Ammar Hamou

In northwestern Syria, hundreds of makeshift refineries have mushroomed in the past five years, employing thousands of people.
With no regulation, their impact on health, life and the environment is catastrophic.

Makeshift oil refineries endanger the health of workers and local communities in northwestern Syria. But their environmental impact, often overlooked, will also affect generations to come.

Two workers at a makeshift oil refinery in Tarhin speak about their job, the hardships they endure and the dreams they hold for the future.

In the third week of Russia’s attack on Ukraine, more than 2.8 million people have now fled the country. Syrians are among those fleeing, reliving earlier experiences of displacement. 

Until justice is achieved, Syrian women continue their battle through documentation, says Mashaan, as it takes on legal significance “in accountability, and human significance in preserving memory.”

Dozens of Syrians who lost residency in Denmark have fled and applied for asylum in other EU countries. But under the Dublin Regulation, many are being sent back to Danish territory.

If Syrian refugees who lose residency do not leave Denmark, they are forced to live indefinitely in return centers. Most affected are those who are not at risk of conscription in Syria: women and older men.

Hundreds of Syrian refugees in Denmark have had their lives upended by the Danish policy of revoking their residency permits after deeming parts of Syria safe to return to.

In the aftermath of the Islamic State attack on al-Sinaa prison, Hasakah residents are grappling with the fighting’s humanitarian fallout and worrying about the future.

Arbitrary arrests targeting journalists and opposition members are on the rise in territories controlled by the SDF, which faces mounting popular dissent and intra-Kurdish tensions.