What have the Arab League Observers actually seen in Homs…

Translated from French – France 24

 

Screenshot showing an Arab League observer filming the bullet marks on the shops windows in Baba Amr.

The Arab League Observers began on Tuesday, December 27^th their mission in Syria starting with the city of Homs, the epicenter of the anti-Assad popular protest that began mid-March. Since then, the reassuring statements from the League’s Committee seem to contradict what the city habitants’ experience. Activists filmed the movements of the observers. Their videos allow showing what the pan-Arab organization’s delegation saw.

The Arab League’s envoys had declared on their arrival Monday’s evening, December 26^th that the Syrian regime was “very cooperative.” After a first day in Homs, the head of the commission even said that there was “nothing to worry about in Homs“

However, upon arrival at Homs on Tuesday, observers were detained by the inhabitants despite the presence of Syrian officials on their side. On one video, some people urged a Syrian official not to hide the truth; members of the Arab League refused to answer questions. Then we hear shots.

After the shooting, the head of the observers visited a street in the district of Baba Amr which had been shelled the day before, Dec 26^th, by the army, causing several casualties.

None of the observer went that day to Khaldiyeh. Yet more than 20 000 demonstrators gathered in the area. Observers have not seen then the intervention of the security forces, which killed eight people.

Demonstration on Tuesday in Khaldiyeh. The message written on the paper: “Protection for the remaining inhabitants of Homs.”

Wednesday 28^th, observers went again to Baba Amr.

This time, they were not supervised by Syrian officials. The residents were able to tell them in detail the repression they suffered, as these two women whose sons got imprisoned.

The observers toured the streets later on where shops’ fronts have been completely ravaged by the machine guns.

 

They saw the remains of one victim, Ahmed Arra’i, a 5 year old child shot in the back. These are people who stopped their car. They accused them of fleeing the day before not to see the bodies of their martyrs. The observers explain not being able to stay because they had to write reports. Inflexible, people ordered them to accompany them almost to see the remains of the child.

The observers accompany then the people inside the mosque where the remains of the child. They recite few verses and film the body.

Besides the remains of the victims, the delegation of the Arab League also had the opportunity to see the presence of tanks in Homs, which contradicts the commitments made by the Syrian regime.

When they are not escorted by Syrian officials, the observers share more readily with the people. Their words seem so at odds with the official statements of the head of the commission. In this video, an observer is talking to a resident that speaking of ”chabbihas” (the regime’s militias). He said, “You do not even imagine that we could come. Trust us. We know that there are dead, we filmed everything. We only ask you to be cooperative.”

All these images filmed by the people of Homs show that observers of the Arab League are aware of the extent of repression perpetrated by the regime. While the Syrian authorities argue likely, as usual, they are fighting armed terrorists, not protesters. Remains to be seen what will be the content of the report of the Committee. A critical report.

 

 

 

Free Razan #FreeRazan !

Free Razan. Credit Salim Al-Lawzi

The human rights activist Razan Ghazzawi got detained today December 4^th by Syrian security at the Syria- Jordan borders as she was on her way to participate in a workshop in Amman for defenders of freedom of the press in the Arab world.

Jillian C. York  Director of International Freedom of Expression at Electronic Frontier Foundation mentioned that she spoke to her last week, here is what she posted in this regard

“When I spoke to her this past Wednesday, she told me that she feared arrest and gave me some instructions, including making noise (but to ensure that her name was not used by assholes like cyberdissidents.org, etc). So…make some noise for Razan, who happens to be a US-born citizen.”

Bloggers and activists are joining hands again to free one of our own, join the campaign.

Here are few steps Lissnup, a nickname of an Advocate and News Curator on Human and Civil Rights  have setup already:

1. Write an email or send a fax to your local politician, Foreign Minister, members of parliament of congress. Use the internet to find their contact details or see this list of emails. Razan is an American Citizen – See herefor a list of US Embassies to contact demanding they take urgent action.

2. Use your profile photo to draw attention to Razan’s arrest and the plight of all prisoners in Syria via Twibbonor you can use this image, or make your own.

3. Use the tag #FreeRazan to share links, videos, news from #Syria – keep attention levels UP, don’t let this important news be overpowered by other stories and fade from view

4. Post news and links to FaceBook, blog, forums, and in comments on videos and news posts about Syria. If you write, please write about this issue.

