Syrian mother hurls shoe at Pedersen, sparking criticism of UN

The UN special envoy for Syria, Geir Pedersen, was verbally attacked during his visit to Syria’s notorious Saydnaya Prison on Monday.  

A woman, reportedly searching for her missing brother and two cousins, confronted Pedersen near his vehicle, waving a shoe in protest to denounce the UN’s perceived inaction in addressing Syrians’ suffering over more than a decade of conflict.

Captured on local television, the woman shouted, “Where have you been for 13 years? You come now after everyone has been killed? Get out of this place immediately!”

She then spat in the envoy’s direction as he silently boarded a UN vehicle. 

Syrian frustration with the UN

The incident occurred following Pedersen’s visit to the notorious Sednaya Prison near Damascus, which was the site of horrific torture, abuse, starvation, and extrajudicial killing of thousands of Syrian prisoners.

After the confrontation went viral, many social media users highlighted the act as emblematic of years of frustration among Syrians over the UN’s inability to stop abuses against them or make meaningful progress to end the Syrian conflict.

“Her pain reflects devastation and disappointment,” Syrian journalist Hussam Hammoud wrote in a post on X. 

“UN & UNSC [UN Security Council] has a serious review to do about their failure in #Gaza, us [Syrians] & beyond,” Syrian journalist Zaina Erhaim stated. 

Syrians have said that they felt abandoned by the international community as the Assad regime and other actors committed countless atrocities against them, killing hundreds of thousands.

Tens of thousands of people have also disappeared into a labyrinth of detention centres and prisons long used to suppress dissent. 

Another Syrian relative of a missing prisoner urged the UN to investigate beneath Saydnaya, where locals suspect the remains of prisoners tortured to death are buried.

“We hope, if possible, you can help us with equipment to reveal underground tunnels and cellars,” the relative told UN’s Pederson.  

Mounir al-Mustafa, deputy director of the White Helmets, stated that over 150,000 Syrians remain unaccounted for, having disappeared into Assad’s prison system.

Most are believed to be buried in mass graves scattered across the country. 

According to human rights groups, whistle-blowers, and former detainees, Syria’s network of military, intelligence, and security-run prisons was the scene of systematic torture, mass executions, and horrific conditions, where many inmates perished from disease and starvation. 

The White Helmets have reported at least 13 suspected mass grave sites throughout Syria, with eight located near Damascus. 

UN responds to confrontation

The UN has released a statement addressing the visit of the UN envoy to Saydnaya Prison, following the confrontation with the family member of missing prisoners.  

According to the statement, Pedersen met with mothers of disappeared persons, recently freed detainees, and lawyers handling cases related to those still missing. 

The UN said Pederson and his team “remain deeply committed to supporting the families and the survivors, and the work of UN specialized organizations that are focused on truth-seeking, accountability, and prosecutions.” 

On Tuesday, Pedersen warned that Syria’s long-standing conflict “has not ended yet”, highlighting reports of significant hostilities in recent weeks despite ceasefire efforts. 

“I am seriously concerned about reports of military escalation. Such an escalation could be catastrophic,” he stated, referencing ongoing clashes between the US-backed Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) and Turkish-backed factions, which have led to the capture of several towns formerly held by the SDF. 

The conflict took a dramatic turn when Assad fled Syria just over a week ago, following an offensive by Hayat Tahrir al-Sham (HTS) which captured most of Syria and all its major cities.  

This came over 13 years after Assad’s violent crackdown on pro-democracy protests sparked one of the century’s deadliest wars.