Syrian Elector

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

Syrian Elector - Ahed Al-Hendi

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.

The Tharwa Digest - Volume 1, Issue 6

A biweekly digest of select reports prepared by Tharwa-Syria

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

Tharwa Executive Director Meets With U.S. President

Tharwa Foundation Executive Director Ammar Abdulhamid met with the President of the United States on Tuesday, December 4, 2007.

The White House meeting was also attended by opposition leader Mr. Mamoun al-Homsy and Kurdish activist Mr. Djengizkhan Hasso of the Kurdistan National Assembly.

Talks focused on the worsening human rights situation in Syria, with the Syrian participants stressing the necessity of making any improvement in bilateral relations between Syria and the United States conditional on qualitative improvements in human rights conditions.  Specifically, these include: lifting of the state of emergency in the country (in effect since 1963), release of all political prisoners, allowing the return of all exiles, and ending the tragic situation of the 350,000 denaturalized Kurds in the country. Syria’s need for internal peace is no less important or vital than its need for peace with its neighbors, Al-Homsy, Hasso, and Abdulhamid said.

For this reason, the three democracy activists also stressed the importance of refraining from any military action against Syria, instead keeping pressure on the regime through diplomatic and legal means only. They stressed that the Syrian people should not be punished for the crimes of the regime, nor should the decision of seeking democratic change be taken from their hands, for only the Syrian people have the right to decide the timing for democratic change in Syria.

Abdulhamid was heartened by the President's interest in Syria and in the work of Tharwa.  "The activities of the Tharwa team across the region in general and in Syria in particular have attracted much international attention of late," said Abdulhamid.  "This is in part due to the amazing success of the Tharwa Syria team in its efforts to monitor, document, and report the various fraudulent activities and official manipulation of the electoral processes during Syria's legislative 'elections' and presidential referendum in April and May 2007. The subsequent reports that came out of Syria in the following weeks and months exposing various aspects of daily life in Syria under the current regime added much to the credibility of Tharwa and we are gratified that our work has merited the attention of the White House."

The Tharwa Digest - Volume 1, Issue 5

A biweekly digest of select reports prepared by Tharwa-Syria
Note: All links below are to the original articles in Arabic.

Diversity Issues

Syria: sectarianism under the ashes

In this article, Tharwa correspondent Muhammad Issa calls upon Syria’s authors and intellectuals to stop burying their heads in the sand when it comes to the issue of sectarianism in Syria, since this issue is too urgent to be ignored or shunned, and the Syrian street seems ripe for an ethnic meltdown.  The Alawite community should not be blamed for the sins of the regime, Muhammad insists, nor should the Sunnis be continuously asked to offer guarantees to everyone.  The different communities in the country need to reach a new social contract to which everyone should adhere. 

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. 

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.   

The Tharwa Digest - Volume 1, Issue 2

A biweekly digest of select reports prepared by Tharwa-Syria

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

The Struggle for Syria  

Iran, Saudi Arabia and the Battle for the Sunnifaciton/Shiazation of Syria

The struggle between Iranians and the Saudis for what amounts to control over Syria's soul and future political behavior is manifesting itself in their active campaigning to spread their particular versions of Islam: Twelver Shiism in the case of the former, and Wahhabi Sunnism in the case of the latter. The campaigns, the author notes, include buying up property in impoverished areas, especially along the coastal regions of Syria, renovating ancient religious shrines and establishing religious centers, as well as exploiting Hizbollah prestige and grassroots popularity in some parts of the country. This competition, the author notes, is exacerbating the already tense relations between the country's various sectarian and religious groups and are bound to wreak havoc on the future of the country. 

Syria and Lebanon

Syrian and Lebanon - a border dispute or an existential one?

Syrian author, Hanan Yazbek, accuses her country’s ruling regime of dealing with existing regional crises solely as cards to be used to consecrate its hegemony and rule. In this regard, the author argues, the regime excelled in its manipulation of the Lebanese card, by exploiting the internal differences between the various Lebanese factions, thus transforming the existing crisis between the two countries into an existential one for both the Lebanese people and the Syrian regime. 

