It was a snowy January day in Damascus and 10-year-old Mada al-Zoabi was running downstairs to play in the snow – but then the sight of her father coming home shocked her. “Dad? Is that you?” exclaimed a startled Mada, who did not recognize her father after not seeing him for nearly a month. “His […]
Russia’s 2012 crackdown worst since Soviet era , report
Authoritarianism increased last year in Russia to levels unseen since the Soviet era with a raft of harsh laws curbing political freedoms and harassment of opposition activists and critics, Human Rights Watch said on Thursday. The crackdown coincided with the return of Vladimir Putin to the Kremlin and the appointment of his predecessor
angry Kurds rally in Paris over murder of 3 women activists
Thousands of angry demonstrators gathered in Paris Saturday to demand answers over the deaths of three Kurdish women activists found shot dead Thursday in mysterious circumstances. French police union spokesman Christophe Crepin said tensions were high at the protest
Lebanon army arrests and severely beats activist, report
The sister of Lebanese political activist Pierre Hashash said that Lebanese army intelligence officers severely beat her brother and herself before detaining the activist and threatening him over his political activities.
Passport of a Lebanese pro Syrian democracy activist confiscated at Beirut Airport
General Security on Monday confiscated the passport of a leading Lebanese Avaaz campaigner for the Syrian opposition at Beirut’s Rafik Hariri International Airport as he was heading to Turkey. “General Security confiscated Wissam Tarif’s passport as he headed to Turkey
UAE defends crackdown on activists
The United Arab Emirates attorney general says suspects detained in an ongoing crackdown on political dissent have confessed to plans to jeopardize security and to having links to foreign groups.
U.S. concerned Syrian regime planning massacre in Aleppo
The United States said on Thursday it appeared that forces loyal to Syrian President Bashar al-Assad were “lining up” for a massacre in the city of Aleppo, but again ruled out military intervention in the conflict.
Analysis: The ‘day after’ in Syria
By David Ignatius
It is time for Washington to emphasize what the United States can do, rather than what it can’t, in Syria. U.S. policy is caught between two imperatives
Syrian troops, rebels reinforce for big Aleppo battle
Syrian rebels have stepped up their stockpiling of ammunition and medical supplies in preparation for a major battle in Aleppo, a BBC reporter says. The rebels, who are in control of large parts of Syria’s second city, have set up checkpoints
Syrian army rushes reinforcements to Aleppo to fight rebels
Syrian troops rushed dozens of tanks and reinforcements Wednesday toward Aleppo, the country’s strategically vital commercial capital, in a bid to crush a rebel advance that has spread to wide swaths of the sprawling city. As five days of fighting in Aleppo intensified