Syrian Elector

Letter to President Bush on the Annapolis Conference

The Beirut Secretariat for the Damascus Declaration sent a letter to President Georges W. Bush signed by its secretary, former Syrian MP and member of the National Opposition, and one of the prisoners of conscience Mohamad Mamoun El Homsy, demanding that the Annapolis Peace Conference does not become a place of defeat for the project of freedom and democracy and an incentive for the victory of dictatorship on the ambitions, struggle and hopes of the Syrian people and the peoples in the Middle East region. The letter quotes as follows:

Mr. President Georges W. Bush, President of the United States of America

The peoples of the Middle East region have long awaited, after enduring great sorrow, pain and wars whose victims have always been innocent civilians (women, children, the elderly and promising youth), to reach a just, global and secure peace.

Your initiative to hold the Annapolis Peace Conference and your efforts aiming to establish the sovereign, free and sustainable Palestinian state in compliance with the international resolutions are two positive and vital steps for achieving peace in the region.

We consider that the most important factors for the success of any peace initiative should be based on sound and sincere fundaments and principles, apart from the spreading of animosity, hatred, extremism and terrorism among the peoples of the Middle East region.

The Tharwa Digest - Volume 1, Issue 4

A biweekly digest of select reports prepared by Tharwa-Syria

Note: All links below are to the original articles in Arabic.

Crackdown in the North

Let the freedom bells toll for Syria's Kurds

An article that discusses the peaceful demonstrations organized by Syria's Kurdish population earlier this month in northern Syria (mostly in Qamishly and Kobani) and the ensuing bloody crackdown by the local authorities. The author accuses the Syrian President and his Minister of Foreign Affairs of instigating this incident by their public endorsement of planned Turkish incursion into northern Iraq and condemning the PKK, which Syria had supported for so long during the reign of Hafiz al-Assad, as a terrorist organization. The author also criticizes the country's opposition parties and movement for their sole reliance on verbal denunciations and for continuing to wait for external succor in their fight against the regime.   

Tharwa Interviews: Khaddam, Bayanouni, Farhat, and Hawatmeh

In the preceding two weeks, Tharwa correspondents conducted a number of insightful and frank interviews, that have been widely circulated on the Net, with a number of noteworthy figures in the Syrian opposition scene and with regard to Syrian and regional politics, including:

An interview with Abdul Haleem Khaddam
We seek to create a modern democratic and and civil state, far from religious, sectarian and national affiliations 

In this interview, Syrian former VP, Abdul Haleem Khaddam, denied that he played any role in the widespread corruption in Syria, and challenged the regime that he abandoned to produce any evidence that can prove otherwise. Khaddam also discussed a number of issues related to the period when he was one of the main pillars of the Assad regime, and affirmed that the National Salvation Front, the opposition coalition that he established in 2006, in partnership with Ali Sadreddine, al-Bayanouni, the head of the Muslim Brotherhood, and representatives of various opposition currents, is large enough to encompass everybody, and that it seeks to establish a modern democratic state where all citizens are equal in terms of their rights and obligations, their religious, sectarian and national affiliations notwithstanding. Finally, and with regard to the ongoing situation in Lebanon, Mr. Khaddam expressed his wish that Syria's allies would be able to put the interests of Lebanon above all those of Syria and Iran.

An interview with Ali Sadreddine al-Bayanouni

His partnership with former Syrian VP, Khaddam, says Mr. Al-Bayanouni, head of the Syrian Branch of the Muslim Brotherhood, is not a mistake, as the break of the former with the ruling regime in Syria and his subsequent contrarian stands clearly indicate. Moreover, the National Salvation Front, that the twain has established in cooperation with representatives of other Syrian opposition movements and parties continue to expand, as Mr. Al-Bayanouni attest, and has proven that it is open to all constituent components of the Syrian society, including the Alawites. The Alwaites, Mr. Al-Bayanouni assured, are as much a victim of this regime as everyone else in the country and will play an important role in bringing about the much needed change in the country. The Muslim Brotherhood, in Syria, Mr. Al-Bayanouni said, seeks to build a modern civil state. With regard to Iran, Mr. Al-Bayanouni says that Iran has to make up its mind whether it wants to be an Islamic state of a Shiite one, because so far, its choices seem to be made on purely sectarian basis. Meanwhile, and under Bashar's leadership, Syria has become  playground for Iranian Mullas and politicians. As for the possibility of establishing a transitional government, Mr. Al-Bayanouni said that this possibility is clearly stated in the foundational charter of the NSF.   