Terrorism in Lebanon - the efforts to clone the Absi experience

The author of this report examines the history of the Absi terrorist cell that has recently been defeated in the Palestinian Camp of Nahr el-Bared in Lebanon and notes, considering that all evidence points to its Syrian origins of this group and to the large role that Syrian security apparatuses played in supporting this group, the experiment is bound to be coned in the future in order to further the Syrian regime's design over Lebanon. 

Constitutional Affairs

Syria and the Continuing Prevalence of Unconstitutional Practices and Laws

Syrian Lawyer Michel Shammas continues his attempt to highlight the various constitutional problems that faces the country and its ruling regime in the absence of any efforts for political and constitutional reforms. In a recent two-part article, Mr. Shammas points out various internal contradictions within the Constitution itself, including the clause assuring the right of every citizen to contribute to the "political, economic, social and cultural life" in the country, and Article 8 which imposes Baath rule over the country. Mr. Shammas also pointed out to the inherent contradictions between the state's current drive to privatize education and Constitutional guarantees of free universal education. The frequent unconstitutional practices and laws issued by the country's parliament's were also highlighted, including the law passed on 10/04/2005 which allowed for dismissal of 81 judges without providing any justifications or allowing for any legal recourse in the matter. The author concluded by reminding readers of the unconstitutional nature of the acting government and all laws passed by it, since it has not yet been renewed following the Presidential referendum on May 27.

Human Rights

In Syria, we need a state that respects human rights not Muslim rights

In this article, Tharwa regular Ghassan al-Mefleh, adds his two cents to the ongoing debate between secular author Yaseen al-Haj Saleh and Islamist author Al-Tahir Ibrahim concerning the role of religion in society, which has been occupying the intellectual circles in Syria for weeks now. The debate initially focused on the case of a Muslim convert to Christianity in Egypt, quickly mushroomed into an overall debate on the role of Islam in contemporary Arab societies. To many, the debate served to highlight the double-speak employed by Islamists with regards to human rights, but it also affored secular authors such as Yaseen and Ghassan the opportunity to frame the secular point of view on the issue of the necessary separation of religion and state in manner that is clear and clearly embedded in the contemporary realities of the Middle East.

During this period, Tharwa also published a number of articles and reports commemorating the 45th anniversary of the law that stripped many Syrian Kurds of their Syrian citizenship, including a long field report based on interviews with many of the over 300,000 Kurds affected by this situation.

Intellectual affairs

The New Seljukes

Author Nizar Shafeeq Abboud makes a strong argument for the continuing possibility of change and modernization in the Arab societies drawing on historical comparisons with Seljuke and Crusader times, while highlighting the importance of democratic and secular reforms in the Middle East. 

The Tharwa Digest - Volume 1, Issue 1

A biweekly digest of select reports prepared by Tharwa-Syria

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

The Otri Government  

The Otri Government is unconstitutional

Tharwa activists continue to monitor the various unconstitutional practices of the ruling regime in Syria. This article argues that, on the basis of Article 122 of the Syrian Constitution, the current government of Prime Minister Naji Otri is itself unconstitutional, because its mandate has never been renewed and its new duties and priorities have never been specified in the aftermath of the presidential referendum on May 27th. Until this happens, the author concludes, all decisions made by the current government can be legally challenged.

External threats do not justify the lack of progress in the fight against corruption

This articles comes as a further criticism of the Otri Government and its lax attitude towards official corruption. The inefficacy and corruption of the Otri Government the article argues, is not the sole problem in the country, but it does represent one of its major problems. External threats should not be used as an excuse to demur in the fight against official corruption, on the contrary, the introduction of the much-needed and longed-for democratic reforms will serve to strengthen the country's position in the face of external pressures.

Municipal Elections

The Tharwa Syria team continued its overage of the electoral processes in the country by monitoring the municipal elections that took place in late August, amidst continuing electoral boycott of the elections partly in response to opposition calls, but mostly as a reflection of the continued alienation that most Syrian electors have vis-à-vis the ruling regime and its institutions. The Tharwa team even carried out a small-scale survey of the attitude of Syrian expatriates to the municipal elections and detected an even more pronounced sense of cynicism, with some complaining against "the unnecessary burden that such formalities pose on state treasury," since their sole purpose is "to bring in new hypocrites and scoundrels to replace old ones."

