Social Media Monitor: Executions in Raqqa Anger Civil Activists

A photo published by The Coordination Committee in Raqqa on Facebook shows the preparation for the execution
A photo published by The Coordination Committee in Raqqa on Facebook shows the preparation for the execution

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 government’s army.  A YouTube video shows the execution, during which a speaker announces that it is in retaliation for the Banias massacre.  The speaker announced that the operation was in the name of the Islamic State of Iraq, an umbrella group that includes a number of jihadist organizations, including the Iraqi branch of Al-Qaeda. Recent reports suggested that the head of the Iraq-based Al-Qaeda, Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi, is trying to dominate Al Nusra Front, whose presumed leader, Abu Mohammad al-Joulani, has declared allegiance to Al-Qaeda leader Ayman al-Zawahiri.

Civil society activists in the city of Raqqa took to the streets in the evening to protest the execution.

The pro-government Facebook page Al-Sham published the video of the execution along with a comment, saying:

"This is some of the prosperity and peace that Al-Qaeda will offer to the Syrian people."
“This is some of the prosperity and peace that Al-Qaeda will offer to the Syrian people.”

Syrian media activist Amer Matar commented on his Facebook page:

"…this horror scene is meant to terrorize society and deliver a message to those who oppose [Islamist militants]…Do they have the right to execute prisoners of war without fair trials? Does the public know the names of the officers and the reason why they were executed?..."
“…this horror scene is meant to terrorize society and deliver a message to those who oppose [Islamist militants]…Do they have the right to execute prisoners of war without fair trials? Does the public know the names of the officers and the reason why they were executed?…”

Reactions to Turkey explosions

Supporters of the Syrian opposition discussed the explosions that shook the Turkish border town of Reyhanli on May 11. The Turkish government accused Syrian intelligence of being behind the attack.

Chaod Taha, who presents himself on Facebook as an opposition supporter who lives in Kiev, Ukraine, berated the president the Organization of Arab Expatriates, a pan-Arab organization affiliated with the Syrian government,  Mohmamad Dhirar Jammu, for saying that the Syrian government would not kill its “own citizens.”  Jammu was addressing the fact that President Bashar al-Assad’s government considers the province of Hatay, known in Arabic as Iskenderun, in which Reyhanli is located, part of Syria. Taha wrote on Facebook:

"…The obscenity [of Jammu's statement] is [matchless]. The [Syrian government] cares for the lives of Syrians abroad but it buries them alive inside [Syria]"
“…The obscenity [of Jammu’s statement] is [matchless]. The [Syrian government] cares for the lives of Syrians abroad but it buries them alive inside [Syria]”

The birth of the “Union of Syrian Democrats”

A new Syrian opposition body, called the Union of Syrian Democrats, was officially announced in Cairo on May 16. Its members are veteran liberal opposition figures, some of whom were members of the main opposition umbrella group, the Syrian National Coalition, who reportedly reject the Muslim Brotherhood’s domination of the Coalition. The member of the new Union, Kamal Labwani, was quoted as saying that the new political group aims to establish a “civil, democratic state.”

The announcement was met with cynical comments from some opposition supporters.

Writer Thaer Deeb commented on his Facebook page, stating that the members of the new group have already tried their luck in politics but failed to achieve anything.