Videos
How It All Began
The first short animated movie looks back at the beginning of the Syrian uprising in early 2011, from the first demonstrations to the first dead protester and how an initially peaceful and civil revolution developed into an armed conflict between opposition and government forces.
What is Transitional Justice
Transitional Justice is a process used by societies in transition to deal with past human rights and humanitarian law violations, following a civil war or the overthrow of a political regime. What can be learned from other countries that went through a similar experience? And which challenges will Syria face after the end of the current conflict?
The Future of the Syrian Judiciary and Security
After the current conflict in Syria ends, any future government will have to reform security and judicial institutions. This short animated movie presents recommendations made by Syrian activists on how to restructure security apparatuses and courts to conform with human rights standards.
How Can Social Media Promote Transitional Justice?
Social media have played a significant role in disseminating information and ideas in the Arab countries that witnessed uprisings against the ruling regimes. These forums, however, have played a limited role in promoting the concept of transitional justice. This short animated feature discusses what social media activists could do to support transitional justice. It also offers advice to activists to [...]
Bustan Al Qasr Crossing
Dozens of Aleppans risk their lives every day as they commute between the government-controlled and the opposition-controlled parts of the city, taking the only pedestrian crossing that links the two parts. Government snipers target passersby, most of whom live on one side of Aleppo but work in another.
Bab Al-Hawa Camp Residents Suffer Dire Conditions
A visit that was done in May to the Bab Al-Hawa camp, located near the crossing on the border with Turkey, reveals the terrible conditions in which displaced Syrians live.
Aleppans Complain of Armed Groups
Citizens of Aleppo who live in opposition-controlled parts of the city complain that armed groups in the city are not organized, which is a source of chaos and insecurity as undisciplined armed men roam the streets.
The Sharia Council in Aleppo attempts to fill the legal and security void
The Sharia Council in Aleppo was formed by several Islamist groups in the opposition-controlled part of the city and has taken over security and judicial duties in the city.
Opinions on Moaz al-Khatib’s Initiative from Idlib province
In May, the former head of the Syrian National Coalition proposed an initiative to end the conflict in Syria. It included allowing President Bashar al-Assad to leave the country with 500 people, but also putting members of the regime on trial. The following report assesses the views that people in Idlib Province have of this proposal and their thoughts on [...]
The people of Salqeen, Idlib complain about smuggling basic necessities into Turkey
Smugglers are transporting basic necessities from the town of Salqeen in the province of Idlib into Turkey. People interviewed complained that smuggling is depleting the town’s basic resources, such as foodstuff and diesel. They also complained that the involvement of opposition militiamen in the smuggling business is distracting them from their main target, which is fighting against government forces.
A report by Abu Abdu al-Idlibi and Ahmed Istanbuli (pseudonyms of two journalists who live inside Syria)
Latest News
Will the National Coalition of Revolutionary Forces in Eastern Ghouta Be Able to Unite the Revolutionary Forces?
By Razan Zeitouneh Note: This report is the third in a series dedicated to the institutions set up by the opposition in the areas controlled by the opposition in Eastern Ghouta. You can read the first two reports here and here. (more…) [...]
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Education in Aleppo University a Victim of War
By Lina al-Hakim* (Aleppo, Syria) - Since the beginning of the Syrian uprising, many of Aleppo University’s students took to the streets with their [...]
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The Remaining Jews of Damascus Isolate Themselves from Syrian Crisis
By Raheel Ibrahim * (Damascus, Syria) - Sisters Firdaous and Sila live in a modest house with crumbling walls in the Amine neighbourhood of [...]
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An Alternative to Government Institutions: the General Committee for Civil Defence in Daraa
By Shumra Ali* Editors’ Note: All names have been changed. (Daraa, Syria) - Reports indicate that the Syrian opposition is advancing rapidly [...]
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Will the National Coalition of Revolutionary Forces in Eastern Ghouta Be Able to Unite the Revolutionary Forces?
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Education in Aleppo University a Victim of War
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The Remaining Jews of Damascus Isolate Themselves from Syrian Crisis
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An Alternative to Government Institutions: the General Committee for Civil Defence in Daraa
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Aleppo Countryside Residents Suffer Price Hikes and Lack of Oversight
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The Thieves’ Market: Surreal Life in Syria
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Syrian Civil Society Takes Root in Lebanon
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Banning bicycles on the streets of Damascus
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Zabadani’s Trees Victims of Bombing and Siege
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Is the revolution imposing the veil?
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Will the National Coalition of Revolutionary Forces in Eastern Ghouta Be Able to Unite the Revolutionary Forces?
By Razan Zeitouneh Note: This report is the third in a series dedicated to the institutions set up by the opposition in the areas controlled by the opposition in Eastern Ghouta. You can read the first [...]
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A conversation with Abu Ali Khibbiyeh, Douma Shield Battalions Commander: “Entering Medan was a big mistake.”
Razan Zeitouneh There are many stories about Abu Ali Khibbiyeh. He is frequently reported to be dead, although these reports have turned out to be only rumours. Some say he has been reckless on the battlefield. [...]
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Local Council in Erbeen: A Fighter’s Place is on the Front and Not among Civilians
By Razan Zaitouneh EDITOR’S NOTE: This is the second in a series of articles on the new institutions in areas controlled by the Syrian opposition in the liberated Eastern Ghouta area outside Damascus. [...]
