2011 Syrian uprising

2011 Syrian uprising
Part of the Arab Spring
Protest in Hama, a city in northwestern Syria (29 July 2011).
Date 15 March 2011 (2011-03-15) – ongoing Location  Syria Status Ongoing Causes Dictatorship Absence of effective constitution Government corruption[1] Unemployment Goals Resignation of Bashar al-Assad[2][3] Democratic reforms[4] Regime change[5] Expanded civil rights[6] Recognize ethnic minorities rights Abolition of the Supreme State Security Court Lifting of the emergency law[7] Characteristics Civil resistance Demonstrations Self-immolations Armed attacks Hunger strikes
Lead figures
Syrian opposition: Adnan Al-Aroor Anti-regime protesters Muslim Brotherhood[8] Free Syrian Army (alleged)[9] Anti-regime militants (alleged)[10] Syrıan Free Police Forces	Syrian regime: Bashar al-Assad Maher al-Assad Ali Habib Mahmud Syrian Army Syrian Navy Assad loyalists millitans Syrıan Police Supportıng; Army of the Guardians of the Islamic Revolution (alleged)[11] + Hezbollah Mahdi Army Shabeeha
Casualties
Death(s) 1,800[15]-2,154[16] civilians and 406[17]-500[18] security forces killed (by 17 August) Total: 2,206-2,654 Injuries Thousands of protesters[12] 1,300[13]-1,857[14] security forces Arrested 12,617 (by 28 July)[19]

v · d · e 2011 Syrian uprising Timeline Daraa  · Rif Dimashq  · Baniyas  · Homs · Jisr ash-Shugur · Rastan and Talbiseh · Talkalakh · Hama · Deir ez-Zor  · Latakia

The 2011 Syrian uprising is an ongoing internal conflict occurring in Syria. Protests started in 26 January 2011, and escalated to an uprising by 15 March 2011. The uprising is influenced by concurrent protests in the region, and has been described as "unprecedented."^[20][21] The demands of protesters include for President Bashar al-Assad to step down, for the ruling Baath Party to allow other political parties, to end extrajudicial killings and torture, equal rights for Syria's ethnic and religious groups, and broad political freedoms, such as freedom of press, speech and assembly.

Like the revolutionary movements in Tunisia and Egypt, it has taken the form of protests of various types, including marches and hunger strikes, as well as vandalism of government property and rioting of shops^{[clarification needed]}, in a sustained campaign of civil resistance. Some Islamic groups in the Syrian North have taken advantage of protests to launch attacks against the government.^[22]

As protests continued, the Syrian government used tanks and snipers to force people off the streets. Water and electricity were shut off and security forces began confiscating flour and food in particularly restive areas, including Daraa, Douma, and Homs.^[23][24] During the course of the uprising, the Syrian Army has stormed the cities of Daraa, Douma, Baniyas, Hama, Homs, Talkalakh, Rastan, Jisr ash-Shughur, Deir ez-Zor, and Latakia, among other towns,^[25] and occupied parts of Damascus.^[26][27][28] The violence escalated as the crisis wore on, with the killing reaching its highest level in early August.^[29] Activists, fleeing civilians, and soldiers who defected claimed that soldiers who refuse to fire on civilians are executed by the Syrian Army.^[30][31][32] The Syrian government has denied the reports of defections and blames "armed gangs" for causing trouble.^[33]

More than 2,000 protesters have been killed, many more injured, and thousands detained, while the Syrian government says armed Islamist elements in the country are responsible for the civilian casualties and the killing of more than 340 members of the security forces. The use of deadly force has been condemned by several countries, the Arab League,^[34] and the United Nations.^[35]

Since the beginning of the uprising, the Syrian government has made several concessions, though widely considered trivial by protesters demanding more meaningful reform. On April 21, the government repealed an emergency law that had been in place since 1963, which allowed the government sweeping authority to suspend constitutional rights. Yet crackdowns on protesters have continued to heighten since the beginning of the uprising. On July 24, a draft law was created, to be debated by parliament, to allow more political parties, under the conditions that they were not based on religious, tribal or ethnic beliefs and does not discriminate against gender or race. Protesters have dismissed the law as superficial, as Article 8 of the Syrian Constitution, which grants the Baath party the role of leader of the state and society, would need to be repealed.^[36] As the government is dominated by Shia Alawite sect, it has made some gestures to the majority Sunni and some minority populations. Of the 200,000 descendants of Syrian Kurds denied citizenship in 1962, 120,000 who were labeled "foreigners" were granted citizenship on April 6.^[37]

Contents 1 Background 1.1 History 1.2 Socio-economics and civil rights 2 Protests and uprising 2.1 Timeline 2.2 Shabbiha 2.3 Local Coordination Committees 2.4 Armed elements 2.4.1 Free Syrian Army 2.5 Foreign involvement 2.6 Syrian refugees 3 Reactions 3.1 Domestic 3.1.1 Arrests and convictions 3.1.2 Allegations of rape 3.1.3 Censorship 3.1.4 Concessions 3.1.5 Counter-demonstrations 3.1.6 Other 3.2 International 3.3 Media 3.4 Internet activists 3.5 Embassy closures 4 See also 5 References 6 Further reading 7 External links

