Syrian Revolution Digest, April 14, 2011
The Thursday Regime!
Assad announces new government: most ministers keep job, new ministers are old corrupt officials now rewarded for loyalty.
The “new” government appointed by President Bashar al-Assad is considered by many analysts as more of the old same. Some lower ranking officials were promoted to ministers, and none of them has been noticed before for any reform ambitions.
Meanwhile, and in an obvious attempt to undercut the Friday protests, a number of detainees arrested since the beginning of the Revolution, including 150 men from Banyas and Bayda were released today, many showing signs of severe physical abuse, as documented by Human Rights Watch (HRW).
The fact that such developments keep happening on a Thursday prompted some young activists to refer to the Assad regime as the Thursday Regime.
The Streets of Deraa where quick to react to Assad’s new appointments, by staging nightly protests.
Meanwhile, the city of Suweida in south Syria witnessed its first sizeable protests since the beginning of the Revolution with few hundreds hitting the street in the morning, and again in the evening. Suweida is the heartland of the Druze community in Syria. With Suweida now on board, every major city and town in Syria can be said to have been hit by protests.
From Social Networking Websites
Today’s Main Stories
Video shows the brutality of the security men, beating and insulting the handcuffed youth of Al-Bayda village
Video shows some of detained youth of Baniyas and Al-Bayda who have been released today and shows signs of torture and brutality they endured, Video 2 , Video 3 , Video 4
Baniyas
Video shows Baniyas people welcoming the Syrian Army forces and chanting “the people and Army are united”
Video shows the brutality of the security men, beating and insulting the handcuffed youth of Al-Bayda village
Video shows some of detained youth of Baniyas and Al-Bayda who have been released today and shows signs of torture and brutality they endured, Video 2 , Video 3 , Video 4
Video of a youth of Baniyas, insulted and trampled by the security men
Video of a dead child of Baniyas
Al-Suwaydaa
Video of a demonstration in Al-Suwaydaa today assuring of the unity of the Syrian people
Daraa
Video of a demonstration and strike at the Alkarameh square preparing for the “Friday of determination”, Video 2
Video shows the targeting of ambulances by the security men
Duma
Video shows snipers on the roof of governments buildings
Aleppo
Video of burning a big poster of Bashar al-Assad in the heart of Aleppo city
Jassim
Video shows the response of the people of Jassim to the results of the meeting of Daraa’s delegation with the President
Ibta’a
Video of a funeral in Ibta’a on Tuesday, and a mass demo demanding freedom
Selection of TV coverage
France24 report on the women’s demonstration in Baniyas
Video of an intervention of a citizen in Al-Suwaydaa
Alhiwar, interview with Walid Saffour, the director of the Syrian Human Rights
Al-Arabiya, a dialogue between Mohammed Al-Abdullah and Dr. Essam Altakroni
France24 report on the new formation of the Syrian government
Declaration of the new Syrian cabinet
Al-Arabiya report on the situation in Syria
France24 report of an eyewitness about the tragic situation in Baniyas
Aljazeera report about the Syrian Revolution before the “Friday of Determination”
Video of the activist Mahmoud Aldgayyem commenting on the women’s demonstration in Baniyas
BBC interview with Samir Nashar on the Syrian Revolution and the participation of Aleppo city
Video of the intervention of Bishop Jean Qawak comment on the events in Syria
BBC report of on the confessions aired by Syrian television
Aljazeera report on the demonstrations happened on Thursday evening
Selection of Press coverage
Report of the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights on torture of detainees before releasing them in Baniyas
Article by Ghassan Muflih in the Al-Quds Al-Arabi newspaper on Syria entitled “Syria, we’d rather die than being humiliated”
Coverage by the Middle East newspaper about the Syrian Revolution entitled “Syria is in trouble”
The digest is produced in cooperation with Kafa Samtan and the Strategic Research and Communication Centre.
Damascus Bureau is not responsible for the content of external links.
