Syria has entered a phase more dangerous than anything we have known throughout the long years of war. After the fall of the old authoritarian regime, no democratic or representative authority was born to express the aspirations of the people. Instead, the capital, Damascus, was taken over by a jihadist terrorist authority, led by the so-called Abu Muhammad al-Jolani, who rose to the head of the "new authority" in Damascus and appointed himself as the president of Syria during the transitional phase, under foreign cover and suspicious internal silence.
What we are witnessing today is not just a transition of power, but a transition to subjugation under a new project based on violence and extremism, threatening Syria's identity and national unity. Instead of seeing al-Jolani as a real alternative to the fallen regime, we see him reproducing tyranny in a more extreme form, combined with a jihadist agenda that threatens to destroy the social fabric of Syria. This terrifying transformation does not represent hope or change, but rather the continuation of the crises that have exhausted this people for decades.
What we are witnessing today is not a transition of power, but a transition of terrorism from its Baathist form to its takfiri form. The "new authority" that claims to represent the end of Assad's regime is merely another face of tyranny, more dark and oppressive than before, as it combines political repression with doctrinal extremism.
We declare clearly:
The al-Jolani authority in Damascus is not liberation, but an internal occupation, and a reproduction of ISIS in official attire.
This authority does not believe in the state, citizenship, women's rights, or pluralism; it believes only in the sword, fatwas, and tribal-religious loyalty. What is happening today in the heart of the Syrian capital, in its institutions, and the intellectual, behavioral, and religious guardianship being imposed on the people, is nothing but the destruction of what remains of Syria’s spirit and the dream of its revolution.
In the face of this dangerous coup against the future of the country, we issue an urgent call to the international community, the United Nations, the European Union, and to all those who believe in human rights and freedom:
We demand the following:
- Declare Damascus a region under the control of a jihadist terrorist authority, requiring immediate international protection.
- Provide immediate international protection for all components of the Syrian people, from the north and east to the coast and south, with a focus on:
- The Kurdish people, who are targeted for their identity and democratic model,
• The Christians, Syriacs, and Assyrians, who face the threat of symbolic genocide,
• The Alawite sect, who are killed in the name of "the remnants of the fallen regime,"
• The Druze sect, who are killed in the name of "treason and dealings with Israel,"
• And other innocent people who were killed with the same false justifications used by the conflicting powers.
• Women, who are oppressed in the name of religion,
• Journalists, intellectuals, and activists, who face assassination or takfir.
This systematic violence does not only aim at eliminating political opponents, but also seeks to:
• Sow division and fragmentation between the components of Syrian society.
• Destroy the national fabric that remained steadfast despite years of war.
- Establish an independent international commission to investigate the crimes of the "new authority" led by al-Jolani, whether in Idlib or Damascus, and hold accountable the regional and international entities that support them.
- Acknowledge a federal system in Syria, which represents a true civilian option for all Syrians.
We reject this deadly blackmail being imposed on the Syrian people:
Either tyranny in the name of security, or extremism in the name of God.
We will not allow our revolution to be raped twice:
Once by Assad, and once by al-Jolani.
For a free, civil, pluralistic, and secular Syria...
We declare this statement as a cry to the world, and the final alarm bell before the country completely slips under the cloak of terrorism disguised with a political necktie.
May 1, 2025
Dr. Adnan Bozan