[edit] Background

[edit] History

Syria was under an Emergency Law from 1963 to 2011, which effectively suspended most constitutional protections for its citizens.^[38] Syrian governments justified this state of emergency by pointing to the fact that Syria was in a state of war with Israel. Since 1963, following the Ba'athist overthrow, Syria has been controlled by the secular Ba'ath Party,^[39] and since then, Syrian citizens may only approve the President by referendum and do not hold multi-party elections for the legislature.^[40] Despite internal power changes, such as the 1966 coup and the 1970 Syrian Corrective Revolution, the Ba'ath Party has remained the sole authority in Syria.^[41][42][43]

After the 1970 Revolution, President Hafez al-Assad led Syria for nearly 30 years, banning any opposing political party and any opposition candidate in any election. In 1982, at the climax of a six-year Islamic insurgency throughout the country, Hafez al-Assad conducted a scorched earth policy against the town of Hama to quell an uprising by the Sunni Muslim community, including the Muslim Brotherhood and others.^[44] Tens of thousands of people, including 10–80,000 civilians, were killed in the Hama massacre.^{[43][45][46][47][48][49]}

The issue of Hafez al-Assad's succession prompted the 1999 Latakia incident,^[50] when violent protests and armed clashes erupted following 1998 People's Assembly's Elections. The violent events were an explosion of a long-running feud between Hafez al-Assad and his younger brother Rifaat.^[50] Two people were killed in fire exchanges between Syrian police and Rifaat's supporters during a police crack-down on Rifaat's port compound in Latakia. According to opposition sources, denied by the government, the protests resulted in hundreds of dead and injured.^[51] Hafez al-Assad died one year later, from pulmonary fibrosis. He was succeeded by his son Bashar al-Assad, who was appointed after a constitutional amendment lowered the age requirement for President from 40 to his age of 34.^[41][42][43]

Bashar, who speaks French and English and has a British-born wife, was said to have "inspired hopes" for reform, and a "Damascus Spring" of intense political and social debate took place from July 2000 to August 2001.^[52] The period was characterized by the emergence of numerous political forums or salons where groups of like minded people met in private houses to debate political and social issues. The phenomenon of salons spread rapidly in Damascus and to a lesser extent in other cities. Political activists, such as, Riad Seif, Haitham al-Maleh, Kamal al-Labwani, Riyad al-Turk, and Aref Dalila were important in mobilizing the movement.^[53] The most famous of the forums were the Riad Seif Forum and the Jamal al-Atassi Forum. The Damascus Spring ended in August 2001 with the arrest and imprisonment of ten leading activists who had called for democratic elections and a campaign of civil disobedience.^[54] Renewed opposition activity occurred in October 2005 when activist Michel Kilo launched with leading opposition figures the Damascus Declaration, which criticized the Syrian government as "authoritarian, totalitarian and cliquish" and called for democratic reform.^[55]

Kurdish-Arab riots have prompted increased tension in Syria's Kurdish areas since 2004. That year the Al-Qamishli riots against the government began in the northeastern city of Al-Qamishli. During a chaotic soccer match, some people raised Kurdish flags, and the match turned into a political conflict. In a brutal reaction by Syrian police and clashes between Kurdish and Arab groups, at least 30 people were killed,^[56] with some claims indicating a casualty count of about 100 people.^[57] Smaller clashes with Kurdish protesters and government measures have continued since.

The al-Assad family is a member of the minority and traditionally impoverished Alawite sect, an offshoot of Shiite Islam that numbers an estimated 6–12 percent of the Syrian population,^{[58][59][60][61]} and has maintained "a tight grip" on Syria's security services, generating "deep resentment" among the Sunni Muslims^[60] that make up about three quarters of Syria's population.^[62] Minority Kurds have also protested and complained.^[63] Al-Assad declared that his state was immune from the kinds of mass protests that took place in Egypt.^[64] Bouthaina Shaaban, a presidential adviser, blamed Sunni clerics and preachers for inciting Sunnis to revolt, such as Qatar-based Sheik Youssef al-Qaradawi in a sermon in Doha on 25 March.^[65] According to The New York Times, the Syrian government has relied "almost exclusively" on Alawite-dominated units of the security services to fight the uprising. His younger brother Maher al-Assad, commands the army’s Fourth Armored Division, and his brother-in-law, Assef Shawkat, is deputy chief of staff of the army. His family is said to fear that failure to take a hard line on protesters could embolden them, bringing much larger crowds into the streets.^[60]

