'Step up': Windsorites want protections for loved ones in Syria who are 'living in fear'

Syrians in Windsor are sounding alarm bells, saying their loved ones back home are in need of protection, in the midst of targeted violence.

Since the collapse of the Bashar al-Assad government in December, there has been a serious escalation of violence, especially in Syria's coastal region.

For a Syrian-Canadian living in Windsor, it's been devastating to watch it unfolding from afar. We are keeping her real identity confidential to limit the risk to her family. 

Her husband, the father of her children, is in hiding in Syria, and she's fearful she may never see him again.

"It's very heartbreaking," she said. "It's breaking my family apart."

She and her husband are Alawite Muslims, a minority group in Syria. She has not seen her husband in years. While she has been living in Canada with their children, her husband, who is not a Canadian citizen, had been forced to serve in the Syrian military for many years until the collapse of the former government.

Alawites 'feel totally helpless'

As a former member of the military and as an Alawite, she says her husband is afraid for his life. 

The former government was largely made up of members of the Alawite sect in Syria, which means that much of the violence has been directed at the Alawite community which is clustered along the coast, explained Adam Coogle, the Deputy Middle East Director for Human Rights Watch.  

"Right now, unfortunately for the Alawite community, they very much feel totally helpless right now. They don't feel like they have any protection," he said. "It's very easy to understand why Alawites, particularly in Syria right now, are living in fear."

The Windsor woman is heartbroken and at a loss, trying to stay strong for her and her husband's two kids. 

"He doesn't know if he's going to live again to see his children... My last conversation with him was, 'Hey, you know, if something happens to me, take care of the kids,'" she said, holding back tears.

In recent months, hundreds of civilians have been killed in violent attacks. In March, in a sharp escalation, there were violent clashes between Syria's government and Assad loyalists, followed by a series of revenge killings.  According to the Syrian Network for Human Rights, there were more than 1,500 deaths that month, including more than 100 children. Investigations are still ongoing, so the exact number is unknown.

The United Nations has reported instances of entire families being killed, with Alawite cities and villages targeted in particular.

The Syrian-Canadian woman's husband is in hiding, in the coastal area of Syria. She said he was forced to give up his identification documents when he was discharged from the military, and now has no avenue to leave the country. 

"My kids ask about him every day. Every day we pray that we can bring him here," she said.

"I can't be there with him because it's not safe for me or my children and there is no way for him to come here. So it's a very difficult situation."

'They feel dark, very hopeless'

CBC also spoke with another Syrian-Canadian living in Windsor with extended family and friends in the coastal region of Tartus. We are protecting her identity to minimize risk to her family overseas.

"My relatives are living in fear. Like they're literally hiding," she said. "People are living in fear of being killed."

Much of her family is Alawite, but others are Christians. She says that they are also living in fear of discrimination. 

While Coogle with the Human Rights Watch says there's no evidence that new authorities are actively targeting the Christian community, he understands why Christians are worried, pointing to examples of fighters burning down Christmas Trees. At the time, the leading rebel group in the country's new administration said those responsible would be punished, but the incident did prompt questions about the new Islamist regime's tolerance of minorities. 

"Christians understandably are concerned about what the new authorities will do in the long term with the Christian community, both in terms of their religious practice and their presence in the country."

The Windsor woman said her loved ones are afraid to even leave their homes.

"Everybody's just kind of... they feel very dark, very hopeless," she said. 

She regularly receives voice note updates from loved ones sharing their fears.

One voice note from a relative that she translated for CBC said, "We are living in fear every single day and every single night. There are killings, executions and kidnappings."

It went on to say "We are unarmed. We are not doing anything. We just want to live in peace."

She hopes for a better future in Syria soon, when she can return to the country that she loves so deeply. But for now, she says she's afraid, but hopes that by speaking out she can make a difference.

"People need to know what's happening," she said.

'Step up and help these people'

Coogle explained, after a brutal 14-year civil war, Syria is also dealing with extreme poverty and high criminality across the country. He confirmed that killings of unarmed civilians, kidnappings and checkpoints set up by militants stopping people at random, are a reality.

He said there are many armed groups, including foreign fighters, operating within the country in support of the new government. Usually these groups would be under the control of the state, but right now, they are actually acting independently. 

"It remains a very, very dangerous country where the security forces have not managed to yet turn their forces into a cohesive force that can actually impose law and order throughout the country," he said. 

"That's not an excuse. The authorities have an obligation to provide security and ensure security of all citizens in Syria."

Both Windsor women are calling for international intervention, for awareness and protections for minorities in Syria, as well as more efforts to help individuals trying to leave the country.

"Step up and help these people," the woman whose husband is in hiding expressed. She said she feels like she has no where to turn to for help to get her husband out of Syria.

A spokesperson for Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada told CBC in an e-mailed statement that they are actively monitoring the situation and cannot speculate on future policy decisions. 

"Since 2016, Canada has continued to provide protection to thousands of Syrians through our existing refugee programs, including government-supported and privately-sponsored pathways," Communications Advisor Mary Rose Sabater said.

In March, Global Affairs Canada issued a statement condemning the atrocities taking place, and calling on the interim authorities to end the violence.

The statement went on to say, "Civilians must be protected, the dignity and human rights of all religious and ethnic groups must be upheld, and perpetrators must be held accountable."

It added that Canada is committed to supporting "a peaceful and inclusive Syrian-led political transition that reflects the country's ethnic and religious diversity."