Dr. Katya Alkhateeb

On 24 February, Damascus hosted a stage-managed “National Dialogue Conference” that, after two days of talk, never once uttered the word “democracy.” We all know Al-Sharaa treats the word like poison, and those around him follow suit without needing to be told. But the conference was meant to echo the people, not Al-Sharaa. The fact that no participant brought it up, or that it was deliberately kept out of the record, claims that not a single Syrian component aspires for democratic rule. And after 14 years of struggle where democracy was at the heart of Syria’s fight for freedom, this makes a mockery of the very idea of dialogue. The final statement was nothing more than Al-Sharaa’s narrow political vision dressed up as consensus. Yet these conferences are not meant for the obedient; their real purpose is to bring every Syrian, especially those who disagree, to the table to shape genuine consensus. Instead, it was a facade, and Syrians who spoke out were shamed and sidelined. So you don’t like this recent development of the other Syrian components doing it on their own? Neither do I. But you should have thought about that when you were busy being yes-men. Because like them or not, the February conference should have included all these components, and anyone who arrogantly thought a bogus dialogue conference wasn't going to spell trouble, has been living in Lala land.

Profundamente honrada por la confianza que los Estados de las Américas ponen hoy en mí para defender los derechos humanos de todos. Gracias a los Estados Unidos por la audacia de una candidatura tan extraordinaria como la mía. Será un honor servir a los pueblos de las Américas.