[edit] Socio-economics and civil rights

Socio-economic

As with much of the Middle East, high youth unemployment and disenfranchisement of young adults from economic activity has been a significant factor in Syria. A 2007 study by the Dubai School of Government’s Wolfensohn Center for Development, “Youth Exclusion in Syria: Social, Economic, and Institutional Dimensions," looked at aspects of the high unemployment rates among young adults ages 15–24 in that country using available jobs data and survey responses. The study found that certain dynamics are particularly acute in Syria, even relative to countries in the region. The study's findings include: 1) Though the overall unemployment rate has traditionally been about average for the Middle East (about 25%), what distinguishes Syria is that the youth jobless rate has been more than six times higher than the rate among older adults (only 4%); that constitutes “the highest ratio [youth-adult imbalance] among the region’s countries outside the Gulf States.” The average ratio in the Middle East is 3.3; the world average is 3.5; 2) Additionally, the participation rate of Syrian youth in the labor market relative to adults is “substantially lower than the worldwide average (0.66 compared to 0.79 percent)"; 3) Demographic trends have exacerbated the problem: “the share of youth in the Syrian population peaked at 25.4 percent in 2005, presenting challenges in terms of job creation for young people; and in 2002, unemployed youth made up 77 percent of the working-age unemployed population in Syria" 4) Given the burgeoning youth population, there were “labor supply growth rates of around 5 percent per year between 1983 and 2003"; and 5), survey responses indicated that most youth were actively seeking employment, but more than “75 percent of unemployed youth had been searching for work for over a year.”^[66]

Socio-economic complaints have been reported such as deterioration of living, Syria's turn toward a free market economy leading to reduction of state support for the poor, the erosion of subsidies for basic goods and agriculture, free trade without suitable support to the local industry, and unemployment rate, especially among young people.^[67]

Human rights

Human rights in Syria are largely criticized by global organizations.^[68] Since 1963, emergency rule has remained in effect which gives security forces sweeping powers of arrest and detention.^[69] The country is governed by a one-party state without free elections.^[69] The authorities harass and imprison human rights activists and other critics of the government.^[70] Rights of expression, association and assembly are strictly controlled.^[69][70] Women and ethnic minorities face discrimination.^[69][70] According to Human Rights Watch in 2010, al-Assad had failed to improve Syria’s human rights record in the 10 years since he came to power.^[71] The organization states that Syria's human rights situation is one of the worst in the world.

Freedom of expression

While al-Assad permitted radio stations to play Western pop music, websites such as Amazon.com, Facebook, Wikipedia and YouTube were blocked until 1 January 2011, when all citizens were permitted to sign up for high speed internet, and those sites were allowed.^[72] However, a 2007 law requires Internet cafes to record all comments that users post on online chat forums.^[73]

In an interview published 31 January 2011, al-Assad declared it was time to reform, that the protests in Egypt, Tunisia, and Yemen indicated a "new era" was coming to the Middle East, and that Arab rulers needed to do more to accommodate their peoples' rising political and economic aspirations.^[74][75]

[edit] Protests and uprising

[edit] Timeline

The protest movement in Syria was at first modest, and took a while to gain momentum. The events began on 26 January 2011, when Hasan Ali Akleh from Al-Hasakah poured gasoline on himself and set himself on fire, in the same way Tunisian Mohamed Bouazizi had in Tunis on 17 December 2010. According to eyewitnesses, the action was "a protest against the Syrian government".^[80][81] Two days later, on 28 January 2011, an evening demonstration was held in Ar-Raqqah, to protest the killing of two soldiers of Kurdish descent.^[82] On 3 February, a "Day of Rage" was called for in Syria from 4 February to 5 February on social media websites Facebook and Twitter. Protesters demanded governmental reform, but most protests took place outside of Syria, and were small.^{[83][84][85][86]} Hundreds marched in Hasaka, but Syrian security forces dispersed the protest and arrested dozens of demonstrators.^[87] Al Jazeera labeled Syria a "kingdom of silence", concluding that protests would not succeed due to the popularity of President Bashar al-Assad and concerns over the prospects of insurgency like that seen in neighboring Iraq.^[88] A protest in late February at the Libyan Embassy in Damascus to demonstrate against the government of Col. Muammar al-Gaddafi, facing his own major protests in Libya, was met with brutal beatings from Syrian police moving to disperse the demonstration against a friendly regime.^[89][90][91]

On 6 March, TIME magazine's suggestion that all protests needed to explode into a full-fledged rebellion was a flashpoint.^[92] Ribal al-Assad said that it was almost time for Syria to be the next domino in the burgeoning Arab Spring.^[93] Indeed, on 15 March, the protest movement began to escalate, as simultaneous demonstrations took place in major cities across Syria.^[94] Increasingly, the city of Daraa became the focal point for the growing uprising. Over 100,000 people reportedly marched in Daraa on 25 March, but at least 20 protesters were reportedly killed. Protests also spread to other Syrian cities, including Homs, Hama, Baniyas, Jassem, Damascus and Latakia. Over 70 protesters in total were reported dead.^{[95][96][97][98][99]} Late in the month, the first signs were seen that the government was willing to make concessions to the protestors, when al-Assad announced the release of as many as 200 political prisoners.^[100] An Assad adviser said the emergency law would be lifted,^[101] and Assad accepted the official resignation of the government led by Prime Minister Muhammad Naji al-Otari.^[102] Assad denied the emergency law would be lifted at the end of March, however.^[103]

