saa 2 en jan 2013

A magazine issued monthly by Syrian American Alliance SAAEditor in chief: Eiad charbaji •• Public Communications Director: Layla Rahmeh

888 16th Street, NW, Suite 800USA- Washington DC, 20006Phone: 2023490893 - Fax: 2023551399www.syrianaa.org - [email protected]

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MERRY CHRISTMAS AND A HAPPIER NEW YEAR WITH NO DICTATORSAA extends its warmest wishes to Syrians everywhere for a Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year. It also hopes that the American government will work sincerely and seriously on supporting the Syrian people in their fight for their freedom from the criminal regime, in chasing away prejudice and hate in Syria and the Middle East, and towards a peaceful tomorrow

Syrian American Alliance (SAA)

The Syrian American Alliance (SAA) is a member of the Coalition for a Democratic Syria (CDS) along with the six biggest Syrian organizations in the United States. SAA was founded by a group of resident Syrian Americans to support the Syrian Revolution and to contribute in reconstructing a free, democratic Syria after the fall of its dictatorial regime through a wide array of projects in human rights, freedom of speech, relief, education and sustainable development inside Syria.

Issue

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SAA introduces the first batch of flour into Syria

A sad Christmas in Syria

When bread brought death to civilians

The Transitional Justice… the Concept, the Application and the Stage

What happens if Papa Noel came to Syria?

6 Two Syrian Artists, one captured and the other martyred, win two awards

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Syrian American Alliance

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SAA's latest partnership with Syrian Relief &

Development was showcased in a joint town-hall event in Washington DC, where both partners presented their projects contributing to the wellbeing of the Syrian people back home. We will be joining efforts to provide aid to people living inside Syria who are in need, as Syria Relief & Development (SRD) works to provide direct emergency and humanitarian relief to Syrians who have been affected by violence, poverty, hunger or homelessness since the start of the political uprising in 2011, and SAA has several outreach programs in education, media and awareness, besides the humanitarian projects.

The joint town-hall meeting took place earlier in December, 2012, at the Sheraton Reston Hotel. Panelists included: Tawfiq Hallak, Eiad Charbaji, Mahmoud Khattab, and Jihad Kadour. Presentations of both organizations› work and activities was delivered to the audience of members of the Syrian community, and focused on the developmental and educational projects that both organizations have started. This was followed by an open discussion of the situation in Syria and means of support and aid that Syrian expatriates abroad can provide. Members also shared their views and opinions through short speeches.

SAA meets with the Syrian Community in

town hall setting

Red lines………Till when?

The Syrian Revolution is facing great challenges; in the first place, it is a tremendous humanitarian tragedy. Hundreds of thousands of people are displaced, facing death every day, needing millions of dollars and the aid that they are getting is so little that it is essentially negligible.And now chemical weapons…!!!!!

Several statements of “red lines” have been declared, starting with the Hama Massacre, then to using jet planes, then to using missiles against civilians, then to chemical weapons, and still the criminal regime continues its killing and destroying. And all reactions have been limited to a condemnation here and revulsion there, conferences and meetings and threats everywhere but not a single action was seriously taken.

So, till when? When will the international community and human rights organizations stop just raising the red flag and fail to take any serious action? Isn’t it time to make a move and do something in pushing this criminal aside and help the Syrian people start rebuilding their country after all the damage and destruction.

On behalf of the SAA members, I demand that President Obama fulfill his promise to save the Syrian people and put an end to this ridiculous war and take serious action in toppling the criminal Assad.

Enough of red lines….. let’s do some red actions against Assad and his gang.

The ChairmanMahmoud Khattab

Our NewsIssue 2January 2013 3כא�� א� א

Syrian American Alliance

The first issue of “Syria Echo” received positive feedback

from most readers, especially the Syrian community in the United States, as the magazine is the first of its kind in the US. The recommendations gathered suggested more info exchange in order to facilitate the flow of information from the country, as the American media does not play any visible role in this regard. Moreover, too much ambiguous and misleading information is broadcasted which confuses the American

audience about the truth of what is actually happening on the ground.Some others requested more insights about the Syrian community in the States, and the efforts that are being made to support the people inside reach victory and freedom, and step forward towards a democratic Syria.

For more suggestions, please contact:[email protected]

In its constant efforts towards unifying the good will and the extensive efforts

of existing Syrian organizations in the United States of America for the sake of supporting the Syrian cause on all levels, the Coalition had made a concrete, positive step towards expansion by inviting two new organizations to join the group of existing ones: the Syrian Christians for Democracy and the Association of Free Syrians. By doing so, the Coalition becomes as diverse as Syria itself, consisting of six active and energetic organizations devoted and dedicated to representing

the Syrian people. These organizations adopt a unified message and take the same political stances, especially concerning the relationship and correspondence with American government.

The coalition is opening its doors and encourages many others who share the same vision and objectives to join and who look forward to being more efficient in applying pressure on American policy regarding the Syrian cause.

On January 2013 ,2, select staff and board members of the Coalition for a

Democratic Syria (CDS) met with Dr. Najib Ghudban, Official Envoy of the National Coalition for Syrian Revolutionary and Opposition Forces (SOC) to the United States, to discuss collaboration between the two bodiesDr. Ghudban announced that the SOC intends to open offices in both Washington, DC, and New York City, to handle their

relations with the US government and the UN, respectivelyMore over, Dr. Ghudban asked CDS for assistance in establishing its Washington office and it was generally agreed upon that CDS would provide whatever logistical, technical, and personnel support possible to the SOC mission.It was also generally agreed upon that CDS would work closely with Dr. Ghudban and the SOC office in coordinating government

and public relations, and public relations, and public relations, c o m m u n i t y c o m m u n i t y c o m m u n i t y outreach, and outreach, and outreach, and humanitarian humanitarian humanitarian efforts.

