State Department Releases Fact Sheets on U.S. Democracy Efforts in Syria and Iran

On Thursday, the State Department released a fact sheet of U.S. policy towards Syria in which it “reject[ed] the Syrian government’s justification of its tactics to maintain “stability” and noted that additional sanctions have been imposed on Syrian officials, including President Bashar al-Assad,  to target the human rights abuses committed against protesters.  The statement also discussed coordination with European allies and on-going considerations for  ”additional bilateral options for increasing pressure on the Syrian regime as the situation may require.”  The statement also noted U.S. leadership in calling for a Special Session on Syria at the U.N. Human Rights Council and U.S. lobbying efforts to prevent Syria from being elected to the council.   The Department hopes to work with civil society organizations through department programs like the Middle East Partnership Initiative.

The State Department also released an overview of U.S. policy towards Iran including the successful formation of an international coalition to hold Iran accountable on its nuclear program through the imposition of unilateral and multilateral sanctions.   The statement also reiterated condemnation of Iran’s violent repression of opposition leaders and activists and noted U.S. role in creating a U.N. Special Rapporteur on Iran.  It also highlighted U.S. efforts to provide capacity building training and support for Iranian civil society activists through the use of new media, and internet freedom initiatives.