'After detention, torture, and flight from war-torn Syria, Noura Al-Jizawi was invited to speak at the United Nations Human Rights Council in Geneva, Switzerland last month. Presenting a final hurdle, her passport was then called a fake by border officials. It wasn’t the first time, but Al-Jizawi didn’t let it stop her — producing a receipt for the legal document from the Syrian embassy.
Al-Jizawi is a Syrian revolutionary-turned-University of Toronto student, pursuing a masters’ degree in global affairs through their scholars-at-risk program — which supports graduate students who’ve fled war or persecution. And, as of three months ago, she’s a new mother.
The UN Security Council demanded a 30-day ceasefire of populated areas, including eastern Ghouta, Yarmouk, Foua and Kefraya, on Feb. 24. The order was made so humanitarian aid could be delivered, and the critically sick and wounded could be evacuated. Security council met behind closed doors on Tuesday to discuss the “failure” of that cease-fire.
“Sadly, there’s no implementation, and it depends on the international players’ will,” Al-Jizawi said. “This attack against Eastern Ghouta, the besieged areas, must stop immediately.” She said the foreign ministers in Geneva had made “good, powerful statements” on the matter, noting that “strong diplomacy” — not war — was needed to stabilize the situation in Syria.
Al-Jizawi’s convictions were forged from childhood in Syria, she said. In grade school, she started to notice the number of her schoolmates who had missing fathers. As she moved through her school years, Al-Jizawi said she heard stories in particular about the women and mothers impacted by those missing people. A group of them would covertly share information about the issue, collected from newly-released prisoners, Al-Jizawi said. She wasn’t part of that movement, but began to advocate around that time for the rights of missing people and against political detention. She and other advocates would meet secretly, discussing the authority situation in Syria. They concluded that revolution was the only answer.
“But no one could predict when revolution would come, because revolution is the act of the majority of people, it’s not the act of a small group,” she said. So they waited and advocated for change. In 2012, she was detained for six months. She’s spoken to several media outlets about being tortured at the time. Multiple members of her family were detained as well, so the family was displaced upon their release. She and her sister fled to Turkey in 2013, staying there until she was able to come to Canada.'
“Sadly, there’s no implementation, and it depends on the international players’ will,” Al-Jizawi said. “This attack against Eastern Ghouta, the besieged areas, must stop immediately.” She said the foreign ministers in Geneva had made “good, powerful statements” on the matter, noting that “strong diplomacy” — not war — was needed to stabilize the situation in Syria.
Al-Jizawi’s convictions were forged from childhood in Syria, she said. In grade school, she started to notice the number of her schoolmates who had missing fathers. As she moved through her school years, Al-Jizawi said she heard stories in particular about the women and mothers impacted by those missing people. A group of them would covertly share information about the issue, collected from newly-released prisoners, Al-Jizawi said. She wasn’t part of that movement, but began to advocate around that time for the rights of missing people and against political detention. She and other advocates would meet secretly, discussing the authority situation in Syria. They concluded that revolution was the only answer.
“But no one could predict when revolution would come, because revolution is the act of the majority of people, it’s not the act of a small group,” she said. So they waited and advocated for change. In 2012, she was detained for six months. She’s spoken to several media outlets about being tortured at the time. Multiple members of her family were detained as well, so the family was displaced upon their release. She and her sister fled to Turkey in 2013, staying there until she was able to come to Canada.'
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