Damascus

25 03, 2024
  • The Faculty of Arts and Humanities at Syria’s public Aleppo University, 10/3/2024 (Syria Direct)

Syrian students’ futures hostage to brokers and state employee bribes

By Salam Ali|2024-03-25T18:16:30+01:00March 25, 2024|

To obtain records from Syrian public universities, students must apply in person or through legal proxies. If this is not possible, or if they are wanted by the security services, they are forced to pay hundreds of dollars in bribes to state employees through brokers.

19 10, 2023
  • Satellite images show increasing damage to buildings in al-Hajar al-Aswad, a city south of Damascus, in the years since regime forces regained control in May 2018 (Google Earth/SkyFi/Syria Direct)

Buildings in Damascus’ al-Hajar al-Aswad demolished, rubble sold

By Habib Shehada|2023-10-20T09:47:21+02:00October 19, 2023|

In al-Hajar al-Aswad, south of Damascus, buildings are steadily being demolished—regardless of whether they are structurally sound—with the rubble sold for profit under the eyes of regime forces. Some fear demolitions could be a precursor to expropriations under redevelopment plans.

10 10, 2023
  • Torture survivors, activists and family members of some of Syria’s thousands of forcibly disappeared people rallied outside the Peace Palace in The Hague on Tuesday morning as the International Court of Justice heard oral arguments by Canada and the Netherlands in a landmark case against Syria for state-sponsored torture, 10/10/2023 (Caesar Families Association/Yasmin Mashaan)

Damascus absent as landmark torture case begins at World Court

By Mateo Nelson|2023-10-10T23:13:15+02:00October 10, 2023|

A landmark torture case brought against Syria by Canada and the Netherlands began at the UN’s highest court on Tuesday—with Damascus absent. While it is not a criminal case, torture survivors and family members of Syria’s disappeared say it marks another milestone in their long, slow fight for accountability.

25 09, 2023
  • Syrian President Bashar al-Assad and First Lady Asma al-Assad are greeted as they arrive in China’s eastern city of Huangzhou for the first state visit in nearly 20 years, 21/9/2023 (AFP Photo/Ho/SANA)

Assad ‘looking for handouts’ on rare trip to China

By Hanna Davis|2024-01-30T18:17:29+01:00September 25, 2023|

Syrian President Bashar al-Assad visited China for the first time in nearly 20 years this week, deepening ties between the two countries in the hopes of increased financial support that may not be forthcoming.

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