Syria and Iraq

Syrian and Iraq - Not too Similar

This report argues that despite the fears of many Syrians that increased pressures on the ruling regime might lead to a scenario similar to what has taken place in Iraq, and despite some similarity with regard to the ethnic diversity in both countries, the realities of Syria society are radically different from those prevalent in Iraq, and this will shield it from a potential ethnic meltdown. The main differences between Syria in Iraq can be summarized in four points: 1) the ability of the Syrian activists to create a platform for political dialogue and activity over the last few years despite continuing repression by the authorities, 2) the increased ethnic mixing that took place in the major cities, coupled with the geographical intermixing of communities on the local level, 3) the Syrians are armed with the foreknowledge of what happened in Iraq, and before it Afghanistan and Algeria, and finally, 4) the the discourse of the political Islamist movements in Syria, is much more flexible.

Human Rights

The State of Prisons in Syria (1, 2)

This two part report summarizes the state of the prisons system in Syria, noting its clear inconsistencies with international standards, the spread of corruption in all levels of the system, the inhuman living conditions which most prisoners have to suffer, the special treatment afforded to the rich and powerful, the mixing of political and criminal prisoners, the proliferation of illegal detention centers, the widespread recourse to torture and the lack of access granted to any human rights group, be it domestic or international, among other infractions.

A former Syrian political prisoner sues the ruling regime

Masoud Hamid, a Syrian journalist and former political prisoner, currently living in Paris, and who was imprisoned in 2003 for taking part in a demonstration for Kurdish rights, has moved to sue the Syrian regime for the abuse and torture to which he was subjected while in captivity. More former political prisoners and exiles are said to be contemplating similar moves.

On a related note, the fate of Ali Barazi, a Syrian translator for Human Rights Watch and a translator for the Tharwa Foundation, detained by the military security apparatus since July 28, 2007, and the young internet activist Karim Arbaji, detained since June 7, 2007, remains unknown, with the Syria authorities remaining adamant in denying access to them. Meanwhile, the crackdown against civil liberties continues culminating in a mass arrest of 68 citizens including 22 minors in the township or Turan in northern Syria.

Living Conditions

The news that the Syrian authorities will go ahead with the decision to raise fuel prices by yearend has dismayed most Syrians who are becoming quite vociferous in their criticism of their government's internal policies of late. The recent assertions made by Deputy PM for Economic Affairs, Dr Abdallah al-Dardari, to the effect that the government has no choice but to raise the prices of petroleum products to reflect global prices and that the parallel rise of basic consumer items currently taking place in the country will be temporary in nature, and that prices will eventually return to their normal levels, have been received with much skepticism and anger. "Our officials are living in a completely different and separate world than that of the people," complained one Syrian, "there is no sensitivity or logic to anything they say or do. It is simply illogical that prices of petroleum products and most other products be commensurate with international standards when both the salaries and the domestic production capacity is less than 10% of international standards. If they think the people are simple and stupid, they should know that they are limits to that."

Meanwhile, prices of basic commodities have risen by a factor of 3o% in comparison to the way they were last year, while the prices of vegetables and fruits have risen by a factor of 200% !! Add to that raising costs of electricity and raw materials, and it is not wonder that some Syrian youth are beginning to cry out: "find us a new homeland."

The Syrian Presidential Referendum 2007: Fear, Lies and Deception

Syrian Elector, Washington, D.C. (May 30, 2007)

The Syrian presidential referendum took place in the absence of any approved independent monitors of any kind, domestic, regional and international. Except for voters and security officers no one was allowed access to the polling centers. This seems to be one of the main lessons learned from the legislative elections, where local journalists were granted access, which allowed for our unofficial monitors to gain access to the centers and expose the regime’s various fraudulent practices.

