For Immediate Release
August 24, 2015
Washington, DC – On Saturday, government aerial attacks killed 37 civilians, 19 of them members of one family, in Douma, East Ghouta. They were killed in airstrikes that targeted a residential area not far from the busy market where government airstrikes killed 112 people last Sunday. There were an additional 126 civilians injured in the attacks on Saturday, 32 of them children. Victims were referred to the SAMS-supported field hospital in Douma. Additional aerial bombings have been reported yesterday, causing destruction, injuries, and casualties, including 10 deaths in the nearby town of Saqba.
Over the last week, SAMS health workers have treated hundreds of patients from the Syrian government’s deadly airstrikes on East Ghouta. For more than three years, East Ghouta has been under siege and access to food, electricity, water, and medical care has been denied. The same area was the epicenter of the largest chemical weapons attack in Syria two years ago on August 21, 2013, when 1,400 civilians suffocated as they slept.
SAMS implores the global public to add their support to the humanitarian response to Douma and push all stakeholders to influence the Syrian government to halt airstrikes against civilians immediately. Please take these three actions today to stand with civilians in Douma: 
1. Donate to the emergency medical response. In response these brutal attacks, SAMS is providing $100,000 in emergency allocation to medical programs and supplies provision in Douma. SAMS is calling for additional donors and supporters to help bring supplies and medication to Douma.
2. Reach out to critical stakeholders and urge them to pressure the Syrian government to immediately halt attacks against civilians. Reach out at these numbers:
White House: (202) 456-1111
Russian Embassy: (202) 298-5700
Iranian Embassy: (202) 965-4990
3. Submit an op-ed to a local newspaper. Submit an op-ed, mentioning the name of your Congressperson and/ or Senator, to a local or online platform. Ask your representative to condemn these attacks with urgency and ask for the U.S. government to prioritize civilian protection in Syria. Reach out to the SAMS Society Coordinator, Natasha Kieval, at natasha.kieval@sams-usa.net to receive an op-ed template and personal assistance with op-ed drafting and media outreach.
