Never again. That’s what’s said every time a genocide or crime against humanity occurs. Yet the world has sat by and watched for eight years as more than a half a million Syrians have been systematically slaughtered in a myriad of horrific ways, an untold number are undergoing unimaginable torture as we speak, and over 13 million, more than half the size of the population of the country itself, are displaced, often suffering in terrible conditions in refugee camps. What is happening in Syria is so far the greatest atrocity of the 21st century, yet little to nothing is being done about it. The Assad regime, followed by Russia, ISIS, Iran and more, have all taken part in committing a genocide of the Syrian people with absolute impunity, all because they dared to take a stand and ask for freedom and an end to their oppression.

Make no mistake-what is happening in Syria is by all means a genocide as defined by the Genocide Convention adopted by the General Assembly of the UN. The Syrian people themselves count as members of a nation, but there are numerous ethnic and religious groups that are at particular risk of being completely decimated in this conflict such as the Kurds, the Yazidis, and Christians.

Genocide Watch states that genocide happens in 10 stages, and that Syria is in the midst of stage nine- extermination. The next stage is denial, but Assad and numerous others have already denied much of what has taken place.

Countless individuals including journalists, activists and ordinary citizens have documented, photographed and filmed the numerous, ongoing, widespread, and heinous crimes against the Syrian people, including gas attacks, starvation, the bombing of hospitals, and indiscriminate imprisonment and torture of anyone deemed a threat to the regime. They have often done this under the threat of torture and death themselves. There is already enough overwhelming, irrefutable evidence to the extent that a couple high-ranking members of the regime have been charged with war crimes, but this is not nearly enough.

The fact of the matter is is that Assad has not only remained in power throughout all of this but will continue to remain in power. He and his regime, along with Russia and other actors are getting away with everything and then some. They Syrian people will continue to suffer.

We must not let this go down in history as just another conflict that perhaps gets a memorial or museum and a warning of “never again”. We must not stand back in fear or apathy or think that the situation is too complicated or does not impact us as individuals. When so many innocent people have been suffering on such a large scale for so long as is the case with Syria, it is the duty of the world to step in and put a stop to it. The Assad regime must step down and they and Russia must be held accountable for their crimes.

There’s the saying “the only thing necessary for the triumph of evil is that good men should do nothing”.

Let’s not let evil triumph by doing nothing when it comes to the Syrian people!