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Feedback about the first issue

The Coalition for a Democratic Syria’s expansion

Meeting between The Coalition for a Democratic Syria (CDS) with the National Coalition for Syrian Revolutionary and Opposition Force (SOC)

Issue 2January 20134 � �� כא��א� א

Syrian American AllianceOur Porjects

The brutal war continues in Syria, with hundreds are dying every day, and thousands injured and facing death. It is an imperative

to act immediately and find a tool to help, support, and save those threatened souls. Therefore, SAA has launched a humanitarian project through sponsoring an ambulance that will be used in minor surgeries, obstetrics and delivery assistance for women in labor, as well as the treatment of other wounds and injuries that require medical attention.Thanks to many Syrians’ generous donations and contributions, the ambulance will be provided and reach the Syrian borders soon.

Our people in Syria are suffering still from the fear of death, of cold and hunger. And it is our role to support them and lend a helping

hand for them to survive. SAA, out of a sincere belief in its responsibility towards thousands of children and families on the borders and in camps, has established a humanitarian aid program that target different needs, from medical support to food and clothing.The Syrian American Alliance (SAA), in coordination with Syria for Relief and Development (SRD) has launched the campaign «Let›s keep Syrians Warm this Winter» By donating 8$ or more, a child can be warmed up, a mother comforted down and an old man safely covered.

SAA has bought the first batch of flour (10 tons) through its representative in Turkey, and distributed flour to families in

the Kffersita and Aellatamna areas of Hama.Since SAA adopts transparency as its policy in its financial deals and wants to build trust with its members and donors, kindly find attached a copy of the flour deal’s receipt. SAA would like to thank those who donated to relief our besieged people and encourages you to keep generous in that duty of donation to provide additional quantities of flour which the SAA is trying to buy in the near future.

Ambulance Gift for Idlib

SAA introduces the first batch of flour into Syria

Let’s warm Syrians this winter

Cheque:Syrian American Alliance (SAA)16 888th Street, NW, Suite 800USA- Washington, DC, 20006

Transfer:BOA. Routing: 121000358Checking: 164103161193Syrian American Alliance (SAA)

Pay pal :Pay pal info is on the website www.syrianaa.org

Issue 2January 2013 5כא�� א� א

Syrian American Alliance Syrian News

For the second year in row, due to extreme violence in Syria, Christmas was

incredibly sad and dark. Christmas was full of gunshots and bombing, Christmas was full of blood. All Christian religious services offered condolences to the families of the martyrs and wished a full recovery to the wounded and demanded authorities and religious bodies in the country to suspend celebrations and stick to prayers only. It is worth mentioning that the propaganda and phony manipulation of the regime,

claiming to defend minorities and seeding hatred amongst Christians towards their Muslim brothers and sisters, has not been very successful, thanks to the high level of awareness and maturity of the Syrian people. After the blind bombing of Christian villages in Homs, Aleppo, Dara’a and Damascus, the arrests of young activists and the destruction of churches and religious monuments, people have fled from their homes, seeking shelter with their Muslim friends and neighbors.

A Christian rebel unit was formed within the Free Syrian Army called “Issa ben Mariam” or “Jesus the Son of Mother Mary”, which has been fighting the regime for over a year and has had many martyrs among them, the latest of which was Nasser Mansoura.

On the 23rd of December 2012, many citizens were standing in the line of

a bakery for a loaf of bread in the small village of Helfaya in Hama, when a fighter plane fired a missile into their midst, killing 90 people, including women and children.Activists discovered the truth behind the massacre; the regime intelligence had forbiden the supply of bread to the village for over two weeks, causing the people to

starve. It then sent flour through a charity for relief and aid and, without their knowledge, placed a tracking device inside the vehicle. The people then ran to the bakery to get the bread, where the fighter jet was waiting to kill them.The Coalition of Opposing Forces submitted an official complaint to the United Nations Security Council to open an investigation into this and other previously committed

massacres. It is becoming obviously that there is a systematic targeting of civilians around bakeries and many indications suggest the involvement of senior leadership in these crimes.

In December 2012 many defections took place in the regime side, leaving to joining

the revolution.General Abdel-Aziz Shallal, the leader of the Military Police, declared his defection from the regime and became the highest ranking defected military officer so far.Gen. Shallal, in addition to his position with the military police, was the President of the Civil Court and was responsible of both Sednaya and Palmyra prisons.“The Middle East” newspaper in London reported that Shallal is a source of important information about the movement of the regime leadership and on military prisons.

In addition, Director of the Office of the former Minister of Internal Affairs, Anad

Maan Abbas, also declared his defection and joined the Council of Inner Security Forces for the Syrian Revolution.Col. Abbas stated in a video tape that was broadcasted on Al-Jazeera that he defected to work with the revolution in toppling the criminal Assad and his gang; this was followed by a TV interview on Al-Arabia where he revealed some serious information about decisionmaking in the regime security forces, and announced the names of some of those involved.

The Syrian institutionalized media also witnessed a major defection by the famous TV broadcaster Ahmad Fakhouri, who declared his defection from the Ministry of Information.

Fakhouri had been arrested and tortured previously for his oppositional stance and once he succeeded in escaping the country he revealed some important information about the lies and claims that the regime is committing in the manipulation of media and in misleading the Syrian audience, as well as the dominance of the security apparatus over the national TV and the pressure they put on television and radio staff.

A sad Christmas in Syria

When bread brought death to civilians

Vital Defections in December


Syrian American AllianceSyrian News

Two Syrian Artists,one captured and the other martyred, win two awardsDirector Bassel Shehadeh’s movie “Saturday Morning’s Gift”

The movie “A Saturday Morning’s Gift” directed by the martyred artist Bassel Shehadeh has won the Gold Medal at the festival of Arab Cinema in Holland. The jury has given the Gold Medal to the movie “A Saturday Morning’s Gift,” out of 80 movies presented from 24 countries, for achieving the highest standards in cinematography, and for its distinguished story and direction. The jury announced that the winning movie was unique, spectacular and has gone far beyond borders.The Syrian actor, Fares Al-Helo, received the award on behalf of the deceased artist to a prolonged applause of the spectators. He stated: “It is a great honour for me to receive this outstanding award for an outstanding patriot, who sacrificed his life, his future and his career in defending the cause of his country and his people.” It is worth mentioning that the young artist Bassel Shehadeh had quit his studies in the United States, where he had a scholarship in movie making and direction, to go back to his home country of Syria and record the reality about the revolution of his patriotic people. Bassel was killed by a mortar fired by the Syrian regime forces in June of 2012 in Homs, while he was filming the city’s destruction.

