Ahmad al-Bouleily * (Al-Bouleil, Syria) - Every morning, dozens of people line up in front of a bread distribution centre in the town of Bouleil in Deir Al-Zor province. Conversations move from military developments and opposition victories to complaints about how long they have to wait for their rations.

Hazzaa Adnan al-Hazzaa (Kfar Nabel, Syria)—Kfar Nabel resident Hassan al-Ahmad, 27, once a student at Aleppo University’s Faculty of Economics, put his studies on hold and joined the Syrian uprising in its second week, becoming one of its most outspoken activists through his work in the media, and also going on to head the organization “Aish,” which rejuvenates walls and […]

Despite the staggering number of residents who have fled Aleppo in order to escape the terror of the Syrian government’s barrel bombs, there are many who have been unable to leave and are instead hunkered down, trying to survive. On Thursday, March 6, tragedy struck again, this time in Aleppo’s Sakhour neighbourhood, where two women and four children were found […]

Fishing the Euphrates river once provided a living to many inhabitants of the city of Deir al-Zor, but the past three years of warfare have made it almost impossible to continue fishing. The river has become a no-go area since snipers took up positions on its banks, showing no mercy to any target. Shells are also routinely dropped on both […]

Hazzaa Adnan al-Hazzaa (Kfar Nabel, Syria) – In January, diesel merchant Jamal al-Mahmoud, 36, turned to Kfar Nabel’s Sharia court in an effort to dissolve his business partnership following a disagreement with his partner. Mahmoud trusted the court; he believed it fairly imposed both discipline and order. “In court, I felt like the revolution had succeeded, as if I were […]

(Damascus, Syria) — In the regime-controlled areas of Damascus and its suburbs, the Syrian government’s red, black and white flag has been painted on the doors and shutters of commercial establishments. The campaign began with the convening of the first round of the Geneva 2 conference in January of this year. Opposition media reports that some shop owners have been […]

Vyan Mohammad (Qamishli, Syria) - Abdel Majid is an agricultural engineer whose 50 years and grey hair did not prevent him from sitting next to Bayan, his 18-year-old daughter, at a school desk to learn how to read and write in Kurdish. Like many Syrian Kurds, Abdel Majid can speak his mother tongue, but he does not know its grammatical […]

Abdallah Kleido (Kfar Nabel and Maarat al-Nu’man, Syria) – In a cave on the opposite side of the valley from the town of Kfar Nabel, three middle-aged men spend most of their days underground, afraid of air strikes. One of these men is 55-year-old retired police officer Ali al-Basheer. He raises his finger toward the fighter jets circling the sky […]

Hazzaa Adnan al-Hazzaa (Kfar Nabel, Syria) – From mid-January until the time of this writing, the Bab al-Hawa border crossing between Turkey and Syria has been closed and opened arbitrarily as a result of the explosion of two car bombs that claimed the lives of more than 16 people. Cars and trucks line up for several kilometers before the crossing […]

Hazzaa Adnan al-Hazzaa (Kfar Nabel, Syria) - Human rights defender and director of the Kfar Nabel media office Raed al-Fares survived an assassination attempt on January 29 when he was shot by two masked men as he returned to his home from the Kfar Nabel Media Office. Doctors at the Dar al-Hikma hospital in Kfar Nabel were able to stop […]