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The General Authority for Civil Defence in Douma: Volunteers Doing their Best
By Razan Zeitouneh EDITOR’S NOTE: This is the first in a series of articles on the new institutions in areas controlled by the Syrian opposition in the liberated Eastern Ghouta area outside Damascus. [...]
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Education in Aleppo University a Victim of War
By Lina al-Hakim* (Aleppo, Syria) - Since the beginning of the Syrian uprising, many of Aleppo University’s students took to the streets with their pens and their voices chanting for freedom and [...]
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The Remaining Jews of Damascus Isolate Themselves from Syrian Crisis
By Raheel Ibrahim * (Damascus, Syria) - Sisters Firdaous and Sila live in a modest house with crumbling walls in the Amine neighbourhood of the old city of Damascus. They are two of the few [...]
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Aleppo Countryside Residents Suffer Price Hikes and Lack of Oversight
By Ayman Mohammad (Jarablos and Manbij, Syria) - The Syrian Lira has deprecated against the US dollar, bringing the exchange rate on the black market to about 300 Syrian Liras to the US dollar, from [...]
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Banning bicycles on the streets of Damascus
Damascenes don’t bike for sport or leisure, but primarily for transportation. During the past three years, the suffocating daily traffic on the streets of Damascus and the increase in fuel prices led [...]
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An Alternative to Government Institutions: the General Committee for Civil Defence in Daraa
By Shumra Ali* Editors’ Note: All names have been changed. (Daraa, Syria) - Reports indicate that the Syrian opposition is advancing rapidly in Daraa, the Syrian province generally recognized [...]
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Syrian Civil Society Takes Root in Lebanon
By Malath al-Zoubi (Beirut, Lebanon) - Hundreds of thousands of Syrians are living in Lebanon today-refugees fleeing the armed conflict at home, activists who chose to leave Syria due to political [...]
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Is the revolution imposing the veil?
Mai, 28, works as a project management trainer from Damascus at a pro-opposition cultural organization in Eastern Ghouta. She does not walk on the street without wearing a scarf on her head and a shirt [...]
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The Sharia Council in Aleppo attempts to fill the legal and security void
The Sharia Council in Aleppo was formed by several Islamist groups in the opposition-controlled part of the city and has taken over security and judicial duties in the city. [...]
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!["Could we hope that our Egyptian friends take [steps] to stop the incitement against Syrian refugees?"](mas05e-sub/wp-content/uploads/2013/07/22-75x75.png)
Social Media Monitor: Activists Refuse “Incitement” against Syrian Refugees in Egypt
During the recent events in Egypt that the led to the ousting of President Mohammad Morsi, Muslim Brotherhood opponents have accused Syrian refugees of endorsing Egypt’s Islamists and taking part [...]
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Social Media Monitor: Syrians Divided Over Morsi’s Ousting
The ousting of Egyptian President Mohammad Morsi on Wednesday, July 3, caused divisions among Syrians. In an interview with the government-owned daily Al-Thawra, President Bashar al-Assad declared that [...]
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Social Media Monitor: Syrian Pound Reaches All Time Low
The Syrian pound dropped to an unprecedented low on Monday, June 17, when the dollar was traded, for the first time, at around 200 Syrian pounds. A correspondent of The Damascus Bureau who lives in a government-controlled [...]
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Social Media Monitor: A 15-year old executed for blasphemy
Mohammad Qattaa, a 15-year-old who sold coffee on the street in the opposition-controlled Al-Shaar neighbourhood in Aleppo, was asked on Saturday, June 8 if he could give someone coffee on credit. According [...]
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Regime supporters and opposition united in rejection of general amnesty
Note: The editorial team has changed the names of the speakers and withheld the identity of the author for their own safety. Since the start of the revolutionary movement in Syria, President Bashar al-Assad [...]
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Life in a Kurdish-Held Town
If you walk around the town of Kobani, you will see the flags of Kurdistan, the Democratic Union Party, and the Syrian revolution. The symbols of the Syrian regime have disappeared since the government [...]
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Syrian Refugees Head for Iraqi Kurdistan
Muhieddine Isso The Dumez refugee camp in Iraqi Kurdistan is located on arid land with no trees in sight, ten kilometres from the city of Dohuk. Most of the camp’s residents are Kurdish families [...]
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Torture In Syria Increasingly Brutal
Saeed participated in the earliest of the anti-regime protests in Damascus last year. He was among the first activists to start mobilising city residents and help establish a network to coordinate with [...]
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Activists in Aleppo countryside prefer arming the opposition over military intervention
Ayman Mohammed Talk has been circulating about the possibility of Western countries, and specifically the United States, staging a military operation against the Syrian government. However, since the beginning [...]
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Noura al-Amir: From Solitary Confinement to the National Coalition
Yasmine Maree (Gaziantep, Turkey) - Syrian activist Noura al-Amir, 26, recalls the demonstrations of early 2011 in which she participated. “‘Oh Sniper Sniper…here are our necks [...]
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Does Syria’s armed opposition have room for non-Islamists?
*Editor’s Note: Syrian government military forces have recaptured the village referred to in this story. The interviewees requested that The Damascus Bureau not publish the name of the village. The [...]
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Online Radio Stations: A New Experience of the Syrian Media
The last two years have witnessed the emergence of new media tools that have accompanied the Syrian revolution. These new tools have relied on the efforts of men and women volunteers, and reached its audience [...]
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