Journalist Mazen Darweesh, wins the “Freedom of the Press Award”

In addition, the lawyer and journalist Mazen Darwish, has won the prize for “Freedom of the Press Award” conferred jointly by Reporters Without Borders and the French television station “TV5” in honour of his continuous efforts and dedication to defending the right to freedom of expression and free press in his country of Syria.The French journalist Sophie Shiffer, who used to accompany Mazen, has received the award on his behalf, and she stated that: “Mazen has lost so much weight and has endured so much pain because of the brutal torturing of the Syrian regime due to his opposing stance, his human rights actions and his continuous defense of the freedom of speech and giving journalism a space for expression.”

Syrian Students do their establishing conference in a cave to announce the Foundation of their Union. Over five consequent days, 300 students from all over Syria gathered in a cave in near a small village in Zaweya Mountain in Idleb province, under high security procedures, to participate in the foundational meeting for the Syrian Student Union.

Qutayba Khalil, the chief organizer of this conference stated: “This conference is intended as a positive move towards the formation of a real student union, that accepts its duties in defending the students of Syria and has an effective role in answering the needs of the Syrian cause, since the official union has become a toy in the hands of the regime.” Representatives of the united councils and local coordinators of the revolution, as well as the Union of Free Syrian Academics and the Union of Free Teachers, the Medical Committee of Syrian People Relief, Displaced Syrians Organization, the Gathering of Syrian Revolution Scientists, Local Councils, the Renovation Movement, and Moderate

Islamic Movement all gathered to form the foundational agreement that will govern the activity of the union during the coming phase, and that it would set the tools and means of communication with all independent student organization in Syria, seeking to unite all under the same umbrella that will be capable of leading the student move throughout the coming period of time.

Tal Mallouhi’sfate is still unclearAmbiguity is surrounding the fate of young Tal Mallouhi, ever since she was arrested 3 years ago. Photos have been published claiming that they were taken of her from inside her prison.Tal, a young activist and blogger, born in 1991 in Homs, was arrested on the 27th of September 2009 for her blog posts about

the regime in which she stated oppositional statements.She was accused being a spy for a foreign country in return of large sums of money; she was found guilty and condemned to five years in prison, as the case with all political oppenents in Syria.It is worth mentioning that many international organizations published many statements against this unjustified action, and demanded the immediate release of Tal Mallouhi, to no response from the Syrian regime.


Syrian American Alliance Syrian News

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Saraqeb celebrates Christmas with Christian

brothersIn spite of the dwindling attempts of the regime to foment a civilian sectarian war, and despite some fighting occurring based on such an idea, the revolution remains civil. The village of Saraqeb in the governorate of Idleb, with a Muslim majority, experienced the Christian celebration of Christmas.Children started playing in the main square of the village around a Christmas tree that they had decorated with a sign, upon which was written, “Our revolution is a revolution of love, a revolution for all Syrians.” An activist stated that this celebration was meant to emphasize the fact that Syrians are one, no matter how they worship or what their religion is. It is also worth mentioning that Saraqeb is a village that has been within the liberated zone for two months at the time of writing.

The Generation of

Freedom Eiad Chuarbaji

As a result of many factors including our patriarchal society, home education and the Syrian regime’s oppressive ideology, young Syrian men and women do not reach true maturity before the age of 35 - 30 years old.I am talking about my own generation, the seventies generation. I still remember the shameful things that I did and failed to show maturity or responsibility when I was in my twenties. I think the majority of my generation is like me.The truth of the matter is we surrendered completely to the influence of our society and its collective mentality. We lost our individuality. Our understanding of freedom was limited to choosing the color of our pants or shirts. We did not have Internet or computers. The best thing we ever had was the stupid Atari games and the old fashion (Saqher) computer.Our culture was completely derived from the two governmental TV channels, academic curriculums, few VHS movies that were hard to get by�,and a few books we used to borrow from the Russian Cultural Center or the Assad library.Now, I envy the generation of the 1990s, who had a quantum leap. They were able to realize the big gap between their reality and the reality of the people surrounding them. They understood the meaning of freedom and its culture. They realized the cultural divide between them.They acquired a new awareness and higher humanitarian convictions. This is the generation that ignited the Syrian revolution. They became its fuel. It is the generation that is going to build our country. The best thing we can do for them is to empower them with the means that would keep them in the forefront.Long live the freedom generation. Long live the Syrian youth.


Syrian American AllianceOpinions

Just as the Assad regime in Syria approaches what appears to be its terminal collapse, prominent figures on the Anglophone Left are hurrying to defend it—or at least to oppose its opponents. The anti-anti-dictatorship crowd includes not only sub-Ickean conspiracists such as Michael Chossudovsky but also people one would have expected to know better, such as Tariq Ali, George Galloway and John Rees. Some of the arguments are expressed in more inflammatory style than others—such as Galloway’s claim that the Syrian uprising is a ‘massive international conspiracy’—but they follow a similar line. It is that: the Syrian revolution, whether it has popular roots or not, has now become a purely military endeavour of Sunni supremacists acting as the proxies of a Saudi-Qatari-U.S. (perhaps also Franco-Zionist) effort to topple Assad, the last redoubt of the anti-imperialist forces in the region. This externally funded rebellion represents an extension of the U.S. imperial project launched after the 11/9 attacks, embracing the occupations of Afghanistan and Iraq. Stories of Syrian government atrocities in the Western media are the counterparts of

the lies circulated in 3-2002 about Saddam Hussein’s weapons of mass destruction, and therefore must be discredited. The only solution to be hoped for is a negotiated peace (a prospect also raised by parts of the Syrian opposition) leaving some remnant of the Ba’ath regime in place, thereby denying the U.S. and its co-conspirators the prize of a pliant regime on Israel’s front-line and a significant weakening of the Iranian position. These arguments are not made solely by Anglophonic commentators; outside of Egypt’s revolutionary currents, they are extremely common on the Arab left. One need only glance at the Lebanese newspaper Al-Akhbar to find the Arab revolutions damned tout court as examples of “Political Sunnism”. Is any of this true? The situation in Syria is both extremely violent and extremely complicated and difficult for even those within the country to grasp, let alone those outside of it. Nonetheless, information is available if one is ready to consult people within Syria or those who have reported from there recently—a step rarely taken by those proposing the anti-anti-Assad argument. Let us take the claims in turn.