5. Schedule tweets for when you can’t be online – use Dlvr IT for feeds or Buffer for individual tweets

6. Join the new Free Razan FaceBook page and share the page with all your friends

7. If you have more ideas, please share them here!

Open letter to the Tunisian Interim Government : When will the Tunisian Ambassador in Damascus be pulled back?

Open letter to the Tunisian Interim Government 

When will the Tunisian Ambassador in Damascus be pulled back?

By Sufian Al-chorabi

Translated by: Kacem Jlidi

Member of the supreme committee to achievement objectives of the revolution, political reforms and democratic transition

For the Sixth month on a row, the political Syrian regime continues to direct its army weapons to the peaceful Syrians chests, dozens of innocent people are killed and injured everyday by bullets and bombs which the Syrian people spent a lot of money to have an acquisition of it, thinking it will be directed to restore their stolen land.
The Syrian Arab Army, which remained stationed in its military bases since 1967 while the occupying Israel continued the integration of the Golan Heights within the scope of its geographical area, decided to get off with all its military equipments to kill people of its own country, fiercely defending a political power which have lost its legitimacy when voices of free Syrians were shut-up through killings, displacements and detentions.
The regime of President Bashar Al-Assad which has long claimed to protect the front of Arab resistance against colonialism and imperialism did not care about the voices of his people demanding to live in freedom and dignity and the eradication of corruption. The first demonstrations that broke-in with slogans claiming “system reform” to claiming “bring down the regime” turned to be faced with harsh and loud response against the defenseless people.
Voices calling for the removal of Bashar al-Assad of the government has become the most overwhelming and wide spread at the moment, a President commented by many high hopes after the death of his father for major political and economic reforms to move Syria from the tyranny era to the democracy era, but its proven now, during the days of the Syrian revolution, that the qualities of the regime of Bashar al-Assad of not less bloody and brutal than that of his father.
And Tunisia, the cradle of Arab revolts and inspirer of rising people against oppression and arrogance, for freedom, pride and dignity cannot fail to consider the crimes committed against the free Syrians. The position of neutrality is unacceptable in a country supposed to have hosted the first victorious revolutions.
If the civil society and political movements in Tunisia has taken courageous positions in solidarity with the struggles of the Syrian people in their battle for democracy, the silence practiced by the Tunisian foreign ministry about the massacres committed against the Syrians, could only be a matter of surprise and disapproval.

The Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Tunisia emanating from the victorious revolution can only take positions of advocacy for people craving freedom and dignity, and thus there is no choice for the interim government but to pull back the Tunisian Ambassador in Damascus, and fire the Syrian Ambassador in Tunisia in an expression of protest of Tunisia the revolution against the practices of the Syrian Baath Party against its own people.

A Letter to the Syrian Ambassador in Tunisia

This a translation to an open letter to the Syrian Ambassador of Tunisia written by my friend Lilioptra.

The original letter in Arabic can be found here.

Please take a stand and maximize the impact of this action by forwarding the letter to the Syrian Ambassadors in your respective countries, Please.

Address: Syria Embassy , Tunisia
The third Manar 2092
Tunis; Tunisia

Sir,

It’s with great  sorrow sadness and despair that we received news of suppression of demonstrators calling for freedom and reform in Syria and the news of dozens of deaths in protests that erupted during the past two weeks.

From my position as a Tunisian citizen and my love to Syria and the Holiness of the human spirit, I invite you to reflect on the fate of this great people knowing that more than repression doesn’t only further condemn the brutality of the system but would encourage rebellion against the oppressor…

The Syrian people, like all other peoples of our Arab region, has the right to enjoy all the basic human rights denied to them since a long time, and that the bloody crackdown of peaceful demonstrations and the killing of the aspirations of the people toward freedom, dignity, participation, and reform can only be compounded by the state of tension, anger and violence ..

So, I invite you, Sir, to draw the correct lessons from what happened in Tunisia and Egypt and what is happening in Libya, Yemen and Bahrain as each attempt to contain the popular discontent by force and bullying did not result only in more bloodshed to which responsible will be held accountable to it in this world or the Hereafter.

Please condemn the aggressions against the call of the Syrian people in public that they know they have men of good conscience.
We hope, Sir, to see Syria free and for Syrian citizen  to live honored and fulfilling all their rights.
The angels didn’t prostrate to Adam  in vain and so the name of Islam wasn’t derived from peace just by coincidence.

We count on your understanding.