Violent riots and rebellions are currently erupting throughout the country of Syria. What started a year ago as peaceful protests has escalated into open aggression as activists attempt to force the removal of President Bashar al-Assad.

These developments have sparked students at Iowa State to perform a protest of their own.

The International Student Council and the Egyptian Student Association have teamed up to perform a peaceful demonstration to help raise awareness for the problems in Syria.

This demonstration will be from noon to 3 p.m. Wednesday in front of Parks Library. Students will be speaking and providing information to anyone who wishes to participate, and they also will have petitions for students to sign, which will be sent to government officials.

al-Assad took power in 2000 after the death of his father, the previous president. His reign has been marred with violence and tremendous human rights violations. He has imprisoned, tortured and killed anyone who spoke out against his government.

Multiple attempts at peace have been put forth by interested parties. The Arab League and Russia have given solutions in the past, but neither were accepted.

The “Friends of Syria” peace proposal, started in early 2012, resulted in a multi-national conference in Tunisia, with a follow-up meeting in Turkey for April. The only serious international proposal for peace has arisen in the form of the Kofi Annan Peace Plan, or the U.N.-Arab League peace envoy for Syria, which sent Kofi Annan to Russia to secure support for his efforts at opening up political discussion and issuing a cease-fire for the country.