In April, the uprising became more extensive, and more violent. Protesters were shot at on 1 April, leading to at least 10 deaths.^[104][105] Well over 30 people were killed in a crackdown on protests on 8 April, activists and human rights groups claimed.^{[106][107][108]} Tens of thousands of protesters were prevented from entering Damascus from Douma on 15 April, though this restriction did not prevent widespread protests in many Syrian cities.^{[109][110][110][111]} Other cities where protesting was particularly strong were in Daraa, Baniyas, Al-Qamishli, and Homs.^[112][113] There were also protests in Douma and Harasta, suburbs of Damascus. Firing throughout the country resulted 88 deaths among security forces and protesters, making it the bloodiest day so far.^[112][114] tanks and soldiers entered Daraa and Douma.^[115][116] The border with Jordan was also closed.^[115][116] According to an activist, 18 people were killed in Daraa.^[116] Al Jazeera reported that some soldiers appeared to have been shot by their own comrades-in-arms after refusing orders to fire on protesters.^[117] On 29 April, more than 60 protesters were killed in demonstrations across Syria. The United States responded with harsh sanctions against the Syrian government.^{[118][119][120]}

As protests continued, the Syrian government used tanks and snipers to force people off the streets. Water and electricity were shut off in the city of Daraa, and security forces began confiscating flour and food.^[24] A similar situation was reported in Homs.^[23] In May, the Syrian army entered the cities of Baniyas, Hama, Homs, Talkalakh, Latakia, the Al-Midan and Duma districts of Damascus, and several other towns.^[26][27][28]

Baniyas was besieged in early May, and divided into zones of de facto control, with protesters largely controlling the south and security forces enforcing the laws of the government in the north. Major demonstrations saw nearly 20 deaths on 6 May, and the government claimed 11 soldiers were shot by "armed groups" on the same day.^{[121][122][123]} The violent suppression of protests in Homs, Daraa, and other rebellious cities continued throughout the month.^[124][125] A 17 May report of claims by refugees coming from Tel Kalakh on the Lebanese border indicated that sectarian attacks may have been occurring. Sunni refugees claimed that uniformed “Shabiha” Alawite militiamen were killing Sunnis in the town of Tel Kalakh. The reporter also stated that according to arms dealers, "sales of black market weapons in Lebanon have skyrocketed in recent weeks driven almost entirely by demand in Syria."^[126] Toward the end of the month, 13-year-old Hamza Ali Al-Khateeb's body was delivered to his family with three gun shot wounds and signs of torture, including severed genitals and massive bruising. The dead boy had lived with his parents in a village called “Al Jeezah” or “Al Giza” in Daraa governorate. He joined his family in a rally to break the siege of the city of Daraa. He was detained among hundreds of Syrian during the massacre of Siada, where citizens of Daraa were shot at by Syrian security forces. Hamza was detained amongst hundreds. Opposition activists claimed he was tortured and then shot to death. The chief of Syria's medical examiners association Dr. Akram El-Shaar denying that Hamza was tortured, claimed that he supervised the autopsy in Damascus and that the boy did not have any sign of torture and all signs of disfigurement were due to necrotic decay.^[127]

In early June, the Syrian government said more than 20 Syrian demonstrators were shot dead at the Golan Heights by Israeli forces, when trying to cross the cease-fire line during Naksa Day demonstrations. This was perceived by Israelis as a way for the Syrian government to divert attention from the Syrian unrest by allowing demonstrators to reach all the way to the Heights.^[128][129] The army also besieged the northern cities of Jisr ash-Shugur ^[33][130] and Maarat al-Numan near the Turkish border.^[131] The Syrian Army claimed the towns were the site of mass graves of Syrian security personnel killed during the uprising and justified the attacks as operations to rid the region of "armed gangs",^[132][133] though local residents claimed the dead Syrian troops and officers were executed for refusing to fire on protesters.^[134][135] The siege of Daraa continued in the meantime, with a French journalist reporting famine-like conditions in the town.^[136] On 20 June, in a speech lasting nearly an hour, in response to the demands of protesters and foreign pressure, Assad promised a "national dialogue" involving movement toward reform, new parliamentary elections, and greater freedoms. He also urged refugees to return home from Turkey, while assuring them amnesty and blaming all unrest on a small number of "saboteurs". The speech received mixed reactions domestically and abroad and was largely dismissed by protesters.^[137]

In mid-July, pro-government protesters attacked the US and French embassies in Damascus, responding to those countries' support for the opposition.^[138] US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton condemned both the attacks and the incumbent regime, stating that al-Assad had "lost legitimacy," and that "President Assad is not indispensable and we have absolutely nothing invested in him remaining in power." ^[139] Attacks on protests continued throughout July, with government forces repeatedly firing at protester and employing tanks against demonstrations, as well as conducting arrests. On 31 July, a siege of Hama escalated during a so-called "Ramadan Massacre", in which at least 136 people were killed and hundreds wounded when Syrian forces attacked demonstrators across the country, employing tanks, artillery, and snipers. Most of the deaths occurred in Hama.^[140]

Syrian forces continued to bombard Hama in early August, along with attacks in other cities and towns.^[141][142] On the first full weekend of Ramadan, the Arab League and several Gulf Cooperation Council member states led by Saudi Arabia broke their silence on the events in Syria to condemn the government's response.^[143] Throughout August, Syrian forces stormed major urban centers and outlying regions, and continued to attack protests.

