An Irish priest based in Syria has called on the US and Europe to reassess their policy of long-term economic sanctions on the Assad regime – claiming sanctions threaten the future of ordinary citizens.
ne month on from the 7.8-magnitude quake which has so far claimed tens of thousands of lives, Cork Jesuit Fr Tony O’Riordan said sanctions are exacerbating the already “grotesque poverty” that “ordinary Syrians” are suffering.
US president Joe Biden’s decision in the immediate aftermath of the earthquake to relax US sanctions drew sharp criticism from some in Washington, but Fr O’Riordan called on those in power to consider lifting them completely.
As he leads the Jesuit response to the crisis in Aleppo, Fr O’Riordan said it remains “a city where people know hunger on a daily basis” as a direct result of the international sanctions.
He said Syria was already on its knees, due to 12 years of civil war – and he could not see a peaceful end to the conflict unless there is “a significant international effort to try to resolve the situation”.
Tens of thousands continue to sleep in makeshift shelters or out in open public spaces, such is the fear of further earth tremors and aftershocks. The last major aftershock hit Aleppo two weeks ago.
“The people here know the pain of extreme poverty, not having fuel or access to medical care, they know what it’s like to live in the dark,” said Fr O’Riordan.
“There has been no urgency to address the political and international status of Syria, or to look at the role of sanctions and the impact of sanctions on ordinary people. No one looks at what is the best way of moving forward in Syria.
“The big powers – Russia, Turkey, the US, and neighbouring countries – they are happy for all different reasons to see Syria move towards crippling poverty, and aid alone cannot be the international response.”
In 2016, Fr O’Riordan bravely highlighted the “evil” activities of drug gangs in his former parish of Moyross in Limerick. In 2018, he escaped an attack by a 2,000-strong mob on a Jesuit compound in South Sudan.
The Kilmichael native says he believes the Irish Government “can play a very key role in keeping the plight of Syria on the international agenda”.
He suggested that Taoiseach Leo Varadkar and his cabinet colleagues could “bring Ireland’s strong diplomatic experience” to shamrock-bowl conversations with political leaders around the globe on St Patrick’s Day. Mr Varadkar will meet Joe Biden at the White House tomorrow.
O’Riordan’s message to those in power is this: “The conflict needs to end for the people of Syria – they are still enduring a downward spiral of living conditions, insecurity, and ever-increasing poverty.
"The situation is grotesque, it needs to be resolved.”
The “knock-on effect” of sanctions coming after after war, famine, war crimes, and last month’s earthquake is that “people here can no longer afford basic things to survive”.
"They are dying because they are unable to access medicine – as they prioritise the feeding of their families.”
Another consequence of the international sanctions is that children are “losing out on their education” – because they are instead sent into the streets by their families to “scrounge in bins for plastic” in order to earn a paltry sum to buy bread.
“To me, sanctions seem too simple – what’s happening here is an inhuman level of suffering and deprivation. It’s not just sanctions causing it, but they’re one big component of what’s crushing people.”
He is not suggesting Syria’s regime be allowed to rule without consequences.
“There are issues of accountability for war crimes – but from the perceptive of the suffering caused on the ordinary people, just continuing the current sanctions policy certainly needs to be reassessed,” he said.
“There is an all-out assault on the dignity of people in Syria. Europe, the US and Russia, all have a case to answer here – and maybe this is where the discussion needs to go.”
Donations to the Jesuits’ Syria Earthquake Appeal can be made online at www.iji.ie or by calling (01) 836-6509