My friend, Obeida Arna’out

I can never forget that day in autumn when I met Obeida. The bus I was taking from my university in Damascus to Aleppo made a stop in the city of Abilfida’, and among the passengers who got on was a lively and handsome young man who came and sat down next to me.

Memoirs of the Revolution: Yasmine

By Razan Zeitouneh Yasmine lives outside Syria but works in the media office of the Local Coordination Committees. Because she was the heart and soul of the office, as described by her friends, shortly after the start of the uprisings, Yasmine started communicating with the youth of the revolution and the families of the detainees [...]

Anna Politkovskaja Award 2011 for Razan Zeitouneh

Today the human rights organisation RAW (Reach All Women in War) has awarded the Syrian human rights activist Razan Zeitouneh with the Anna Politikovskaja Award 2011, set up to recognise women defending human rights in zones of war and conflict, often at great personal risk. RAW chose Razan Zeitouneh as “a brave woman young woman [...]

Stripping the president of his legitimacy

Once intimidating, images of President Bashar al-Assad are now trampled on and burned. One of the young men pointed at the green rubbish bin, smiled, and said, “This is the traitor Bashar’s house,” referring to President Bashar al-Assad. He placed Assad’s picture on the bin to further slander a personality that most Syrians never dare [...]