‹Massive international conspiracy›?The charges laid by, amongst others, Charles Glass and Patrick Seale, are that the Free Syrian Army is trained, funded and armed by Qatar and Saudi Arabia (leading to an increase in Islamist influence within its ranks) as the co-conspirators of the USA and Turkey. These arms and funds, it is claimed, are flowing largely through the contact points established between FSA-held territory and the Turkish border in the north. It is this weaponry that accounts for the recent boldness of the rebels, and the likely demise of the current regime will be a victory for the suppliers of this ordinance and not the Syrian people. There are elements of truth to this story. It is no secret that the U.S., and its more vociferous junior imperial partner, want rid of Assad and in this aim they are joined by Saudi

Arabia, Qatar and the GCC more generally. The Saudis and Qataris are providing money, and in some cases materiel, to those bits of the FSA of which they approve. Nor is it any revelation that Western (and Turkish) agencies are attempting to broker the flow of these resources into the country and thereby exercise influence over the revolutionary situation. In any revolution, anywhere, now or in the future, outside powers will try to do this. Where this line of argument goes very wrong is in claiming that the Syrian revolution, as a result of these attempts, now consists of ‘sundry’ elements working for Western intelligence agencies and abetting the recolonisation of the country. First, the weaponry and funding in question is not very much, and not for everyone. One can spot images of FSA anti-aircraft guns or cannon but very rarely. These are also most likely to have been taken by defectors after the defeat of a regime garrison. The regime’s advantage in airpower and ground armour is overwhelming: the FSA’s resources bear no comparison. One would expect a massive international conspiracy worth its salt to furnish its fifth column with some serious anti-tank and anti-aircraft weaponry. Such munitions are not evident. Most of the FSA’s light arms seem to come from the Syrian army itself, through defection or purchase with money from exiled Syrian businessmen in the Gulf. Here is an example of FSA members having taken Rastan in July, disabling at least two armoured vehicles visible in the video:

Syria:Neither Riyadh nor Tehran but Popular Revolution

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Syrian American Alliance Opinions

The regime armour appears to have been hit with improvised bombs, as described in other reports. The fighters

have kalashnikovs and body armour but no heavy weaponry and certainly no mortars or rocket batteries. An example of the motivations and desires of FSA fighters is given in this video: Defecting out of horror at the regime’s repression, these men seem desperate for weaponry and support from outside. The provision of such support, especially were it to entail Western air superiority, would indeed endanger the autonomy of the revolution-but the fact they are asking for it indicates that the conspiracy is perhaps not so massive or effective after all. If you were comprehensively funding and arming a rebel force to topple your well-armed enemy, would you leave its fighters to rely on the goodwill of local villagers for food?Belief in a massive international conspiracy, rather than a popular revolution, also forestalls understanding of why Assad’s forces are doing so badly. The Syrian army numbers about 300,000 and it is an actual army, not a group of men in the woods. Yet it cannot be used, because most of the soldiers are unreliable. The core shock troops—their loyalty solidified by sectarian or clan identity—can be sent to dispatch the FSA forces, but governing the subdued areas is almost impossible, as the regular troops are likely either to defect or simply not to do their duty. This form of rebellion should also be counted part of a revolutionary process that has been going on since March 2011. The defection of Manaf Tlass and Riad Hijab and the bomb attack killing several high-ranking security officers indicates that the rot has set in even at the core of the regime.

Morphed into civil war?Yet, are these not simply manoeuvres in a civil war, the form into which the Syrian revolution has now ‘morphed’ ? Denunciations of the ‘militarization’ of the Syrian revolution, and calls simply to stop the violence, come long and hard from certain quarters of the Western Left. And indeed, the economic power of the working class (at best only scantily visible in the Syrian revolution) provides a firmer basis for revolutionary strategy than solely armed contest with the state. There is no doubt that what Syria is now undergoing is a civil war, albeit one in which the dynamics of a revolutionary process are still present. Nor is the military strategy of the FSA uncontested within the ranks of the opposition themselves. However, absent in the jeremiads against the Syrian revolutionaries for their resort to arms is any understanding of the origins of this development. The revolution was inspired by and followed the model of Tunisia and Egypt. Even the initial slogan of ‘the people demand the fall of the regime’, daubed on a wall in Dera’a, consciously emulated Tunisia. Every such unarmed protest was suppressed with the uttermost violence. The Free Syrian Army was formed out of armed detachments protecting demonstrations, only really beginning in earnest last summer. The Syrian regime has been ‘militarized’ for decades. If it persists in some form, the solution favoured by some on the left, the Syrian people will continue to suffer its violence. They are not to be condemned for fighting back. Nor is the revolution over in the form of demonstrations, strikes, and popular self-management. This is a crucial factor in

considering the role of foreign intervention: arms and funds are entering Syria from outside but this remains within a context of surprisingly robust popular mobilizations. One must remember that tens of thousands have been killed by the regime, many more arrested and tortured, demonstrations are attacked with live fire, residential districts shelled, and all this for a year and a half. It would be no surprise if Syrian revolutionaries disappeared completely from the streets. They have not: indeed, the increasing military victories over the regime go in tandem with the appearance of mass opposition in Aleppo and Damascus.There have been several attempts at igniting general strikes against the Assad regime, in the hope of repeating the contribution of the Egyptian and Tunisian labour movements to dispatching the dictators in those countries. So far, these attempts have not succeeded, partially because of the deep overlap of the Communist parties and official union organization and partially because of the extent of repression. However, strike days have been observed in several cities on several occasions.Illuminating dispatches from the towns of Saraqeb and Taftanaz reveal elements of popular power in areas liberated from the Assad regime. The Local Coordinating Committees, composed of activists directing demonstrations, have in some cases merged with local committees formed to take over state functions. Thus in Taftanaz, Anand Gopal writes of how ‹To fill the vacuum, citizens came together to elect councils—farmers formed their own, as did merchants, laborers, teachers, students, health-care workers, judges, engineers, and the unemployed. In some cases, the councils merged with pre-existing activist networks called local coordinating committees. They in turn chose delegates to sit on a citywide council, which in Taftanaz and surrounding towns was the only form of government the citizenry recognized.›

