FROM: U.S. DEPARTMENT OF STATE
Situation in Amuda, Syria
Press Statement
Patrick Ventrell
Director, Office of Press Relations
Washington, DC
July 1, 2013
The United States condemns the Kurdish Democratic Party’s (PYD) deadly response to peaceful demonstrations in the city of Amuda, where PYD authorities have killed six people, wounded dozens, and detained 90 activists during several days of clashes.
There is no justification for these attacks or the PYD’s attempts to repress freedoms of expression and assembly by silencing those who peacefully advocate for democracy and human rights. We are appalled by reports of the PYD torturing detainees and demand that it immediately and unconditionally release all detained activists.
The PYD must abandon its brutal tactics and respect the human rights and dignity of all Syrians. This violent suppression only serves the regime’s efforts to escalate tensions and divide the Syrian people.
