Vigil in front of the Federal Chancellery: Merkel should urge Erdogan to allow humanitarian aid worker to access Kurds and Christians in Syria!

On Tuesday, the Society for Threatened Peoples (STP) will hold a vigil in front of the Federal Chancellery building, to ask Chancellor Angela Merkel to urge the Turkish Prime Minister, Recep Tayyip Erdogan, to allow humanitarian help for the needy Kurds and Christians in Syria. "Please urge Erdogan to open the three border crossings at Jazeera, Kobanî (Ain al-Arab) and Afrin in northern Syria, to allow permanent access," says the letter by the international human rights organization to Merkel. In addition, she should also ask Erdogan to advocate for the release of two Syrian bishops who were abducted by Syrian Islamists on April 22, 2013.

"Every day, we receive urgent cries for help from northern Syria," reported the STP. "There is almost no bread, let alone baby food or adequate medication. The humanitarian situation for the about four million Kurds, Christian Assyrian-Aramaeans and other minority groups in the areas around Jazeera, Kobanî and Afrin is getting worse. "Many Kurdish (Muslims and Yazidis), Christian and Arab-Sunni refugees from other parts of Syria have sought refuge there. The three regions are largely cut off from the outside world . Both the Islamists and the Syrian government forces have set up blockades in the south, while Turkish troops are blocking access from the north: aid convoys are not allowed to pass through.

There is not much information about the fate of the two abducted bishops Yohanna Ibrahim, Archbishop of the Syrian Orthodox Church, and Boulos Yazigi of the Greek Orthodox Church. According to media reports, they are kept hostage by an armed Syrian militia group that operates form Turkish territory. The Bishops had been ambushed close to the now almost completely destroyed northern Syrian economic metropolis of Aleppo, when they were on their way to negotiate about the release of a kidnapped priest. Their driver, a deacon, was shot dead by the kidnappers. So far, there is no information on the fate of the Christian dignitaries.

The fighting in Syria has now been going on for about 3 years. At least 130,000 people have lost their lives. Millions of people have been displaced and the whole country is devastated. According to the STP, sustainable peace in Syria can only be achieved by considering the interests of all parts of the Syrian population, in particular the four million Kurds and Christians.

The STP's Middle East Consultant, Dr. Kamal Sido, is available for further questions: +49 (0)551 499 06 18.