In SaraqebIn Saraqeb ‹the committee’s nine members are each tasked with a different role – there’s a media liaison, finance officer, military liaison, political officer, revolutionary courts representative, services coordinator, medical services, donations officer, and demonstrations coordinator. They are rotating, elected posts of three months’ duration. “There is no leader in the group, ”said“ al-Sayed, one of the nine representatives who requested anonymity. “We want to get rid of this idea.”,These are not isolated organizations – the committees elect delegates to regional bodies, which then constitute the Syrian Revolutionary General Command. 10

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The committees are not to be mistaken for Soviets. Like their (now largely

defunct) counterparts in the earlier phases of the Tunisia and Egyptian revolutions, they reflect local hierarchies, connections, jealousies and rivalries.However, in a society in the throes of revolutionary upheaval (to which the anti-anti-Assadites blind themselves) class conflict is laid bare and questions of the reconstitution of social order are invariably raised. Thus, in the town of Binnish near Taftanaz, Gopal reports how farmers and consumers agreed food prices through the mechanism of their council on the grounds that “we have to give to each as he needs.” The account continues: ‹It was a phrase I heard many times, even from landowners and merchants who might otherwise bristle at the revolution’s egalitarian rhetoric—they cannot ignore that many on the front lines come from society’s bottom rungs. At one point in March, the citywide council enforced price controls on rice and heating oil, undoing, locally, the most unpopular economic reforms of the previous decade.

Similar dynamics seem to have emerged in Similar dynamics seem to have emerged in Aleppo, where according to a report in the Aleppo, where according to a report in the Guardian: ‹the wealthy…[view]the rebels as a sort of unwelcome peasant army. “If I were to generalise I would say the middle class and upper class don’t want the rebels. They want everything to be how it was so they can trade and go to coffee shops,” one English-speaking resident, who lives in a regime area, said via Skype›.Certain of the local committees, it seems, have even taken up Gramsci’s strictures on the role of the revolutionary press, printing their own newspaper (Revolutionary Words) featuring reports from the literal front-lines, and articles on revolutionary history—in the words of one of its editors: “This is not an intellectual’s revolution… This is a popular revolution. We need to give people ideas, theory.”

A “sectarian gang”? A “sectarian gang”? A “sectarian gang”?The presence of these local committees, and their character, should not be taken as an argument that the Syrian workers’ republic is nigh. Rather they indicate that the dynamics in Syria are those—complicated, bloody, messy—of an actual revolutionary process and not simply an extrusion of armed gangs operating at the behest of external enemies. One of the commonest arguments being put about is precisely that claim, accompanied by the assertion that to the extent that the uprising enjoys any support, this is on the basis of a violent sectarianism that renders

the revolutionaries as bad as (if not worse than) the regime. This fact, it is alleged, is being concealed by a complicit and war-hungry Western media. The uprising, exactly because it is a popular one, carries with it many of the prejudices and discursive ticks of the provincial, most often Sunni, centres in which it has found its base. Arabic-speaking readers will have noticed the Demonstrations slogans (“God is great”, ‘We obey you, oh God”, “the Friday of Confidence in the Victory of God” and so forth) in the videos I have posted above. Some of these may reflect ideological commitment: more likely, as Anand Gopal writes, these slogans are “typically part performance vocabulary, part unifying norm in a riven society, part symbolic invocation of guerrilla struggle in a post-Iraq War world, and part expression of pure faith.” It seems very odd that people who accepted, for example, the legitimacy of Hizbullah’s struggle against Israel now demand that the Syrian revolutionaries abjure such language. George Galloway’s statement that a “jihadist, extremist, Islamist” current is waiting to take over in Syria seems an especially quick turnaround and a very sloppy use of language. There are, it seems, groups operating under the Al-Qa’ida franchise in Eastern Syria where the border with Iraq allows for a reverse version of the guerrilla smuggling practiced against the U.S. occupation. However, evidence that these are a predominant force within the variegated groups fighting under the banner of the FSA has yet to be presented. If Talibanization is far from hanging over Syria, the rural, orthopractic communities in which the revolution has been strongest up until now have nonetheless maintained

their pre-revolutionary practices of gender hierarchy. The local committees described above seem largely dominated by men. Yet, as in the case of class struggle, a revolutionary process cannot but spur practices of self-emancipation that once experienced are difficult to un-learn. As well as participation in demonstrations, women have joined the Free Syrian Army, including the formation of the ‘Hawla Bint Al-Azwar’ battalion shown below.If the influence of armed Takfiris is exaggerated, the danger of sectarian carnage is a real one. The longer the regime clings on, pulling everyone else down with it, the greater this danger becomes. A year and a half of continuous conflict has undoubtedly led to an increase in sectarian polarisation—although, as the International Crisis Group points out, it is perhaps surprising that this has not reached an even worse level. The committees described above operate in Sunni areas and some of their members show a hostility to the local Shi’a village . There are credible reports of the execution of shabiha prisoners and suspected collaborators, including the mass killing of members of the pro-regime Berri clan in Aleppo. But, were the revolution simply a communal civil war, then the Sunni Arabs (by far the preponderant community) would have won it by now. There are also Alawites who have identified with the revolution—they have a website documenting their participation. There is a struggle going on within the revolutionary side to assert unity against sectarianism—witness, for example, the code of conduct drawn up by the LCC and signed by the commanders of 29 FSA brigades, pledging to “refrain from any behavior or practice that would