On 14 August, the Syrian Navy became involved in the military crackdown. Gunboats fired heavy machine guns targeted waterfront districts in Latakia, as ground troops and security agents backed by armor stormed several neighborhoods. Up to 26 people were killed.^[144][145]

In several locations throughout Syria, protesters enraged at Hezbollah's support for Damascus burned Hezbollah flags and images of its leader Hassan Nasrallah.^[146]

[edit] Shabbiha

According to a Syrian citizen, shabbiha (Arabic: الشبيحة‎) is a term that was used to refer to gangs involved in smuggling during the Syrian occupation of Lebanon: "They used to travel in ghost cars without plates; that’s how they got the name Shabbiha. They would smuggle cars from Lebanon to Syria. The police turned a blind eye, and in return Shabbiha would act as a shadow militia in case of need".^[147] Witnesses and refugees from the northwestern region say that the shabbiha have reemerged during the uprising and in June were being used by the Syrian government to carry out "a scorched earthed campaign [...] burning crops, ransacking houses and shooting randomly".^[147][148] In April, Wissam Tarif, director of the human rights group Insan, said the Shabbiha was operating in Homs, and an anonymous witness said they were to blame for some of the 21 deaths there over the course of two days.^[149]

[edit] Local Coordination Committees

The networks of anti-government protest organizers formed decentralized "Local Coordination Committees" which drew together the young, unorganized protesters. The Committees are used to document protests and spread anti-government messages throughout Syria. Though they have only a few hundred members, the Local Coordination Committees rose to prominence as the core of the protest movement on the ground, separate from the organized political opposition. The Committees are also noted for trying to reach out to minority groups and diversify the demonstrations.^[150]

[edit] Armed elements

Some elements among the anti-government protesters are armed, and the Syrian government claims these represent Salafists.^{[151][152][153][154][155]} More than 150 members of the Syrian security forces have been killed, which the Syrian government states is due to "armed gangs" being among the protesters, yet the opposition blames the deaths on the regime.^[156][157] Syrians have been crossing the border to Lebanon to buy weapons on the black market since the beginning of the protests.^[158] Clan leaders in Syrian claim that the armed uprising is of a tribal, revenge-based nature, not Islamist.^[159] On June 6, the government said more than 120 security personnel were killed by "armed gangs"; 20 in an ambush and 82 in an attack on a security post.^[160] The main centers of unrest – Deraa near Jordan, where the uprising began, Tel Kalakh, Homs, Talbiseh and Rastan near Lebanon, and Jisr ash-Shugur near Turkey – have been described as being predominately Sunni Muslim towns and cities close to the country's borders where smuggling has been common for generations, and thus have more access to smuggled weapons.^[161]

During the Hama fighting, it was reported that armed gunmen were driving around on motorcycles shooting at people, and dumping bodies in a river.^[162][163]

Sectarian chants by anti-regime protesters have spread fear among Syria's minorities.^[164] Christians and other minorities have been protected under Assad rule, which guaranteed religious freedom, and fear that they will suffer the same consequences as the Christians of Iraq if the government is overthrown.^[165] Most of the protests have taken place after Muslim Friday prayer, and the Archbishop of the Syriac Orthodox Church in Aleppo has told the Daily Star (Lebanon) that "To be honest, everybody’s worried, we don’t want what happened in Iraq to happen in Syria. We don’t want the country to be divided. And we don’t want Christians to leave Syria."^[166]

According to International Christian Concern, Christian Syrians have been attacked by anti-government protesters in recent weeks, for not joining the protests.^[167]

An official from the Obama administration stated "We see the elements of an armed opposition across Syria, in the northwest, we see it as having taken over. There are a lot of them. We don’t really know who these armed groups are," but added they were "religiously based, absolutely."^[22]

[edit] Free Syrian Army

In late July 2011, a web video featuring a group of uniformed men claiming to be defected Syrian Army officers proclaimed the formation of a Free Syrian Army. In the video, the men called upon Syrian soldiers and officers to defect to their ranks and said the purpose of the Free Syrian Army was to defend protesters from violence by the state.^[168]

[edit] Foreign involvement

Iran was accused by U.S. President Barack Obama of secretly aiding President Assad in his efforts to quell the protests.^[169] U.S. Ambassador Susan Rice claimed that there was evidence of active Iranian support for the Syrian government's crackdown on demonstrators.^[170] Iran's Revolutionary Guards were accused of entering Syria and helping the government suppress the protests at the orders of Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei.^[171] According to Israeli Army Radio, an Israeli Foreign Ministry official stated that local protesters claimed to have heard security forces members speaking in Farsi.^[172] Iran denied any involvement in suppressing the protests.^[173]

