Aleppans see education as ever more important
Lina al-Hakim* (Aleppo, Syria) — Despite the constant thud of rockets and deteriorating living conditions, including the destruction of basic institutions and infrastructure, Syrians...
Social Media Monitor: Government Forces Seize Qusair
This video was published on Qusair Media Centre’s channel on YouTube on Sunday, June 2, two days before the city was seized by government...
Social Media Monitor: Executions in Raqqa Anger Civil Activists
On May 14, Islamist militiamen in the north-eastern city of Raqqa executed three prisoners who were alleged to be Alawite officers from the Syrian...
Harasta: A Gutted City
By Razan Zeitouneh (Harasta, Syria) – The maze of roads winding through the ramshackle suburbs in what was once Damascus’s agricultural greenbelt is...
Social Media Monitor: A 15-year old executed for blasphemy
Mohammad Qattaa, a 15-year-old who sold coffee on the street in the opposition-controlled Al-Shaar neighbourhood in Aleppo, was asked on Saturday, June 8 if...
Social Media Monitor: Opposition Supporters Denounce Hezbollah Interference
The battle of Qusair continues to rage as government troops, backed by fighters from Hezbollah, advance slowly into the city under fierce resistance from...
More Syrians Turn to Air Travel as Roads Prove Unsafe
By Raheel Ibrahim* (Damascus and Latakia, Syria) – Dima is from the Syrian coastal city of Latakia, and had never flown in an airplane...
Tal Abyad Local Council Provokes Resentment, But Security Holds Stable
By Youssef Shaikho (Tel Abyad, Syria) – On the eve of the fall of the north eastern city of Raqqa to the Syrian opposition...
The General Authority for Civil Defence in Douma: Volunteers Doing their Best
By Razan Zeitouneh EDITOR’S NOTE: This is the first in a series of articles on the new institutions in areas controlled by the Syrian...
The people of Salqeen, Idlib complain about smuggling basic necessities into Turkey
Smugglers are transporting basic necessities from the town of Salqeen in the province of Idlib into Turkey. People interviewed complained that smuggling is depleting...
The Educational System in Syria: A Tragic Reality and an Obscure Future
The education system in Syria is in a terrible state. Military engagements, bombardments and airstrikes have displaced millions of Syrians, preventing tens, if not...
Domestic Abuse and Sexual Violence Rampant in Zaatari Camp
Editor’ Note: The editorial team changed the names of some of the interviewees for their own safety. By Raafat al-Ghanem (Zaatari, Jordan) – Um...
Aleppo’s City Council Has Great Ambitions, Little Capacity
Lina al-Hakim* (Aleppo, Syria) – With basic services stopped in most areas of rebel-controlled Aleppo, a local City Council was elected in early March...
Travellers through the Bab Al-Hawa border crossing lack valid passports
Travellers from Syria’s north into Turkey often lack valid passports, which forces them to cross the border illegally and put themselves at the risk...
The Theft of Deir El Zor’s Oil
Editor’s note: The editorial team has used only the first names of some of the interviewees and concealed the names of others for their...
Social Media Monitor: Sectarian Tension Runs High after Banias Massacre
The London-based Syrian Observatory for Human rights declared on Thursday, May 16 that it has documented 145 killings in the massacre that reportedly took...