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Syrian American Alliance Opinions

undermine the principles of our revolution: the principles of freedom, citizenship, and dignity…[and] respect human rights in

accordance with our legal principles, our tolerant religious principles, and the international laws governing human rights.” These commitments are frequently couched in a discursive culture that confuses those who see ‘Islam’ as a monolithic project, rather than as a political vernacular.It is impossible to tell how far these commitments will be followed: what they indicate, however, is a battle within the revolutionary side to preserve national and cross-sectarian unity in a very violent and chaotic situation. There is no such concern on the side of the regime, and to treat the two as equal in this matter is a grave error. Even more so when, as in the case of the Houla massacre, Western Leftists replicate the regime narrative that the revolutionaries are the ones doing the slaughtering, in order to discredit the regime. In May of these year, scores of people were killed in their homes in the region of Houla north of Homs, after an FSA attack on an army checkpoint. The survivors maintained that the perpetrators were pro-regime elements, either soldiers or shabiha. The regime claimed that in fact the FSA had carried out the killings and then pinned the blame on the government. A German journalist from the Frankfurter Allemeine Zeitung published a similar story, based on anonymous sources claiming that the families were Shi’a killed because they refused to join the opposition. The local co-ordinating committee stated in response that the victims were Sunni families (as one of the surviving family members confirmed, also stating that he believed the killers to be shabiha) and that no German journalist had contacted them or visited the area. The UN investigation into the matter concluded that pro-government forces were responsible. And yet this incident continues to be cited by the anti-anti-Assad left as if it were Alastair Campbell’s fake dossier justifying the war in Iraq. What if the improbable and distasteful tale of revolutionaries slaughtering children to make Assad look bad were actually true? It is surely false, but even so, Assad needs no help to make him look bad. The bombing of the town of Azaz on the 15 August, killing tens of people, was surely carried out by the regime, unless we believe the FSA has obtained fighter jets and is using them to bomb its own supporters in order to make Assad look bad. In which case we may as well go the whole hog: let’s believe that Qatar, Saudi Arabia, Israel and the U.S. have conspired to install a decades-long reign of cruelty and dictatorship in Syria, torturing, imprisoning and killing, amassing huge wealth at the expense of workers and peasants, and imposing neoliberal policies on the impoverished masses, all to make the Ba’ath party look bad. Or, if we accept that all these things are not a conspiracy, is such a regime a basis for a sustainable pole of anti-imperialist resistance? Thankfully for the Syrian revolution, there is at least a small group of Leftists internal to the struggle. The Syrian Revolutionary Left publish, when the extremely difficult conditions permit, a newspaper entitled The Frontline. This organ campaigns against sectarianism and foreign intervention and for Permanent Revolution. It states as the main task of the current “to build an active revolutionary left able to mobilise the toiling and suffering people, and all those who aspire to freedom, dignity and social justice, on the basis of a progressive programme confronting the social and economic programmes of other political forces.” Their putative comrades in the West should take some time to investigate and support such currents before declaring their revolution the work of massive conspiracies.

Jamie Allinson is a researcher specialisingin Middle East politics

Tawfik al Hallak

A friend chilled my heart yesterday when he stated, “I am a civilian Muslim,” and another friend replied, “I am a mountain civilian,” referring to all series of mountains from north to south, with all the diversity of ethnicities and religious components. Which more perfectly reflected the reality of Syria, the civil Syria? Didn’t most Syrians got excited when the Coalition was formed under the leadership of Muaz Khateeb and the accompanying of George Sabra, Suhair Atassi and Reyad Seif? Didn’t they say, this is the Syria we know and we love and we lived?Syrians know quite well that the only way to live in peace and develop their country is through a law that contains them all, and consider the rights of all of them.As for me, I will never get tired of calling out to you, our brothers and sisters on the coast side, with no mention of their sect, asking you to stop following the criminal regime that is using you as a fuel, pushing you against neighbors and friends and putting the blame on you for all the crimes committed by the regime.Aqrba massacre is a brutal example of the regime’s squat and miniature. Yet, it is not too late for you come to your senses and step away from the regime and join the revolution, declaring your refusal to be part of the criminal enterprise and removing all traces of sectarianism that the regime is trying to drag you to.The revolution is soon to win over the dying regime, and eventually Syria will see the light of freedom, when the future is for all Syrians regardless of their religion, belief or sect.

A Callto my people

10



the Concept, the Application and the Stage

Anwar Al Bunni

Attorney at Law and President of the Syrian Centre for Law Studies and

Research

The Transitional Justice

Transitional justice is usually the most important issue to work on after radical changes in warring societies that result in victims and destruction. Closing the previous phase, restoring civil peace and unity of society and internal reconciliation require, first of all, soothing souls by removing wrongs, restoring rights to their owners, compensating the injured, revealing facts about the missing people and what happened, determining liabilities to hold criminals accountable through lawful and jurisdictional institutions. The aforementioned is important and necessary since one cannot control the instinct of revenge and retaliation and lock any potential chaos in if those injured and victims did not make sure their rights will be returned and the criminals will not go unpunished. Man can’t feed his belonging to a society and help build it if she/he did not guarantee justice.The concept of transitional justice is exceptional and different from the normal justice in its rules, standards, bodies, mechanisms and objectives; it is because of the exceptional circumstances force exceptional treatment that normal justice’s rules and mechanisms will not work it out. The objective of transitional justice is not only to convict criminals and enforce law, but rather to restore civil peace, achieving national reconciliation and removing the remains of a previous stage that encourages continued devastation if not treated. For example, the dropping of a personal claim or ceasing from pressing charges by those injured by a big number of crimes may result in dropping the case as a whole, unlike the regular law, with maintaining the right of compensation for the injured, which will be the state liability through the institution of transitional justice. The public prosecutor institution has no role as an advocate of the society except for the cases that affect it as a whole. Added to that, the objective of transitional justice is not confined in prosecuting guilty people and pacify people by confirming their rights but stretches to assure the innocent that they will not be prosecuted or convicted for crimes they have not committed. It also gives an important

guarantee for criminals themselves that they will not experience revenge and that the institutions of justice and the judiciary will prosecute them depending on the evidence of their crimes.Perhaps the most distinctive aspect of the rules and standards governing the transitional justice is that it is based on international rules and laws; considering that many of the complicated crimes, under an extraordinary civil conflict, may not be covered, addressed in or dictated by local laws and so require an international reference. Another distinction is that the regular institution of justice is based on normal judicial bodies and is restricted to judges, while the transitional judicial institutions have several distinguished bodies different from normal judicial combinations, which includes representatives of the society and its varied bodies to share with judges and courts in achieving justice. The idea of transitional justice first flourished after WWII upon prosecuting the war criminals in Nuremberg and developed further in Sierra Leone and Rwanda. Even in Lebanon it was applied partly by the Ministry of Displaced People and the South Fund while they issued a comprehensive amnesty for all crimes committed during the war by closing all trials.