On the other hand, in mid-April, WikiLeaks revealed that the US has secretly been funding Syrian opposition groups with millions of dollars, including Barada TV.^[174][175] In May, the government claimed it arrested some and killed other members of terrorist cells with foreign ties it cited as having killed military and police personnel.^[176][177]

[edit] Syrian refugees

By April 2011, a refugee problem has begun unfolding across Syrian borders, beginning with the siege of Talkalakh and unrest near the Turkish border. By May 3, the number of Syrian citizens, crossing the Turkish border was estimated at 300.^[178] President of Turkey, Abdullah Gül, said that Turkey is preparing for “a worst case scenario,” in an apparent reference to a possible influx of large numbers of refugees from Syria.^[178] He was referring to the fact that Turkey had already set up a small camp in southern Hatay province for 263 Syrians who fled their country on Friday, April 29.^[178]

By early July 2011, some 15,000 Syrian citizens had taken shelter in tent cities, set up in the Yayladağı, Reyhanlı and Altınözü districts of Hatay near Turkey’s border with Syria,^[179] with 5,000 of them returning back to Syria by that time of their own volition.^[179] The number of Syrian refugees in Lebanon had reached some 10,000 by late June. On July 12, Al-Jazeera reported that some Syrian refugees had found a sanctuary in Jordan,^[180] though didn't give numbers. The reports came from the Jordanian town of Ramtha, along the border with Syria.^[180]

To block the flow of refugees, the Syrian military deployed troops and tanks along the border, and set up checkpoints, arresting dozens. Militiamen reportedly attacked people trying to deliver relief and food to refugees trying to flee. On 19 June, Syrian forces attacked the border town of Bdama, burning homes and a bakery supplying bread to refugees, and arresting people for assisting refugees.^{[181][182][183]}

[edit] Reactions

[edit] Domestic

[edit] Arrests and convictions

Days before protests planned for 5 February, Syrian authorities arrested several political activists, such as businessman Ghassan al-Najar, leader of the Islamic Democratic movement,^[184][185] the writer Ali al-Abdallah,^[186] Abbas Abbas, from the Syrian Communist Party^[187] and several other political personalities of Kurdish background, such as Adnan Mustafa.^[188]

On 14 February, blogger and student Tal al-Mallohi was convicted of spying for the United States and sentenced to five years in prison. Washington denied these allegations and asked for al-Mallohi's immediate release. On 15 February under pressure from human rights organizations, the Syrian government released Ghassan al-Najar after he went on a hunger strike following his arrest for calling for mass protests.^[189]

On 22 March Syrian authorities arrested Loay Hussein, a human rights campaigner.^[190] On 25 March there were reports of mass arrests and detentions of protesters taking place.^[191]

On 29 April Dorothy Parvaz of Al Jazeera arrived in Damascus and was not heard of for several days^[192] The Syrian government later confirmed that she had been detained, she had attempted to enter the country illegally with an expired Iranian passport.^[193] She was released on 18 May after detention in Syria and Iran.

Many news outlets reported that a prominent LGBT anti-government blogger called Amina Arraf was allegedly arrested by Syrian authorities, but questions arose of whether she was a real person in the first place.^[194] She later tuned out to be an American man blogging under a false name, who had used a photo of a random British woman as that of "Amina".^[195][196]

[edit] Allegations of rape

Defected soldiers reported rapes in restive towns and districts.^[197]

[edit] Censorship

On 5 February, Internet services were said to have been curbed, although Facebook and YouTube were reported to have been restored three days later.^[198] Suggestions were made that easing the ban could be a way to track activists.^[199]
Started 3 months ago, social media censorship are ( up until today, July 29, 2011) taking these forms:
- Facebook: Homepage is normally accessible. HTTPS connection is blocked so users aren't able to login.
- YouTube: Homepage and all other pages are normally accessible but the streaming domain, however, is blocked. Users can surf the website but can't watch videos.
- Twitter: No direct blocking, but it's undergoing heavy throttling (limiting the number of connections) rendering the service inaccessible.

[edit] Concessions

On 19 March by legislative decree 35, al-Assad shortened the length of mandatory army conscription from 21 months to 18 months.^[200][201]

On 20 March, the Syrian government announced that it would release 15 children who had been arrested on 6 March for writing pro-democracy graffiti.^[202]

On 23 March, by regional decree 120, Faisal Ahmad Kolthoum was removed as Governor of Daraa.^[21][203]

On 24 March, al-Assad's media adviser, Buthaina Shaaban, said that the government will be "studying the possibility of lifting the emergency law and licensing political parties". The Syrian government also announced a cut in personal taxation rates, an increase in public sector salaries of 1,500 Syrian pounds ($32.60 US) a month and pledges to increase press freedom, create more employment opportunities, and reduce corruption.^{[204][205][206]}

On 26 March, Syrian authorities freed more than 200 political prisoners – 70 according to other sources – mostly Islamists, held in Saidnaya prison.^[207]

On 27 March, Bouthaina Shaaban confirmed that the emergency law would be lifted, but did not say when.^[101]

