Syrian Elector

A Bloody Era of Syria's History Informs a Writer's Banned Novel

By ROBERT F. WORTH

DAMASCUS,Syria _ PEOPLE still talk about what happened here in the 1980s as "the Events," as if they were too awful to describe. The Syrian military's bloody struggle with militant Islamists left at least 10,000 dead in the city of Hama, and produced a trauma the authorities do not like to hear discussed.

So when Khaled Khalifa decided to write about it in his latest novel, "In Praise of Hatred," he knew he was touching a taboo subject. The book, a Balzacian tale full of romance and murder that ranges from Afghanistan to Yemen to Syria, was promptly banned when it was first published here in 2006.

Last month, the novel, republished in Beirut in 2007, became a finalist for the International Prize for Arabic Fiction, a new award modeled on Britain's Man Booker Prize. It is now being translated into English and other languages.

All that has given Mr. Khalifa, who is better known here for his television screenplays, a new prominence as one of the rising stars of Arab fiction, and a rare public voice on a largely forbidden topic.

"If I had won the Booker, the regime would have had a huge problem," he said with a barrel-chested laugh. "I think the culture minister breathed a big sigh when I lost." (The top prize went to an Egyptian novelist, Bahaa Taher, the éminence grise of Arab letters.)

A bearish man with a boiling corona of steel-gray hair, Mr. Khalifa, 44, has a clownish humor that undercuts his large literary ambitions. He smoked, drank and plowed through a table full of appetizers during a late-night interview at Ninar, a Damascus restaurant popular with Syrian artists and intellectuals, his long answers interrupted by bursts of raucous laughter.

My Letter to Santa: What will you bring me and Syria next Christmas?

Dear Santa,

I want to write and tell you about my Christmas of last year in 2006 which I regret to say was spent grovelling in a dark hole of Bashar Al-Assad's Underground Prison, which is the home to many of Syria's Political Dissidents. Instead of usually hearing your Christmas bells and cheer, I would only hear the screams of torture and crying as the whips lashed the skin of my fellow prisoner mates, it was no Xmas by all means Santa, it was more like hell spent in Assad's Chamber of Torture.

My mind turns back to my childhood when we kids used to spend cold xmas days bundled in jackets, woollen socks and thick sweaters all to the courtesy of my over concerned Mother. We never felt the harsh cold of Xmas and only the love of family and friends.

But 2006 would be a much bleaker picture, I sat sitting in solitary confinement with the cold oozing from every corner of the cell pinching and numbing what fat was left on my undernourished half naked body. That Xmas only the Prison Guards would feel the warm, as they sat bundled by gas stoves wearing what looked to be like last years xmas clothes.

Unlike the Legend of Baby Jesus in the grotto, instead of Animals huddled by Jesus blowing warm air onto his cold forehead and giving him the warmth of their bodies as we heard a million times before each Xmas. We would only feel the cold air as it resonated from the Prison Guards whips all around the prison's cold, damp hallways.

Syrian Activist Threatens Hunger Strike

Ahed Al-Hendi, Tharwa

A statement by the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights reports that Syrian opposition activist and lawyer Anwar Bunni has threatened to go on food and water strike until death because of the psychological terror campaign led against him by the Adra Central Prison security, which confiscated all of Mr. Bunni's personal possessions on Sunday morning.

According to the Syrian Observatory, Mr. Bunni's decision came after he refused to sign an investigation record on an old memorandum in which he criticized the Prisoners' Association and the Minister of Labor and Social Affairs, Diyala al-Hajj Arif.

The statement added that the memo was originally presented to the court a few months ago, stating "we denounce strongly the repeated aggression against the lawyer and activist Anwar Bunni."

Mr. Bunni was sentenced for five years by the First Criminal Court in Damascus on 24/04/2007 and issued a fine of 100,000 Syrian pounds. He has been detained since May 17 2006, after he signed the Beirut-Damascus, Damascus-Beirut deceleration.

In solidarity with the former MP Riad Saif

Ahed Al Hendi, Tharwa

A group of Syrian activists have launched a statement in solidarity with the former MP Riad Saif, asking liberals across the world to stand together against the dangerous travel ban that is threatening the life of Mr. Saif.

This story was published on the front page of the Lebanese newspaper Al-mustaqbal on Wednesday August 15, 2007. Among the most prominent signatories of the statement were: Mamoun Homsi, former Syrian MP, Khalil Hussein, Director of the Syrian Association for Human Rights and Civil Society, Burhan Ghalioun, Director of the Centre d'Etudes sur l'Orient Contemporain (CEOC) in Paris and professor of political sociology at the Universite de Paris (La Sorbonne).