A Transitional Justice Institution’s Task Can Be Divided into Five Stages:

11 Physical and financial compensation Fund to compensate those injured either by losing a family member or being physically harmed, and also for those who lost their homes, businesses, either partly or completely. This could be done through professional technical committees based on field surveys for all regions and drawing up a list of victims and missing persons, estimate the damage, determine the number of injured people and ensure continuous treatment for them and finally providing homes for displaced people and offer help to fix the partly destroyed houses. 22 Establishing special independent courts,

a central one in Damascus and branches in each city and governorate, to study crimes

committed during the war and to prosecute and arrest criminals and also to restore stolen and looted money and goods. Judges assigned should be well known for their impartiality, neutrality and independence. 33 Forming committees for civil peace and

national reconciliation including respected figures of culture, science and education, law, art, religion and sociology to go to areas that witnessed religious, sectarian and/or racial conflicts to soothe souls and promote reconciliation, dispel suspicions and restore confidence among components of the society. Such committees have also to locate the missing, abducted, and arrested and return them to their families, as well as establish associations and centres of psychological support.

44 Establishing an information centre to demonstrate in a comprehensive campaign the concept, structures, means and role of transitional justice, and to use all kinds of media for that purpose under the supervision of lawyers and sociologists. Groups of volunteers may cooperate with NGOs to build bridges between the people and the transitional justice institutions. 55 A commemorating office to document

and date events, commemorate martyrs and victims through memorials, naming schools, squares and streets after their names in the areas where they passed away. Also, to gather the aforementioned information and events into a history book to be taught to future generations in order for our society to learn from this lesson and for the huge sacrifice not to be lost but rather to keep in mind. We can always discuss an amnesty and its importance for national reconciliation but not to stop justice. However, such an amnesty cannot be broad since wounds are still fresh and by closing them now they can pose a fire under the ashes that can be fuelled at any time. Such amnesty should be limited for special cases that have been settled locally with an agreement. We have to consider that the transitional justice comes as a first task for next phase; we need to be ready and proceed with initiatives right away and start with a campaign to familiarize citizens with its concept and definition.


Syrian American Alliance Syrian projects

Mission:• • • Raise awareness about the importance of diversity and acceptance of the other point of view• • • Reduce the urge to take revenge and encourage the demand of legal punishment and justice.• • • Promote the civil values and the ruling of the law• • • Peaceful transformation

Description:The idea of the “STATE“ in Syria was always frightening and the people used to go obeying it not the opposite. Today we are working our best to build a “dawla” completely different and based on different factors. the new formed “dawla” should obey each one of us want and desire. And we will keep on working on its structure and shape till we find the form that fits us all.Dawlati project work on suggesting options and building capacity; developing training materials using new techniques and styles; executing diffent workshops and developing an e-library that products will be published and all designs created after the revolution start will be archived and saved. Using simple language we can reach

all levels of societies and emphasize on the human rights principles, especially equity in gender, religion and ethnics.

We deliver out messages throughout: - Publications - Posters- Graphity - Video and cartoons- Radio programmes- booklets - videos and other comics- In addition to different other tools that makes it easy for people with no internet access to get them.

We work on:- Stating the principles of civil and human rights and citizen contribution- transitional justice- The rights and protection of minority- Citizenship and law understanding- Building the structure of civil society and campaigns- Democratic elections and parties formation- Transparency and judgment

Our goal is in achieving the following changes:- Moving from killing to lessen revenge act and move towards legal punishment and trials- Promote the ability to accept the other- Promote civil rights and law ruling- Enrich cooperation and dialogue between different civil society sectarians and opposition initiatives- Erase the feeling of standing alone, that leads to the urge to fight militarily and developing techniques of striking and non-violent defense.

Future projects:Workshops for activists on - Nonviolent strategies and mediation in conflict resolution, and team work- Advocacy and communication strategies in addition to leadership and social communication and coordinationthe aim of these two workshops is developing skills and exchange experiences. Beside forming ambassadors for the project “dawlati

By Ola Malas

Lego Cubes

I always adored the Lego cubes. It was I always adored the Lego cubes. It was my favorite game all during my years of my favorite game all during my years of studying, and pushed me to do the best studying, and pushed me to do the best and get high scores so I get more Lego and get high scores so I get more Lego boxes as a gift of my achievements.boxes as a gift of my achievements.I used to build it up like towers and I used to build it up like towers and buildings of different colors, and look at buildings of different colors, and look at them in pride, amazed on how beautiful them in pride, amazed on how beautiful they look, and so I’d go to sleep… these they look, and so I’d go to sleep… these

were my own houses and buildings. It is were my own houses and buildings. It is only up to me to decide who would stay only up to me to decide who would stay in which… in which… It was according to my feelings and It was according to my feelings and preferences that I put people in each one, preferences that I put people in each one, so the least preferable would be stuck in the so the least preferable would be stuck in the smallest and the least colorful one. It was a smallest and the least colorful one. It was a way to express my anger and sadness, even way to express my anger and sadness, even if that would be dad or mom who shouted if that would be dad or mom who shouted at me or punished me that day.at me or punished me that day.My Lego houses where my own colorful My Lego houses where my own colorful world… I never felt annoyed to rebuild world… I never felt annoyed to rebuild them over and over again, even when my them over and over again, even when my brother would bother me and tease me brother would bother me and tease me with his annoying plane toy, destroying my with his annoying plane toy, destroying my beautiful houses… beautiful houses… Looking in my dad’s proud eyes, I was Looking in my dad’s proud eyes, I was eager to go and build them up again. eager to go and build them up again. One day, I heard a loud sound of an One day, I heard a loud sound of an airplane. It was so loud, followed by a sound airplane. It was so loud, followed by a sound