On 29 March, the Syrian cabinet submitted its official resignation to al-Assad.^[102]

On 31 March, al-Assad set up a committee of legal experts to study legislation that would pave the way to replacing decades-old emergency laws. The committee was to complete its study by 25 April. Al-Assad also set up a judicial committee tasked with investigating the circumstances that led to the death of Syrian civilians and security forces in the cities of Daraa and Latakia.^[208]

The government, dominated by the Shia Alawite sect, also made some concessions to the majority Sunni and some minority populations in April. On 6 April, it was reported that teachers would once again be allowed to wear the niqab, and that the government has closed the country's only casino.^[209] Of the 200,000 descendants of Syrian Kurds denied citizenship in 1962, 120,000 who were labeled "foreigners" were granted citizenship.^[37]

On 7 April, al-Assad relieved the Governor of Homs province from his duties and issued a decree granting nationality to thousands of Kurds living in the eastern al Hasakah province^[210] while the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said the 48 Kurds were released, more than a year after they were arrested in the eastern city of Raqqa.^[211] This came a day after al-Assad met with Kurdish tribal leaders to discuss citizenship issues concerning the Kurds of Syria’s north-eastern provinces, as hundreds of thousands of Kurds were stripped of their citizenship rights as a result of the 1962 national census.^[212]

On 16 April, al-Assad spoke to the People's Assembly in a televised speech, stating that he expected his government to lift the emergency law the following week. He acknowledged there is a gap between citizens and the state, and that government has to "keep up with the aspirations of the people".^[213] Later in the day he welcomed the new ministers in the Cabinet of Syria with a speech containing more specifics (full text). He spoke of the importance of reaching "a state of unity, unity between the government, state institutions and the people"; stressed the need for dialogue and consultation in multiple channels, popular support, trust and transparency; explained the interrelatedness of reform and the needs of citizens for services, security and dignity. He stated the first priorities were citizenship for Kurds, lifting the state of emergency in the coming week or at the latest the week after, regulating demonstrations without chaos and sabotage, political party law, local administration law in both structure and elections, and new and modern media law, all with public timeframes. The next topics were unemployment, the economy, rural services, attracting investment, the public and private sectors, justice, corruption, petty bribery, tax reform and reducing government waste, followed by tackling government itself with more participation, e-government, decentralization, effectiveness and efficiency, as well as closer cooperation with civil society, mass organizations and trade unions.

On 19 April, a bill was approved by the Syrian government to lift the emergency law.^[214] Two days later, al-Assad signed legislative decree 50 into law.^[215][216]

On 30 April, Prime Minister Adel Safar announced a comprehensive plan for reforms in the coming weeks in three areas: political reform, security and judicial reform; economic reform and social policies; and the development of administration and governmental work.^[217][218]

On July 24, a draft law was created, to be debated by parliament, to allow more political parties, under the conditions that they were not based on religious, tribal or ethnic beliefs and does not discriminate against gender or race. Protesters have dismissed the law as superficial, as Article 8 of the Syrian Constitution, which grants the Baath party the role of leader of the state and society, would need to be repealed.^[36]

[edit] Counter-demonstrations

The Guardian reported on March 22 that one of responses of the Syrian authorities to the unrest was to organise pro-Assad rallies.^[219] Pro-Assad rallies were held in the capital city of Damascus on 25 March.^[191] In mid-June, rallies in support of Assad and his government increased; protests held in front of the French and Turkish embassies over their condemnations of the Syrian government's response to the unrest, and on 15 June, people at a pro-government demonstration in Damascus carried a 2.3 kilometres (1.4 mi) long Syrian flag down the Mezzeh boulevard.^{[220][221][222]} State television said "two million" people attended to express "Syrian national unity and Syria's rejection of foreign interference in its internal affairs."^[220]

The day after President Assad addressed the nation on 20 June, state television reported that "more than 1 million" people gathered in Umayyad Square in Damascus, and there were demonstrations in Homs, Aleppo, Sweida, Lattakia, Deraa, Hasaka, Tartous, and elsewhere to express support for the reforms the president said he would carry out.^[223]

[edit] Other

On 8 March, SANA, the official Syrian news agency, published an article on its website titled "President al-Assad issued a decree provides for a legislative grant amnesty for political crimes committed before the date of 2011-03-08". Three hours later, the publication was removed.^[224] Hours later, Syrian authorities released Haitham al-Maleh, an 80-year-old former judge, one of al-Assad's most outspoken critics, under an amnesty marking the anniversary of the 1963 coup which brought the Ba'ath Party to power.^[225][226] Twelve Syrian human rights organisations called on the government to scrap the state of emergency which had been in effect for almost 50 years.^[227]

On 12 March, newly released Haitham al-Maleh announced in a YouTube video his support and assistance to the Syrian youth who are behind the new wave of protests and hoped that he will soon see democracy in Syria.^[228]

On 16 February, regime critic and director of the Organisation for Democracy and Freedom in Syria (ODFS) Ribal al-Assad, son of Rifaat al-Assad and cousin to Syrian President Bashar al-Assad, held a press conference in London, in which he made it clear that he "does not want to see a Syrian revolution, but a peaceful change of power".^[229] On 5 April interview, Ribal al-Assad warned of Syria's risk for a civil war, saying^[230]

Everyone in Syria has seen what is happening in Arab countries but in Syria there are many minorities. Everyone has arms and everyone will want to defend their own people. It is like what happened in Iraq.