Five organizations in Damascus have appealed to President Bashar Assad about this case and asked him to personally intervene for humanitarian reasons and allow Mr. Saif to travel outside the country to receive urgent medical treatment for advanced prostate cancer . Additionally, they have asked President Asad to prevent the Syrian security from issuing travel bans, confirming that this penalty - commonly used against activists and opponents of the regime - is unconstitutional and unsanctioned by Syrian law.

After the authorities prevented him from leaving the country, Mr.Saif appealed to human rights organizations so that he could receive his medical treatment. "After reaching a dead-end, I have no alternative but to appeal to all those who are interested in human rights issues in Syria and in the world, and I am hoping it will help me get my natural and legitimate right to receive medical treatment abroad," Saif said.

Former MK Bishara says Syria requires democratic reform

By Yoav Stern, Haaretz Correspondent and Haaretz Service

Former Israeli Arab lawmaker, Azmi Bishara criticized Syria on Wednesday, saying it is not a democratic state, and is in need of democratic reform.

He made the comments to Kuwaiti newspaper al-Qabas while attending the Second Forum on Democracy and Reform in the Arab World in Qatar this week.

The comments were unexpected, as Bishara is considered a supporter of Syria's Baath regime headed by current president, Basher Assad. A national referendum held last week granted Assad another seven-year term in power.

Bassam Abdel-Majid, Syria's interior minister, told al-Jazeera newspaper's English edition that the poll was attended by more voters than ever before in the country's history. Al-Jazeera also reported that the Baath regime's opposition does not have legal status and could not field presidential candidates.

Assad urged to embrace democracy or face political earthquake

Thursday, 17 May, 2007 @ 3:15 AM

Damascus - Syrian dissident Riad al-Turk urged President Bashar al-Assad on Wednesday to lead Syria on the path to democracy or face a political “earthquake” he said could shake Assad’s firm hold on power.

“The survival of any system is ultimately tied to support from the people. It takes only one event,” Turk ( picture right) told Reuters.

“An earthquake can be avoided if Bashar chooses the path of reconciliation, democratic change and ousting of the corrupt. It could happen, but I don’t expect it,” Turk said.

At 77, Turk remains the leading opponent of Syria’s Baathist-led government, unperturbed by more than 17 years of solitary confinement he spent as a political prisoner.

Assad, who is poised to secure a second term through a referendum this month, has taken steps to open the economy since succeeding his late father, Hafez al-Assad, in 2000, while keeping almost intact a political system that bans opposition.

The 41-year president clamped down on dissent while relations with Washington worsened over Syria’s role in Lebanon and Iraq, and its alliance with Iran. Assad said in a recent speech that more progress was needed in curbing corruption and making the government accountable.

Syria’s isolation from the West has eased in recent months with Washington talking to Damascus about stabilizing Iraq.

”Regimes in Syria, Egypt and Saudi Arabia have benefited from the American blunders in Iraq,” Turk said in an interview at his modest flat in the town of Tel north of Damascus.

Truth hurts, especially in Syria

By Wa'el Mirza, Special to Gulf News/ Opinion

The outcome of the Syrian parliamentary elections may not bring about any change to the structure of the Syrian National Assembly.

This is simply because the new parliament cannot make big achievements due to the prevailing old laws and rules that restrict its role, powers and way of work.

The elections, held on April 22 and 23, were just a chance for the new Syrian media to throw a stone into the still waters of the traditional media, which has remained still even when compared with media in other Arab countries and despite calls for media reforms.

For the first time in decades, Syrians have been able to see a vital and multi-voiced movement in their media, through the All For Syria daily newsletter, which is issued in Syria and distributed to over 20,000 subscribers around the world, according to Ayman Abdul Noor, editor of the newsletter.

The newsletter carried articles, studies and analyses on the elections, which all called for a free and fair polling.

"Free and fair elections" was the newsletter's main slogan and what it calls for. This signals the newsletter's serious attempt to prove its credibility and ability to play the required media role in shaping public opinion, otherwise it would become a mere advertising newsletter.

In an article titled Parliamentary Member, Voter and Nation, Dr Mohammad Habash, an independent Syrian Islamic reformist, wrote that the Syrian parliamentary institution suffers from the poor parliamentary role just like other Arab parliaments, with the exception of Lebanon, Kuwait and Morocco.