An interview with Kurdish Rights activist Farhat Ali

A former political prisoner and a Kurdish rights activist, Mr. Farhat was first arrested by Lebanese security agents and handed over to the Syrian authorities, where his rounds of the country's infamous jails begun. In this candid, interview, Mr. Farhat discusses the living conditions of Syria's political detainees and prisoners of conscience, highlighting the various forms of torture and the complex relationship between jailor and jailed, and among the jailed. Mr. Farhat then discuses the Kurdish situation in Syria and how parochial partisan interests seem to have alienated the existing parties from their grassroots supporters, making them fall into the same trap of those parties which play within the rules established by the Syrian regime. 

An interview with Nayef Hawatmeh

In this candid interview with the Secretary General of the Democratic Front for the Liberation of Palestine, Mr. Hawatmeh discusses the various recent developments in Gaza, including the Hamas takeover, in which he asserts that the Hamas back-down from a full military takeover in Gaza comes in response to the popular expectations of the Palestinian people. Mr. Hawatmeh also says that the planned Annapolis Conference could bear fruit, if properly managed.

The Iraqi-Turkish Crisis

Syrian Kurds continue to monitor the developments on borders between Iraq and Turkey with much apprehension, this is a sampling of the many reports they wrote on this issue over the last few days:

What benefits could the Syrian authorities derive if they gained the approval of their neighbors and lost that of their citizenry?

In this article, Syrian Kurdish activist, Moustapha Ismail, notes that at the heart of the current crackdown championed by the Syrian authorities lies their failure in tackling any of the country's essential economic problems, especially those affecting the country's neglected Kurdish population. For when it comes to the country's Kurdish population, the Syrian authorities tend to exaggerate both in their level of negligence and the ferocity of their crackdowns, as the recent events in northern Syria reveal. What threatens the country's security more, the author wonders, the unarmed demonstrators or the unruly security officers?

Why does Turkey insist on swimming against the stream?

The shrinking relevance of Turkey on the international scene, the author contends is encouraging the Turkish authorities to adopt a more belligerent with regard to the country's lingering Kurdish Question. But previous historical precedence indicate that militarism is not the right way to deal with this issue, and will not facilitate its entry into the European Union. Turkey's attitude vis-à-vis Kurdish aspirations carried many contradictions, the author concludes, especially when they endorse special arrangements for the Turkmen of Iraq, and for a Turkish federal entity in Northern Cyprus, while she they continue to oppose the Kurdish project in northern Iraq.

Turkey and the planned incursion into Iraqi Kurdistan

The author of this analytical piece discusses the various factors influencing Turkey's decision for sending troops into northern Iraq, and concludes that the main factor at play is related to the ongoing struggle between the military and civilian establishments in Turkey on the one hand, and between the forces of secular nationalism and those of Islamism. But, and contrary to other analysts of the situation, the current author is hopeful about the future, noting that the US will not sacrifice its interests in the region for the sake of the Turkish identity crisis and its drive to create an Islamic imperial entity in the region.

Syrian-Russian Relations

Can Israel influence Syrian-Russian relations?

The author of this article casts doubts on whether Israel can indeed convince the Russians to cancel their upcoming missile deal with Syria, noting the growing military cooperation between the two countries, and the recent announcement by the Russians that they intend to build permanent military base for themselves in the Syrian port of Tartous. In addition to other bilateral military agreements already signed, it seems that Russian-Syria relations are on the rise again and may not be easily shaken at this stage.

Legal Perspectives

A just and independent judiciary is our needed rock

In this article, Tharwa's legal correspondent, Michel Shammas, reviews the current sorry condition of the Syrian judiciary system, and asserts that the main reason for its inefficiency is related to its linkages to the other branches in the state, especially the executive branch. Low wages, poor qualifications, rampant corruption, nepotism are other contributing factors in this regard. 