of smashing into the window of my room, of smashing into the window of my room, the Lego cubes were shattered everywhere, the Lego cubes were shattered everywhere, I was furious at my brother, thinking it is his I was furious at my brother, thinking it is his airplane toy doing this damage.airplane toy doing this damage.Ran out to dad to complain; he has no ears, Ran out to dad to complain; he has no ears, how can he hear my voice?how can he hear my voice?I shouted to mom to come and help me; I shouted to mom to come and help me; she had no legs, how shall she move she had no legs, how shall she move towards me?towards me?Ran to my brother to shout at him; he Ran to my brother to shout at him; he had no eyes, he wouldn’t see what the big had no eyes, he wouldn’t see what the big plane has done to my houses.plane has done to my houses.Ran back to my room, looking at my Lego Ran back to my room, looking at my Lego cubes, all turned to red…. Hearing voices cubes, all turned to red…. Hearing voices I know crying and screaming in fear.. and I know crying and screaming in fear.. and seeing faces I recognize, sleeping with their seeing faces I recognize, sleeping with their mouths open wide….mouths open wide….I fell to the ground crying loud, trying to I fell to the ground crying loud, trying to rub my eyes with my own hands, but where rub my eyes with my own hands, but where are my hands????are my hands????

Dawlati is a project non-profit project for capacity building and working

on developing training materials both visual, audio and text ones about

democratic transformation and justice transition in Syria

Website: www.dawlaty.org Email: [email protected] Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/dawlaty.org Youtube: http://www.youtube.com/user/DawlatySy?feature=watch

Dawlati


Syrian American Alliance From theRevolution

He was an activist, an oppositional student, born in Sweida, in the south of Syria on 1977 . Went to Germany to study film direction, and worked on the production of several documentaries about the Syrian revolution including, “Breaking the Silence,” “Questions to

Bouhtaina Shaaban,” and “Memories of a Place.” He then returned to his home country, Syria, and decided to document the revolution. Holding his only weapon, his camera, he started shooting his videos and scenes in an efforts to document everything and record all actions on the ground.A shell hits him while accompanying the free fighters in Aleppo. All attempts of the medical team to save his life were in vain and he died on the 9th of September 2012.His last words on his page on facebook were:“Between one shell and another, the Austrian photographer asked me, ‘What is all this bombing for?’ And another shell falls and kills the answer.”

Lubna Marei is a Syrian Alawite activist, who has taken an oppositional stance to the regime and its criminal actions from the beginning of the revolution. Lubna tried hard to raise awareness amongst her surrounding family and friends from the Alawites sect that the revolution does not target them rather it is targeting injustice and dictatorship. Her activism and patriotic efforts were the reason for regime intelligence to track her and harass her on more than one occasion, forcing her to hide and flee by the aid of the free army rebels. Lubna stated that many were accusing these rebels of being overly conservative, even jihadi, and so narrow minded, yet they were so supportive and understanding and they supported her and protected her till she could make it to Turkey in the summer of 2012. While staying at their camps under their protection, they made a videotape of her talking to her Alawite community and, though she was

covering her face, she was recognized. Consequently her mother, who was her first supporter in her activism, disappeared; it was discovered later, that she was killed by her own father in his desperate attempt to gratify the regime and show his devotion. On her Facebook page, Lubna wrote: “Let it be registered in history, my mom was killed by my father, and I couldn’t defend her, not even make her a decent funeral. Forgive me mother, for letting this happen, it is my entire fault. I can’t be a daughter of the criminal who killed my mother.”Lubna’s story is devastating. She was punished twice, once because of her opposition and the second because she is an Alawite, who are all supposed to stand on the side of the regime in its sectarian war against the Syrian people.Many activists started several pages on Facebook in support, condolence and sympathy with Lubna, presenting the unified stance of the Syrian people in their defense of their rights in democracy and freedom.

TAMER AL-AWWAMa Martyr with a camera

Lubna Mareian opposition member of the president’s sect

Facts and Numbers

• Since the start of the revolution on 3 / 15 / 2011 and till 1 / 1 / 2013 the number of registered martyrs is 40349.

• Number of killed children 4207, among them 1269 baby girls and 2938 boys; 44 of them died under torture

• Number of Detainees 34584

• Number of Detained children 873, among them 29 baby girls and 844 boys



A message from a Syrian Kid to Santa ClausDear Santa, This year is gonna be a lot different. That’s why I am giving you a piece of advice:You may have to bring an ID with you this year since we have a lot of checkpoints!!! You may have to not wear red, because blood is everywhere and I hate this colour...also, you’d better shave your beard, otherwise they may suspect you are a fundamentalist when it’s too late... and since we have no fuel, we closed our chimneys, so it’s better to knock on the door and forget about the surprise concept... If you really like me, bring me a propane gas tank, unlocked, since daddy uses a code for ours. And finally, and most important to not hurt Syrians’ feelings, try to lose some weight; you cannot be that fat while Syrians are dying from hunger.

The Syrian proverb says “his face won’t smile even for a hot loaf of bread”…nowadays…everyone will forcefully smile for any loaf and will dance for it too…thus, Syrians have changed…

What’s a 500 horse power car pulled by a jackass? They are Shabeeha cars…

Aljazeera TV: Syrian rebels are attacking the regime’s strongholds in DamascusAlarabya TV: the Syrian regime is losing control over the countryBBC Arabia: Syrian regime is verging falling. The Syrian TV: Female Penguins feed on salmon and live in the Antarctic.

Nobody believes that Farooq Al Shar’a plays the VP role; he plays a similar role that retired stars usually do when they are called to act as guests of honor to promote bad commercial TV series.

This guy came over to ask me to marry him, he brought some bread with him and smelled of diesel, my family approved him right away…let’s proceed with marriage procedures…!!!

What happens if Papa Noel came to Syria?

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Zeresnaey Abraha

Colette Bahna

Ahmad Ahmad Golan

Obai Sukar

Mustafa Aljarf

Hend salem

This year Waleed Al Mualem was assigned to act as Santa Claus Papa Noel, he will give pizza and hamburgers to children… I wish he won’t eat the gifts and the kids too..!!

Dena Al Hiraki



Amidst the absence of any effective international action to prevent murder and starvation of Syrians which has been on for two years now, and because their will in life is greater than the will to die, Syrians excelled in mocking their pain and sorrow, this is a picture illustrating the ongoing irony.

This is how Syrians make fun of their sorrows

saa 2 en jan 2013

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