Many families in East Ghouta and other settlement areas struggle to obtain vital records due to the displacement of a spouse, loss of original documents or refusal by Damascus to recognize opposition records.
The first-ever US Strategy to Anticipate, Prevent and Respond to Atrocities could be a “significant advance” in protection efforts, but requires international collaboration and political will to be effective, writes Mansour Omari.
Some Syrians in Turkey have built their dreams on the idea of getting citizenship to build a future and a life there. Amid skyrocketing anti-Syrian sentiment, the promise of that dream is slipping away, even for those who achieved it
Producing coerced confession videos under torture or the threat of torture is one way repressive regimes “keep themselves in power and tighten their control over the people,” writes Mansour al-Omari.
Since Bashar al-Assad issued an amnesty for terrorism charges on April 30, more than 200 detainees have been released. Hundreds of Syrians gathered in Damascus and elsewhere this week, hoping their loved ones are next.
Described by the regime as “one of the most comprehensive,” al-Assad's latest amnesty decree again excludes political prisoners, including those forcibly disappeared by government forces and security services.
Millions of Syrians are ineligible to vote in the upcoming presidential elections, despite what is sure to be a rigged election with a predetermined outcome.