He Divorced her, but she still wants him

In this report, the author spotlights the plight of the divorced women in the country and the societal pressures that compel them to chose to return to an abusive relationships. Sometimes, the author notes, the abuse women receive from their husbands is less than that received from their families, especially in the aftermath of divorce.

Where did you get that?

The author notes the huge gulf between the various laws and decrees passed by the authorities to combat corrupt practices, and their application. The application of these laws, notes the authors, focuses on the weak and spares government officials, especially high-ranking ones, and their families. This make the entire campaign against corruption continue to be ineffective. Living Conditions
Price hikes eat up the change

In the absence of any real role for the country's rubber stamp parliament, the author contends, Syria's citizens are living on the whims of their unruly rulers and their harsh policies that continue to impoverish them, driving the prices higher than they have ever been in Syria's modern history, while the few rich affiliated with the regime get richer and richer.

Human Rights

Before the crime happens

The administrators and writers of the Nisaa Syria (Women of Syria) website that focuses on women's rights called on the local authorities to protect a young 18 year old Druze girl from the southern Province of Sweidah from an honor waiting to happen, the girl having married a young man from a different confessional group. the girls is currently held by the local authorities in Sweidah, but could be released at any time to members of her family who are asserting their right of custody. Following previously-set pattern, this move could pave way the young girl's murder should the local authorities "honor" the family's request. on this occasion, Tharwa issued a call on the Druze elders to stand up against this barbaric practice, seeing that the authorities cannot be relied upon to do any good. The Tharwa team will continuation to monitor the situation. 

A draft for a new parties law in Syria

Even from his prison cell, and even as he battles the various ailments associated with the unsanitary conditions under which he is kept, Syria lawyer and human rights activist, Walid al-Bounni, continues to challenge the authoritarian hold of the Syrian regime. His most recent act of defiance was the issuance of a draft for a new parties law in the country to facilitate the liberalization and democratization of the country. The move seeks to build upon his earlier work in this field, namely the draft constitution that he authored two years ago. The draft has been widely distributed over the net. Youth Affairs

Syrian Youth Caught between the problems of the past and the challenges of the future

Unemployment, poverty, high cost of education and its poor quality, notes the young author of this article, represent some of the basic problems that Syria's youth has to deal with these days in order to make a living and build a future. But this struggle seems to be an increasingly losing cause, for whatever future, the country's is building it is a very lonely one indeed as celibacy rates are currently the highest registered in the country, standing at 65%.

The National Concern of the Syrian Youth, the case of Syria's Kurdish youth

Syria's youth are almost completely absent from the political scene, even among the country's move politically conscious Kurdish population, where partisan politics and rising parochial interests served to alienate the young Kurds of the country. Political parties have a lot of work ahead of them in order to circumvent the mounting cynicism, apathy and mistrust of the young population and so that they can reconnect with the country's increasingly young demographics. 

Syrians find new friend in Beirut

Facebook ban marks latest in series of restrictions that have driven dissidents to Lebanon
MARK MACKINNON
Globe and Mail Update
November 21, 2007 at 7:00 AM EST

BEIRUT — To the outside world, Lebanon's constantly turbulent political scene can make the country seem like a dangerous place to visit. But to Syrians who have fallen out with the regime of President Bashar Assad, the tiny country next door is a democratic paradise.

With Mr. Assad's regime moving in recent months toward even tighter controls on free speech and dissent - this week it banned access to the popular Facebook social-networking website - a growing number of young Syrian dissidents have settled here in Lebanon, the only Arab country where they feel free to express their opinions and continue their political activism.

"It's a safe place for us as Syrians. All the other Arab countries are dictatorships," said 23-year-old Ahed al-Hindi as he sat on the terrace of a Starbucks coffee shop in Beirut's trendy Hamra neighbourhood.

Mr. al-Hindi knows that first-hand. He was arrested in a Damascus Internet café late last year after the café manager filmed him posting what Mr. al-Hindi says were "political comments on the human-rights situation" on a Syrian news website and reported him to the police.