The parliamentary role is still weak in most Arab countries. And Syria is no exception, Habash said.

Under the title Blank Paper - is the Vote of the Third Current, Dr Maher Yassin, said: "In response to the president's call, we will go to ballot boxes on the elections day just to exercise our constitutional right despite our criticism against the elections.

Significance of Syria's elections

By Marwan Kabalan, Special to Gulf News

Last week, Syria held its second parliamentarian elections under President Bashar Al Assad. The elections were boycotted by the Syrian opposition and were denounced by most of the West as undemocratic and unfair. Unsurprisingly, the United States was the most critical. It dismissed the Syrian parliamentary elections as a missed opportunity for meaningful democratic reform. "[T]he Syrian government and its ruling Baath Party periodically go through this motion of holding what they call elections, but the regime continues to use authoritarian rule as established by its emergency law, its all-powerful security forces, and its monopoly control over the legal process and framework to ensure that the election - the so-called election - doesn't in any way reflect a democratic process," Deputy Assistant Secretary of State for Near Eastern Affairs J. Scott Carpenter told journalists during a briefing in Washington a few days before the Syrian elections.

Indeed, the result of the Syrian parliamentary election was not in doubt, as only one third of the 250 parliamentary seats were actually up for grabs. The other two thirds (167 seats) were automatically allocated to the National Progressive Front (NPF), a coalition of the Baath party and nine other satellite parties that has ruled Syria since 1972. NPF candidates are selected for their unquestionable loyalty to the regime. The only real competition was among thousands of independent candidates for the remaining 83 seats.

As far as democracy is concerned, the Syrian elections were hence undemocratic, at least according to Western standards. Yet, three key developments made them of particular importance this time and may signify a major shift in Syria's political mood.

The first one was the massive coverage of the elections by the Syrian media. Since the opening of the campaigns, the media in Syria, both the private and the state-owned, was extremely critical of the candidates and their elections programmes, slogans and the tactics adopted to win votes.

Voting begins slowly for Syria's new parliament

DAMASCUS 22/04/2007 16:13
Agence France Presse

Voting for Syria's new parliament began slowly on Sunday, amid widespread reports of lack of enthusiasm in a poll which opposition activists have urged supporters to boycott.

Only a trickle of voters could be seen heading to polling booths, especially in Damascus and on its outskirts.

In Sabaa Bahrat square in the heart of the capital, young activists lobbying on behalf of their particular candidate outnumbered voters.

The same scene was repeated in the western district of Jdaidet Artuz and the southern Jaramana suburb, where one polling station official told AFP: "It's still early. Voting lasts for two days."

Nearly 12 million Syrians are eligible to vote, according to the official SANA news agency, which also reported that 2,500 candidates were standing for the 250 seats in the assembly.

Last week, commenting on the poll, the official daily Tishrin said: "Except for the candidates, their relatives and those who will profit from this commercial festival, (Syrians) have lost their enthusiasm for the parliamentary elections."

Interior Minister Bassam Abdel-Majid, in a statement on state television, urged Syrians to turn out in force: "Your participation is a contribution to consolidating democracy and activating the role of parliament in drawing up decisions," he said.

In a swipe at Washington which had said Syria's election was unlikely to be free and fair, an official Syrian newspaper said Damascus had never needed "democratic" advice from abroad.

As-Saoura said it was the United States which fought against democracy, recalling its refusal to accept the democratic Palestinian election which resulted in a Hamas government, and later the creation of a national unity government headed by Hamas.

Syrian election held amid apathy

By Kim Ghattas
BBC News, Damascus

Voters are set to go to the polls in Syria to elect a new parliament. 

But unlike the elections in Nigeria or France, there is almost no contest and voters are not showing much interest.

Two-thirds of the seats will go to the ruling Baath Party and its allies, and even state-controlled newspapers have deplored the lack of enthusiasm.

A number of dissidents are still in jail - a sign that little has changed in Syria since the President, Bashar Assad, came to power seven years ago.

'Truly democratic' 

All candidates for the parliament, known as the Assembly of People, are vetted by the authorities.

Former political prisoners - and there are many in Syria - are stripped of their civil rights and cannot stand in the elections or vote, and the rules make it impossible for any real independents to win.

For voters there is not much to talk about; there are not really any electoral platforms or ambitious promises to curb unemployment and deal with the pollution.

In Syria, effectively ruled by one party, there is no room for real politics.