SMN No. 8, August 27, 2010 Writers highlight concerns over poor quality medicine and corruption A blogger known as “Syrian Citizen” criticised a cancer hospital for failings its patients in a recent post. The blogger mentioned one particular hospital where, he said, patients were not receiving proper treatment because of a lack of medicine. This hospital specialises in the treatment […]

Today, Damascus is a thriving, yet divided city. A small elite of nouveaux riches enjoy life to the fullest, drive the latest car models, shop in fancy fashion stores and dine in expensive restaurants. The majority of the Syrians though struggle hard to make ends meet. The celebration of President Bashar Al-Assad’s tenth anniversary of accession to power took an […]

SMN No. 8, August 25, 2010 Syrian hackers are increasingly accessing governmental websites to express their discontent with the living situation in the country. According to the local website Syria News, the official website of the ministry of electricity was hacked on August 23 by a Syrian hacktivist who complained about repetitive power cuts during the month of Ramadan.

SMN No. 8, August 25, 2010 Several new Facebook groups have denounced pollution in some Syrian cities, especially those situated near oil refineries. One of these groups created in May has attracted more than 1500 members and focused on the oil refinery of the city of Homs and its negative effects on health. According to commentators from the group, the […]

SMN No. 8, August 19, 2010 News about poverty levels in Syria found its way onto the blogs and activist websites after the third national report on progress towards millennium development goals was published in Syria recently. According to the report, a joint effort of the Syrian government and the United Nations, around 6.7 million Syrians live below the poverty […]

SMN No. 7, Augsut 16, 2010 Syria’s state television, on its fiftieth anniversary, has been severely criticised by Syrian bloggers. While the Syrian minister of information, Mohsen Bilal, praised state broadcaster during an official celebration as “resistance TV” that for five decades has been “concerned about the Arab issues”, audiences have been less impressed. The Al-Yabos al-Arabia blog stated that […]

SMN No 7, August 13, 2010 Supporters of the prominent imprisoned Syrian activist Haytham al-Maleh have been urged to send him greeting cards on his 80th birthday this week. A newly launched website, The Haitham Maleh Foundation for the Defence of Human Rights, offers greeting cards in seven languages designed specially for the occasion. Al-Maleh is serving a three-year sentence […]

SMN No. 7, August 12, 2010 Syrians have been complaining about ongoing power shortages across the country, which have been caused by increased energy demand resulting from a heat wave. One blogger, Husain Ghurez, criticised the performance of the electricity ministry as unacceptable, saying the minister, Ahmad Qusai Kayali, “bears the moral and legal responsibility for turning citizens’ lives into […]

SMN No. 7, August 11, 2010 A number of Syrian bloggers have criticised alleged corruption at Syrian universities, including claims of a trade in exam questions at some faculties. A number of stories have appeared in the media related to teachers allegedly leaking exam questions or blackmailing their students. In reference to an online article on cases of professors favouring […]

Before 2000, the regime had total control over what was being published and broadcast in Syria. With the spread of satellite channels and later the Internet, journalists and ordinary citizens found a limited space of free expression. At the same time though, the crackdown on reporters continues. Many private media outlets have been shut or subjected to intimidation in recent […]