He spent a month in prison for his online comments, and Mr. al-Hindi says the country's mukhabarat secret police continued to follow him after his release, repeatedly asking him to report on the people he met and foreigners he knew. At one point, they confronted him about a Danish woman he was dating, telling him they suspected she was working for Israel's spy agency, the Mossad.

"When I saw my life would be like this - that everything I did would be monitored - I decided to leave," he said.

Life in prison for a phone call?

Taylor Long, NOW Staff

Human rights activist Faeq al-Mir, a longtime opponent of Syrian Presidents Hafez al-Assad and Bashar al-Assad, is not eager to join these men in Adra Prison, who in 2005 staged a hunger strike in support of Assad. It was unfair, they said, that their president was taking heat for a recent spate of assassinations in Lebanon. (AFP/LOUAI BESHARA)

Anwar al-Bunni, Michel Kilo and Mahmoud Issa are just three of the many Syrian activists who have been jailed since early 2005 for their verbal or written support of Lebanon's push for independence and national sovereignty.  In May 2006, they signed a document called the Beirut-Damascus Declaration, calling for the normalization of relations between Syria and Lebanon in the aftermath of the Cedar Revolution and the removal of Syrian troops from Lebanese territory.  For their goodwill, they were sentenced to a harsh five to 10 years in Adra Prison where, according groups like Amnesty International and Human Rights Watch, they and other prisoners of conscious have been regularly subjected to beatings. 

Syrian intelligence operatives – the Mukhabarat – recorded a December phone call between Syrian human rights activist Faeq al-Mir, another signatory of the Beirut-Damascus Declaration, and Lebanese parliamentarian Elias Atallah.  In this telephone conversation and in several others made prior to it, Mir offered his condolences to Atallah over the assassination in Lebanon of leading Arab intellectuals Samir Kassir and Georges Hawi, and March 14-aligned Minister of Industry Pierre Gemayel.

Syria: Leftist Leader Faces Life in Prison for Phone Call

Authorities Should Release Faeq al-Mir at Once

(New York, November 7, 2007) – The Syrian government should immediately free Faeq al-Mir, a leader of the leftist People's Democratic Party, and dismiss the politically motivated charges against him, Human Rights Watch said today.

On Thursday November 8, the First Damascus Criminal Court is expected to issue its verdict in the criminal case against al-Mir. Al-Mir is on trial for contacting Elias Atallah, the head of the Democratic Left party in Lebanon and a leader of Lebanon's March 14 Coalition, which is known for its opposition to Syrian policies in Lebanon.

"Syria's arrest and prosecution of Faeq al-Mir reveals the government's intolerance for even the slightest hint of opposition," said Sarah Leah Whitson, Middle East director at Human Rights Watch. "Al-Mir faces the possibility of life in prison or even execution for phoning a Lebanese opponent of Syria's policies there."

Al-Mir has been in detention since December 13, 2006, when state security officers arrested him at his home in the coastal city of Latakia. Al-Mir's arrest followed his phone call to Atallah to express condolences for the November 21, 2006 assassination of Pierre Gemayel, who was Lebanon's minister of industry at the time. Syrian security services taped the phone call.

The Tharwa Digest - Volume 1, Issue 3

A biweekly digest of select reports prepared by Tharwa-Syria.

Note: All links below are to the original articles in Arabic.

A Few Observations About the Assad Regime 

"Our skies are ours, inviolable by others"

In this article, one of several published by Hassan Shams, the Syrian Golanese journalist and a new Tharwa Editor, the author notes a series of contradictions which have become hallmarks of the Assad leadership style, especially their continuing touting of slogans to which they can never live up. A case in point, the slogan for the Syrian Air Force: "Our skies are ours, inviolable by others" - a slogan whose meaning and value continue to depreciate in the aftermath of yet another unopposed and successful Israeli air raid. Military academies around the world should learn the gentle manner of Syria's rulers, Mr. Shams admonishes, whose leadership style presents us with a very unique historical precedent.

Is the Assad rule of Syria nearing an end?

