We had the opportunity to meet with Djmaila Chikhi, Syria advisor to the EU President Martin Schulz. We discussed at length the need for a no-bombing zone and how this would work in practice, stressing that it will not require direct confrontation with Russia, and furthermore that the EU can and must take a more direct stance on this issue.
We were invited to EU Parliament's Human Rights Subcommittee to present on the human rights situation in Syria.
We held a Voices from Syria presentation in collaboration with Syria Relief on 22 October. We presented the Syrian tragedy through personal narratives to an engaged audience and outlined what action they can do to help us lobby for civilian protection in Syria.
We met with MEP Maritje Schaake on 22 October during our visit to the EU. She is one of Parliament’s most vocal supporters of a more comprehensive approach by the EU in Syria and has recently called for the establishment of a no-fly zone as a key step to end the bloodshed in Syria. Ms.
We held a very brief meeting with MEP Ignazio Corrao while in Brussels on 22 October and outlined the need for civilian protection through a no-bombing zone. MEP Corrao was supportive of our stance but outlined the practical difficulties of implementing such a proposal on a European level.
The Constituency Labour Party in Surrey invited us to present a Voices from Syria presentation on 20 October. We spoke to an audience of approximately 40 people. The audience was completely in tears by the time we were done as they were deeply affected by the Syrian story.
We met with Afzal Khan MEP on 16 October to discuss our upcoming trip to European Parliament to brief the Human Rights Subcommittee on the situation in Syria. Afzal provided us with very helpful information and recommendations. His office will also be assisting us in arranging meetings with other MEPs.
Yasmin Qureshi MP kindly accepted our request to meet with her in her constituency office in Bolton. We met with her on 15 October to discuss Syria, which is pertinent given the potential Parliamentary vote on Syria within the next month and given that she sits on Parliament's Foreign Affairs Committee.
The University of Manchester's Politics School hosting us today in a debate on the refugee crisis and what the UK should do in response to this crisis.
Rethink Rebuild Society signed a joint statement calling for the release of Syrian human rights lawyer Khalil Ma'touq. Ma'touq is believed to have been arrested on 2 October 2012 by the Assad regime.
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