Emboldened Syrian Regime Steps Up Violence
Region: Syrian Arab Republic
Fears that President Assad now believes he has a free hand to crush rebellion by military force. By William Shaw A newly emboldened Damascus intends to escalate its violent crackdown in the belief it is safe from western intervention, experts warn. Opposition activists warn that events since Russia and China vetoed an already watered-down United Nations Security Council resolution... more
Views: 1165Fears of Divisive Conflict Grow in Syria
Region: Syrian Arab RepublicTalk of sectarian and ethnic schisms isn’t just regime propaganda, observers say. By Zoe Holman - The Arab Spring As the Arab League peace plan for Syria stalls and the United Nations faces deep divisions over how to halt regime violence against opposition protesters, a peaceful settlement of the ten-month old uprising is looking increasingly unlikely. Since the beginning of protes... more
Views: 996Syrian Opposition Activist Says NATO Must Intervene
Region: Syrian Arab Republic
President Bashar al-Assad will not renounce power peacefully, according to spokesman for local action group. Written by Daniella Peled - The Arab Spring As the violence continues in Syria, there are mounting calls for international intervention within the country. IWPR Arab Spring editor Daniella Peled talks to the 22-year-old spokesman for the Local Coordinating Committee of the oppositi... more
Views: 1007The Arab Spring - No Going Back for Syrian Uprising
Region: Syrian Arab Republic
Regime attempting to bring protesters to their knees but this only seems to make them more determined. After a week of intensifying protest that has seen the civilian death-toll exceed 500, commentators agree that the uprising in Syria has reached a point of no return. In a speech to parliament two weeks ago, President Bashar al-Assad conceded to protester demands by lifting the country’s 48-year-old em... more
Views: 1633Syrian Women Learn to Mask Loss of Virginity
Region: Syrian Arab RepublicCheap artificial hymen resolves social stigma in society that frowns on premarital sex. By an IWPR-trained reporter (SB No. 81, 04-Nov-09) Ever since she lost her virginity to a classmate from college, 27-year-old Roula has been anxious about her family finding out. Her worries grew when she got engaged to another man two years ago. She put off fixing a date for the wedding for fear that her husband-to-be would ... more
Views: 7093Is Syrian Regime Ready to Talk to Muslim Brotherhood?
Region: Syrian Arab RepublicSigns of dialogue with exiled opposition 27 years after Hamas massacre. By an IWPR-trained reporter (SB No. 75, 09-Sep-09) Syria appears to be planning to open a dialogue with the outlawed Muslim Brotherhood, MB, to pre-empt the Islamisation of society and the rise of Islamic groups in countries around Syria, local political analysts say. The regime is said to be concerned about growing fundamentalism. &ldquo... more
Views: 1705Syria Briefing Syria home Syria-Iraq Ties Cool Over Bomb Charges
Region: Syrian Arab RepublicAmbassadors recalled just as relations were getting better. By an IWPR-trained reporter (SB No. 73, 28-Aug-09) A row over charges by Baghdad that Damascus is harbouring former Iraqi cadres responsible for the latest deadly attacks in Iraq is likely to escalate and hinder cooperation between the two nations, Syrian analysts say. The new tensions abruptly brought back to the surface Syria’s alleged role i... more
Views: 1250Syria's Language Move Irks Businesses
Region: Syrian Arab RepublicShop owners say requirement for Arabic signs called costly, unfair and pointless. By an IWPR-trained reporter (SB No. 71, 10-Aug-09) Twelve years after opening an electronics shop in Damascus, Khaled has been forced to change its name. In place of Roussil, a Kurdish word which means sun disc, he was made to pick an Arabic name. Patrols from the capital’s municipality told him that they would close his store if... more
Views: 1427Syrian Regime Tightens Grip on Dissenters
Region: Syrian Arab RepublicSyrian civil rights groups say the arrest of a prominent human rights advocate is a worrying sign that the authorities are increasing pressure on civil society. Mohannad al-Hassani, the head of the Syrian Organisation for Human Rights, was arrested by the state security services on July 28 after being summoned for interrogations a third time. Two days later, Hassani, who is one of the most active lawyers re... more
Views: 1131Syria Riot Jail Causes Concern
Region: Syrian Arab RepublicA year after riots, questions remain around Sednaya jail and the fate of prisoners. By an IWPR-trained reporter (SB No. 66, 07-July-09) Although his jail term was supposed to end in April, Nizar Rastanawi is still incarcerated in the notorious Sednaya prison close to Damascus. Rastanawi, a prominent member of a Syrian human rights organisation serving four years in jail for the offences of spreading false new... more
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