is far more than what drives us apart. We are all Syrians. However, this massive campaign of lies and disinformation is a dj vu. We have had witnessed this happening time and again, and we expect to see more of it in the future.

Media Office Embassy of the Syrian Arab Republic