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 has issued several general amnesty decrees in an attempt to contain the instability and preserve the regime. In the past, regime supporters have accepted and justified these [...]

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 withdrew its security forces and senior public servants from Kurdish-majority areas of Aleppo governorate in July. “Since the beginning of the revolution, I have dreamed that [...]

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 from Syria who have fled from areas that have seen heavy fighting – Damascus and the surrounding countryside, Homs, Aleppo and Hama.

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 activists in other Syrian governorates. One of his main activities was rallying people to participate in a demonstration at the Omayyad Mosque on the first of the “Revolution [...]

The Syrian Centre for Media and Freedom of Expression, SCMFE, is a non-governmental organisation that aims to defend the freedom of belief and expression, in cooperation with government institutions and civil society organizations. SCMFE had continued its work over the past year, and issued several reports about the arrest and harassment to which journalists have been subject during their coverage [...]

Mazen Dawrish, along with the other detainees from the Syrian Center for Media and Freedom of Expression, SCMFE, has recently completed 60 days in the cells of the Air Force Intelligence, AFI, at Al-Mazzeh military airport outside Damascus. The prisoners include, among others: Hussein Ghureir, a father of two and ex-detainee; Hani al-Zaytani, who still hopes to pursue a PhD; [...]

As a result of the repeated attempts to dress the Syrian revolution up with the turban of Islamism and hurl it into a sectarian debate, a political confusion has surfaced that weighs heavily on the minds of opposition activists. This debate revolves around the role of Islamic parties, which are represented by the Muslim Brotherhood, the impact they will have [...]

Lawyers and activists say that draft law will only shore up power of the Baath party Syrian president Bashar al-Assad promised a number of reforms as protests calling for constitutional amendments, civil rights, democratic elections, and a multi-party system gained momentum in the country. Key among such reforms was the passing of a draft law allowing a multi-party-based political system. [...]

Event seen as achievement, although hopes for progress remain slim Three months after the outbreak of the revolution against the regime in Syria, the leaders of the opposition held their first conference to discuss the best ways to emerge from this crisis and move towards a democratic system. The opposition held their first conference in Damascus, under the title of [...]

Along the Syrian-Turkish border The situation at the Syrian-Turkish border is deteriorating. A massive military presence on the Syrian side causes tension and new waves of refugees heading to Turkey. Activists gathered footage as documentation for the human rights violations in the past few days. 1- June, 21st, 2011 || Hama || The funeral of Mohamad Nasr, 13 years old, [...]