He told the world about his brutal torture in Syria. Then, mysteriously, he went back. (The Washington Post)
Mending what has been broken
12 February 2021
From Aleppo to Beirut, cities burning
26 February 2021
“With his gaunt frame, haunted face and copious tears, Mazen al-Hamada became a poster boy for the suffering of Syrian torture victims. After escaping from Syria to the Netherlands, he traveled widely, sharing with audiences across the United States and Europe stories of the horrors he endured in a Damascus prison.
And then, mysteriously, inexplicably and perhaps suicidally, just over a year ago he returned to Syria, to risk once again the cruelties of the government he had so strenuously denounced.” Read more
Russia releases video confirming it targeted Aleppo hospital with missile (The National)
“Russia’s Ministry of Defence released a video on Thursday that confirms it bombed a hospital near Aleppo, one of the first concrete admissions from Russia that it targeted civilian infrastructure during the war in Syria.
The disclosure from Russia was most likely unintentional, because the country consistently denied attacks against civilians.” Read more
Mayday: How the White Helmets and James Le Mesurier got pulled into a deadly battle for truth (BBC)
“The British man behind the Syrian civil defence group, the White Helmets, found himself at the centre of a battle to control the narrative of the Syrian war. Russian and Syrian propagandists accused his teams of faking evidence of atrocities - and convinced some in the West. The battle for truth formed a backdrop to James Le Mesurier's sudden death in Istanbul in November 2019.” Read more
Criminal inquiries loom over al-Assad’s use of chemical arms in Syria (The New York Times)
“Chemical munitions experts have for years compiled information that Syria’s government has used these banned weapons against its own people, a war crime that so far has gone unpunished and been dismissed with a sneer by President Bashar al-Assad.
Now the first criminal inquiries that target Mr. al-Assad and his associates over the use of chemical weapons may soon get underway.” Read more
Long night to resurrection
05 February 2021
On lust for the Syrian narrative
02 February 2021
In the shade of the eucalyptus tree (Mashallah News)
“My father worked as a tailor. He used to leave the house in the early morning and did not come home before the evening. Every day, we would welcome him with the same enthusiasm. He would smile at us, full of happiness and joy. He often took out qdameh, roasted chickpeas, from his pocket and gave them to me and my siblings.
After sunset, we prepared dinner and sat down together at the dining table, listening to my grandparents chatting. We went to bed in the dark evening, to sleep until the next sunrise.” Read more
US demands status of all Syrian detainees be made public (Associated Press)
“The United States demanded Tuesday that the status of tens of thousands of civilians detained in Syria during the country’s 10-year conflict be made public, and that the bodies of those who died be returned to their loved ones.
U.S. Ambassador Linda Thomas-Greenfield made the demand at an informal high-level U.N. General Assembly meeting on human rights in Syria where she denounced the ‘brutality’ and ‘untold suffering’ caused by Syrian President Bashar Assad’s regime and the ‘appalling atrocities’ it has committed.” Read more
Samira’s Syria (Al-Jumhuriya)
“I have often wondered how my interest—soon transmuted into admiration and love—for Samira al-Khalil began. It happened more than three years ago. Along with Razan Zaitouneh, Wael Hamade, and Nazem Hammadi, Samira is one of four activists collectively known as the ‘Douma 4’ who were kidnapped in Douma in December 2013, most likely by the Jaysh al-Islam armed faction. None has been seen or heard from since. I was intrigued by the individual lives behind that “Douma 4” label.” Read more