While the size of our team and tight control imposed by the Syrian security apparatuses did not allow us to make any real estimates of the actual size of turnout for the presidential referendum, we are surely in a good position to challenge the figures stated by Syrian officials as well as the entire legality and constitutionality of the process itself, seeing that our team has managed to report many infringements, infractions, and abuses of the system.

But before listing our reason for doubting the veracity of the figures above, let’s list the main abuses that were noted.

Main Abuses:

• All voters interviewed by our team members stated that the balloting was open, no private booths were provided, and as such secret balloting was not practiced, and all voting took place in the open under the watchful eyes of the security agents, which were omnipresent.

• Many reported that ballots have already been filled on their behalf, that is, the “yes” circle had already been marked for them, and all that they had to do was to fold it and insert it in the box.

• Many reported that they were not asked for their electoral cards in order to be allowed to vote, despite earlier report that having such cards will be a requirement so people can prove that they have taken part in the vote and avoid any future harassment or punishment.

• Many reported that they were not even asked for their ID cards, and simply proceeded to stuff the box with their ballots, which was often already marked as we have noted.

• Many reported, and our monitors actually observed (some of them indeed took part in the vote in order to monitor what is taken place inside), numerous incidents were multiple voting took place, not simply by going from one center to another, but often in the selfsame center through the use of the different identification documents that a personmay have (inclduing IDs, electoral cards, passports, bills, driver licenses, etc.) with encouragement from security officers present on the scene.

• Many reported, and our monitors witnessed, numerous incidents where children were allowed, in fact, encouraged, to vote.

• Many underage high-school students reported having been encouraged/coerced to vote by their teachers and principals.

• Many of our monitors reported witnessing voters using IDs belonging to deceased relatives to fill out more ballots with the encouragement of the security personnel present on the scene.

• Public sector workers reported that they often had no choice but to take part in voting “yes,” since the entire establishment in which they worked was obliged to vote en masse, and of course, in the open. Refusal to participate would have had severe repercussions for the people involved.

• University students were reportedly coerced to vote by being told that failure to do so will result in them not being allowed to take their final exams for the year.

• The licenses of taxi and microbus drivers, street vendors, and kiosk-owners were reportedly confiscated in the days preceding the elections to convince them to take part in the official celebrations, and to actually show up at the polling stations. It should be noted in this regard as well that taxi and microbus drivers were reportedly fined 1,500 SYP for failing to put a picture of the president in the window shield, and shop-owners were fined 3,000 SYP for the same “offense.”

• Army recruits had to deliver their IDs and electoral cards to the officers in charge who proceeded to vote on their behalf. They were numerous instances as well when army officers were forced to vote with their blood, that is, to mark the “yes” circle with their own blood.

• Reports from many centers indicate that people were allowed to vote on behalf of others, family members, tribesmen, coworkers, etc. by bringing the electoral cards or IDs of these people.

• Reports from Palestinian and Iraqi refugees indicate that many were coaxed/coerced into voting, despite the fact they are not Syrian citizens and, as such, legally not eligible to vote.

• Many denaturalized Kurds from around the country reported having been coerced into voting, despite the fact that they are deprived of their citizenship.
  

Main reasons for doubting the veracity of official figures, even if the above abuses were not recorded:

•            Despite mass turnout at certain main centers in the main cities, especially those where radio and TV coverage took place, our local monitors, even in such major cities as Damascus and Aleppo, reported ordinary to below average turnout.  To quote one: “a quick examination of the various polling stations scattered all over Damascus suggest that the turnout for the presidential referendum was very ordinary, even shy, if we compared it to the electoral ‘campaign’ that began more than ten days  earlier.”

•            Ordinary to below average turnout was also reported in areas north of Aleppo, and in many Aleppo suburbs.

•            But the area with lowest turnout was probably al-Hassakeh province where bad weather conditions, namely a sandstorm, gave many people a good excuse not to show up for voting. The improvement in weather conditions in the afternoon facilitated the efforts of armed security patrols to lure/intimidate voters to show up at the local stations. Still, the overall turnout is believed to have been the poorest in the country, with the probably exception of the Kurd-dominated Qamishly, which continues to boycott en mass all public events sponsored by the central authorities. 

