Syria’s Suwayda activists establish first women’s political movement

SUWAYDA, Syria (North Press) – A group of female activists and human rights advocates in Suwayda Governorate, southern Syria, launched on Saturday a new women-led political movement to support “the cause of abducted women and document the violations” committed in the Jabal al-Arab region.  

The movement, named “Hra’er Bashan” [Free women of Bashan], seeks to empower women and elevate their role in public life.

Maram al-Qadmani, the movement’s director of public relations and coordination, told North Press that its core mission is “to empower women to participate in all areas of life, while prioritizing the cause of abducted women by communicating with relevant authorities and documenting the violations committed against women in Bashan region [a region situated in Syria and Jordan inhabited by the Druze community].” 

She added that the movement is also committed to “supporting women after their release and enabling them to take part in decision-making processes.”

Al-Qadmani stressed that Hra’er Bashan is an independent initiative born from “the suffering of the women of the mountain [Bashan region], due to the violations, disappearances, and injustices they have endured in recent months.”

The movement is considered the first women’s organization of its kind to be established in Suwayda, particularly in the aftermath of the violent events that shook the governorate last July.  

Its goal is to “strengthen the role of women in defending dignity and rejecting all forms of violence and persecution,” according to al-Qadmani.

Buthaina Jughami, one of the movement’s members, told North Press that their demands center on “serving the interests and dignity of the mountain, empowering women across all sectors, and securing the return of abducted and forcibly disappeared women.”

Reporting by Haroun al-Arbid

Editing by Jwan Shekaki