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. Others praise his courageous and chivalrous nature.

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. These reports are designed to highlight the efforts of activists and local residents to fill the void created by the absence of state institutions. (Erbeen, Syria) — [...]

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. These reports are designed to highlight the efforts of activists and local residents to fill the void created by the absence of state institutions. (Douma, Syria)- The [...]

  By Razan Zeitouneh (Harasta, Syria) - The maze of roads winding through the ramshackle suburbs in what was once Damascus’s agricultural greenbelt is reminiscent of the capital’s old city; locals say any road in one particular area will often lead a traveller to the same destination as the other nearby roads. This once lush rural area, called Eastern Ghouta, [...]

The Syrian security establishment’s detention centres are notorious. I have read stories about them written by former detainees imprisoned before the start of the Syrian uprising in 2011, and heard first-person accounts from friends and relatives arrested following the demonstrations in March of that year. Having heard so many stories, and, as a journalist, I always wondered what it was [...]

“This is a big relief.” I repeated this sentence in numerous calls I made to extend my gratitude to those who facilitated my younger brother Jawad’s defection from the Syrian army. The ordeal took 21 days. After leaving his station on the Lebanese border, Jawad arrived at the Karkemich crossing in the Northern Syrian town of Jarablus on the Turkish [...]

As an activist living inside Syria, I imagined Syrians living in Istanbul sleeping in fancy hotels and living comfortably. Activists inside Syria have even come up with a name for this kind of activist — the ‘hotel opposition’. They are said to receive unconditional material and political support from certain international parties involved with the Syrian revolution.

I entered the Yarmouk refugee camp on foot, taking the bridge. I was accompanied by a young Syrian journalist and an aid worker who warned me: “If we don’t manage to get out before 2 p.m. we’ll become targets for the snipers spread out along the edges of the camp.” It is not that the snipers abide by a strict [...]

Ward al-Assi “Here lies the Deir of Hearts: Angels carry the sorrow of Syria.” This sentence, written on one of many Facebook pages dedicated to the Syrian revolution, caught my attention a few days ago while I was looking for news of my home city of Deir El-Zor. My curiosity pushed me to seek out the young activists behind the [...]

Rasha Rami I spent 17 hours with my family at the Bab Al-Hawa border crossing, but it felt like a lifetime. After crossing legally into Turkey, our three-month visa had ended, and so we were forced to return to the crossing in order to renew our papers. But according to a new Turkish law, no one is allowed to renew [...]