Under the leadership of Bashar al-Assad, Mr. Shams notes in this second article on Syria's rulers, the young president continues to burn all the cards that he inherited from his father. He also notes the amazing contradiction between the Assads' continuing reliance on the relatively benign treatment afforded them by various Israeli and US administrations, and the radical rhetoric and bravado which they continue to peddle to the Syrian people. The author then moves to call on the Syrian opposition to shed their "puritanical predilections" and hasten to adopt some practical policies and measures to help save the homeland from potential dissolution. He also lays some blame on the doorstep of the Syrian people for continuing to rely on the activities of a few hundred opposition members, and calls on them to rise up against the country's faltering regime.

The Crisis Along the Turkish-Iraqi Border

Syrian analysts, especially those of Kurdish descent, have been busy monitoring the worrying developments along the Turkish-Iraqi borders over the last few week. Tharwa teams in both Syria, Iraq and Turkey have been issuing daily reports and press reviews on this ominous situation (published mostly on the "Whereto Iraq?" blog). The following represent a brief sampling of the dozens of reports that have been published by Tharwa over the last couple of weeks.

Turkey in it for itself, and Syria is playing in overtime

Twenty three incursions into Iraqi Kurdistan have so far proven insufficient to take out all of the PKK camps there, but Turkey has its reason for embarking on a yet another incursion, the instigating behavior of the Syrian regime in this regard comes as a sign of irredeemable folly and of cracking up under mounting pressures related chiefly to the Hariri Tribunal.

Dimensions of the Turkish military operations in Kurdistan

After a historical review of the various Turkish incursions into Iraqi Kurdistan, the author of this article identifies Turkish unwillingness to accept the creation of a federal entity in Northern Iraq as the main reason for the current incursion. The author then points out that historical precedents amply demonstrates that there is no military solution to Turkey's problems with the PKK, he also calls on PKK to renounce violence and take advantage of the more amiable political environment prevailing in Turkey under AKP rule to fight for Kurdish rights in Turkey. 

Assad's histrionics in the midst of the tempest

The author of this article points out the inherent contradiction between the current Syrian President's denunciation of the PKK as a terrorist group, and his late father's endorsement of and support for the group. By supporting the planned Turkish incursion into Northern Iraq, the Syrian President is turning his back against own Kurdish population and playing with a fire that will eventually burn him the author warns.

The Politics of Identity

An interview that Tharwa did with exiled Syrian opposition member Wahid Sakr received wide attention in opposition circles on account of the frank discussion of the Sunni-Alawite divide in Syria and of Mr. Sakr's call on Sunni opposition circles to clarify their stand vis-à-vis religious fatwas denouncing the Alawites as heretics and calling for their extermination. The interview elicited many positive responses from both secular and religious figures and served to launch an open and frank dialogue over one of the most sensitive issues in the Syrian social and political sphere.

On a related note, the issue of identity politics was raised again when the Syrian President issued a law granting Syrian ID cards to the inhabitants of the occupied Golan Heights. While this gesture served to showcase the Syrian President's ability to tackle such sensitive issues, as such, his unwillingness to adopt a similar stance with to Syria's 300,000 denaturalized Kurds remains unfathomable as many Kurdish authors noted. In this regard, Tharwa sites witnessed quite a unique correspondence between two Tharwa members: a Druze inhabitant of the Golan and a denaturalized Kurdish journalist, in which the two agreed that their common humanity is the only real treasure, and that their fight for liberty is one and the same.

In the coming weeks, Tharwa authors will continue to explore the issue of identity politics through articles, reports and interviews.

Civil Rights

A new Syrian website reportedly blocked for republishing a cartoon that mock the president and his wife

A website run by young activist from Syria has been reportedly blocked for republishing cartoons mocking the Syrian president and his wife. The cartoon was initially produced by the Syrian Elector team, one of the Tharwa websites dealing with Syria affairs, and dates back to the period of the presidential referendum in May, when it seems to have gained much currency in Syrian activists circles, as had been the case with other Syrian Elector's cartoons and reports. The regime has been cracking down on young activists ever since the referendum for the critical role they played organizing the popular boycott that took place at the time, despite massive spending by the regime to turn people out.