On January 19, CyberDissidents.org’s Ahed Al Hendi interviewed with international media outlet France 24. The interview focused on a recent statement released by a group of influential Syrian Alawite intellectuals in which they condemned the brutality of the regime and stated that the al-Assad regime, while also Alawite, does not represent them as a community. Al Hendi responded to this press release by asserting that the Alawite community, like the rest of Syrian society, has also been subject to the regime’s persecution in the past. He continued the discussion surrounding rising sectarian rhetoric in Syria by condemning recent statements made by members of the Syrian opposition. He alluded to the role of transnational media coming from both Saudi Arabia and Iran as players in the recent stirring of sectarian tensions in Syria.

When asked about the role of the Arab League in Syria, Al Hendi welcomed the recent Qatari proposal to send Arab troops into Syria. He noted that the Syrian people embrace any tangible prospects for future regime change, especially as Russian veto power renders prospects for UN intervention nearly impossible. Responding to the issue of the Arab League monitors currently in Syria, Al Hendi cited that regime forces have killed over 600 Syrians since the arrival of the League three weeks ago, a higher rate of death than before the monitors arrived, with at least 29 people killed per day. He concluded that these numbers provide concrete evidence of the ineffectiveness of the League’s monitors and the need to explore other options in Syria.