•             In many conservative neighborhoods, towns and villages throughout Syria, housewives were not allowed to go out to vote. The husbands that our monitors interviewed, especially in the cities of Homs and Hama, said that they did not vote on behalf of their wives.  This is not exactly a negligible percentage. Even a mediocre estimate in this regard will challenge official figures of 95.86% turnout. 

•            But the main point of concern in this regard is the major confusion with regard to the issue of voter registration. For the legislative elections, Syrian officials asserted that registered voters were around 7.6 million and that only they were allowed to vote. In the runner up to the presidential referendum all reports in the media stressed the need for voters to bring their electoral cards with them so that they could demonstrate later on that they have indeed taken part in the vote (as the cards will be stamped upon voting). This constitutes a de facto exclusion of all 4 million unregistered voters. True, people were encouraged to register for a card, yet no major drive for registration seems to have taken place, and no sign of a popular response in this regard has been reported, in the interim between the legislative elections on April 22-23 and the Presidential referendum on May 27, despite our continuous monitoring of the centers where such cards are issued (a far less daunting and reasonable task than monitoring all 12,000 polling stations). So, how come official figures show participation of over 11.4 million voters?  Indeed, it is established that electoral cards, or any cards at all for that matter, were eventually not required for voting, as the process quickly descended into a chaotic manifestation of intimidation, sycophancy, manipulation and control, and people were encouraged to vote using any identification document that they produce, inclduing old bills (people also reported and were observed being dragged from the street to vote, even if they said that they had no electoral cards, or IDs of any kind, or that they had already voted). But this seems to have been a last minute development. The 4 million unregistered voters, assuming they wanted to vote to begin with, had no way of knowing that, at least not on a large enough scale to account for the final tallies provided by the authorities. This throws much doubt on the authenticity of official figures, and, taken in collusion with all of the above abuses, on the legitimacy of the entire process. The international community should join the Syrian opposition groups and dissidents in rejecting the results of the presidential referendum. Indeed, we all have every reason to contest the results of the referendum, and deny the legitimacy of the process.

The Syrian Elector Team

Figures provided by the Minister of Interior, Bassam Abd al-Majid:

Number of Electors: 11,967,611.
Number of those who actually voted: 11,472,157 (over 95.8% turnout)
Number of Yes votes: 11,199,445 (97.62%)
Number of “No” votes: 19,653 (1.071%)
Number of invalid ballots: 253,059 (2.21%)

Syrian Elector provides continuous coverage of the presidential referendum

The Syrian Elector will be issuing its report on the presidential referendum within the next few days.

Meanwhile, we will continue our coverage of Syrian electoral politics on this site, in our attempt to expose the fraudulent practices involved on part of Syrian authorities.

Our Arabic site is currently blocked by Syrian authorities, but can be accessed on the following link:

http://www.google.com/translate?langpair=ar%7Car&u=http://tharwacommunity.typepad.com/syrian_elector

Here is the latest installment of the Syrian Elector Cartoons:

   

Our live coverage of the May 27 referendum can be revisited below. 

Syrian opposition groups protest at the Syrian Embassy in Washington, D.C.

Protestors call for a popular boycott of the presidential referendum in the country

Syrian Elector, Washington, DC (May 26, 2007)

Close to 75 protestors representing various opposition currents held a protest rally in front of the Syria Embassy in Washington, D.C. on Saturday, May 26. Protestors called for a popular boycott of the presidential referendum scheduled to be held on the following day.

The protest rally lasted for three hours, and was covered by a number of media agencies including al-Hurra TV, and al-Mustaqbal newspaper.

The rally in Washington came close on the heels of a similar demonstration in New Zealand and a number of European capitals, and is part of a large campaign mounted by opposition groups inside and outside Syria calling for a boycott of the presidential referendum in protest of the growing authoritarian tendencies of the Syrian President, Bashar al-Assad whose first term in office was characterized by rancid corruption, crackdowns on basic freedoms, support of Islamist groups, and growing dabbling in Lebanon and Iraq.

The following are photos of the event.