[edit] International

The Arab League,^[231] European Union,^[232] the Secretary-General of the United Nations,^[233] and many Western governments condemned the violence, the Syrian government's response to the protests, and many expressed support for the protesters' right to exercise their free speech.^{[234][235][236][237][238][239]}

On 7 June, the Syrian Ambassador to France Lamia Shakkour was impersonated in announcing her resignation on France 24 over the protests through a caller. The elaborate hoax was later exposed, resulting in the network filing legal charges.^[240][241]

Amnesty International, a human rights advocacy group based in London, announced on 6 July that it had proof that the Syrian government committed crimes against humanity in Tel Kalakh, a town in Syria's restive north.^[242]

On July 9, Human Rights Watch issued a report stating that Syrian Army soldiers were ordered to shoot protesters during demonstrations, as well as take part in arbitrary detentions. The group cites defectors as saying that if they did not obey orders, they would have otherwise been shot.^[243]

[edit] Media

Under criticism from Internet activists for failing to acknowledge the Syrian uprising, Al Jazeera provided analysis of the largest opposition parties in Syria that might have great political influence in any change of power: Syrian People's Democratic Party, Muslim Brotherhood, National Salvation Front, Movement for Justice and Development, Reform Party, Arab Socialist Movement, Arab Socialist Union, Workers Revolutionary Party, Communist Party of Labour, and others.^[244] On 9 March, Al Jazeera continued its reporting with an analysis of political detainees in Syria,^[245] and two days later another special report reported that many activists indicated displeasure that the general decree of amnesty did not include political prisoners.^[246] Al Jazeera launched an internet page for the Syrian revolt as part of their "Arab Revolution Spring" portal.^[247]

On 23 March, a column was published in The Daily Telegraph by Con Coughlin, the newspaper's executive foreign editor, calling for the creation of a no-fly zone over Syria to protect innocent protesters.^[248]

[edit] Internet activists

As in the revolutions in Tunisia and Egypt, the internet is playing a major role in the organization and covering of the protests. The largest Facebook site in support of the Syrian uprising called "The Syrian Revolution 2011" alone has more than 200,000 supporters. The site reports on news related to the uprising and provides general guidelines for the protests. For every Friday, the site suggests a new name that has so far been adopted by the demonstrators in Syria. As Facebook only was recently unblocked, many governmental institutions are now on Facebook, such as Syrian TV etc.

Since international news media was banned in Syria, the main source of information has been private videos usually taken by mobile phone cameras and uploaded to YouTube. Such videos are difficult to verify independently, and several TV stations have shown older footage from Iraq and Lebanon, which was claimed to have been filmed in Syria.^[249][250]

To add credibility to the videos, protestors now often explicitly mention the date and location of the scene. Sometimes current newspaper issues are also shown. The largest collection of these videos is found on Onsyria, which currently has more than 30,000 videos.^[251]

[edit] Embassy closures

As of 4:31 pm BST^[when?], The USA evacuated more personnel from its embassy in Damascus.^[252]

[edit] See also

[edit] References

[edit] Further reading

• Lawson, Fred Haley, ed (2009). Demystifying Syria. London: Saqi. ISBN 9780863566547. 
• Wright, Robin (2008). Dreams and Shadows: The Future of the Middle East. New York: Penguin Press. pp. 212–261. ISBN 1594201110. 
• Ziadeh, Radwan (2011). Power and Policy in Syria: Intelligence Services, Foreign Relations and Democracy in the Modern Middle East. London: I.B. Tauris. ISBN 9781848854345. 
• International Crisis Group (13 July 2011). "Popular Protest in North Africa and the Middle East (VII): The Syrian Regimes Slow-Motion Suicide". Middle East/North Africa Report N°109 – 13 July 2011. http://www.crisisgroup.org/~/media/Files/Middle%20East%20North%20Africa/Iraq%20Syria%20Lebanon/Syria/109%20Popular%20Protest%20in%20North%20Africa%20and%20the%20Middle%20East%20VII%20--%20The%20Syrian%20Regimes%20Slow-motion%20Suicide.pdf. Retrieved 22 July 2011. 

[edit] External links

Wikinews has news related to: 2011 Syria anti-government protests

Wikimedia Commons has media related to: 2011 Syrian protests

• The Syrian Revolution 2011 الثورة السورية ضد بشار الاسد dissidents on Facebook
• Syria Uprising collected coverage at Al Jazeera English
• Syria collected news and commentary at The Economist
• Syria collected news and commentary at The Guardian
• Syria protests (2011) collected coverage at The New York Times
• Live updates on Syria’s uprising at NOW Lebanon
• The Reality of Events at SANA (Syrian Arab News Agency)
• Syria Comment Joshua Landis's blog

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