Une semaine sur la Syrie, Semaine 25 de 2020

Une semaine sur la Syrie,

Semaine 25 de l’an 2020

Nous continuons inlassablement, grâce à notre infatigable veilleur et archiviste, à offrir à nos lecteurs cette rubrique hebdomadaire composée d’une sélection d’articles, informations, études et rapports glanés sur la semaine qui précède.

« Une sélection d’événements, études, articles et rapports sur la Syrie et la vie des syriens en une semaine, dense et variée, très exhaustive. « 

-Cette semaine, la loi César pour la protection des civils en Syrie est entrée en vigueur le 17 juin 2020.

-The best piece yet on the Caesar sanctions, by @SHeydemann assessing its effects and prospects for success. @BrookingsFP @SoccerMouaz @syrianetf @TDA_SY https://www.brookings.edu/blog/order-from-chaos/2020/06/19/the-caesar-act-and-a-pathway-out-of-conflict-in-syria/

-Important event on the implementation of the Caesar Act, feat. Amb. James Jeffrey, @SoccerMouaz @NaomiKikoler @RepEliotEngel @SenatorRisch @RepMcCaul @SenatorMenendez @omarAlshogre https://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=youtu.be&v=-GmZx_mG6O8&fbclid=IwAR3bv_3dEAsD3FKV1vfn82rcVKc6A3IEv06svvyA3_6M7OO-vZzRGFF_j_I&app=desktop

1– Rapports et Etudes:

– Interesting report to read by Ayman Aldassuky @Hatahet « The Role of Philanthropy in the #Syrian_War: Regime-Sponsored NGOs and Armed Group Charities.

Under Caesar Act law, US has imposed sanctions on Asma Al-Assad (wife of the Syrian president). Are these sanctions will prevent the UN and its agency or subsidiary bodies from dealing with #Syria_Trust for Development which was established by Asma Al-Assad? 83 % of resources are from UNHCR. https://cadmus.eui.eu/bitstream/handle/1814/67370/RSCAS_RPR_2020_09.pdf?sequence=1&isAllowed=y

-Despite lacking a major challenger to its existence, the Syrian regime struggles to counter different insurgencies in the country.  « The #Syrian Regime’s Combat Losses in Spring 2020 & What Lies Ahead » – @MEI_Syria’s @GregoryPWaters found 600+ *reported* pro-#Assad deaths between March-May & suggests a persistent but slow attrition is likely through Summer in #Idlib, #Deraa & Badiya.  https://mei.edu/publications/syrian-regimes-combat-losses-spring-2020-and-what-lies-ahead

2-Idlib:

-Idlib opens first hospital to fight COVID-19 #Syria https://wp.me/p7cv3Y-fCx via @enabbaladi https://english.enabbaladi.net/archives/2020/06/idlib-opens-first-hospital-to-fight-covid-19/

– « Pour nous, la Livre syrienne est morte et enterrée », raconte Farid. La livre turque en passe de remplacer la monnaie locale dans les zones de l’opposition #Syrie #Syrianpound #Aleppo #Idlib https://lorientlejour.com/article/1221926 via @LorientLeJour

-A fascinating historical take on the recent adoption of Turkish currency in Syria. Turkish currency returns to Syria for the 1st time in a century. Fascinating micro-history in this piece about that post-Ottoman period, by Sami Moubayed @smoubayed  “As Turkish Currency Returns, Syria Relives a Tumultuous History” https://cgpolicy.org/articles/as-turkish-currency-returns-syria-relives-a-tumultuous-history/

– In Azaz, The Turkish Lira in North Aleppo Countryside. Which transactions are done in which currency? What prevents wholesale use of Turkish lira? What do people think of Caesar law in the U.S.?  http://www.aymennjawad.org/2020/06/the-turkish-lira-in-north-aleppo-countryside

 -In rebel #Syria, some welcome sanctions but fear for economy. https://nationalpost.com/pmn/news-pmn/politics-news-pmn/in-rebel-syria-some-welcome-sanctions-but-fear-for-economy/wcm/976d0054-03da-440b-9e42-76d1bfcbd89e/

 3-Soueida:

– It’s remarkable that after all the protesters and perceived opponents whom Assad’s government has shot, tortured, and executed Syrians are again taking to the streets to protest corruption and economic mismanagement by Assad and his entourage. https://www.theguardian.com/world/2020/jun/12/syrian-protesters-call-for-assads-downfall-as-economic-crisis-deepens?CMP=share_btn_link

–#Sweida Protests: The Start of a New #Syrian #Revolution? by Mazen Ezzi: https://blogs.eui.eu/medirections/sweida-protests-start-new-syrian-revolution/

—#Syria n Druze call for the end of the #Assad regime https://www.jpost.com/middle-east/syrian-druze-call-for-the-end-of-the-assad-regime-631488

– #Assad regime hides statue behind police station to protect it from protestors – @MiddleEastMnt

https://middleeastmonitor.com/20200612-assad-regime-hides-statue-behind-police-station-to-protect-it-from-protestors/

4-Coronavirus and Syria:  

– @reemsalahi ‘s piece on Syrians’ community philanthropy efforts during COVID in regime held areas, including Dar’a & Sweida. https://www.mei.edu/publications/syrians-respond-covid-19-renewed-volunteer-and-community-efforts

5- Aide humanitaire et Regime:

-UN food program chief warns of looming famine in Syria.

I don’t have a single friend in Syria who has not altered their diet in recent weeks due to the rise in prices. Many are going hungry, esp in Idlib & northern Aleppo, where there’s no subsidized bread.  https://www.thenational.ae/uae/stark-warning-of-dangers-of-syrian-famine-from-un-food-programme-chief-1.1032650

6- Refugees:

-Les réfugiés #syrie ns profondément affectés par le ralentissement économique dû à la pandémie de Covid-19  https://www.unhcr.org/fr-fr/news/briefing/2020/6/5ee8a72fa/refugies-syriens-profondement-affectes-ralentissement-economique-da-pandemie.html

– On World Refugee Day, let’s remember Syria’s revolutionary refugees   « We forget that many refugees are revolutionaries who once dreamt of self-determination. » | A much-needed article by the incredible @noorghazalaswad challenging the narrative on the ‘apolitical figure’ when speaking of Syrian refugees: https://english.alaraby.co.uk/english/Comment/2020/6/18/On-World-Refugee-Day-lets-remember-our-revolutionary-refugees…

-Karam Foundation, “A Shared Humanity: From Our Home To Yours” for World refugee day https://www.facebook.com/watch/live/?v=750676362346644

7-Economie et loi César:

-New in-depth research on Syria’s economic meltdown, the intensifying corruption & the regime’s attempts to channel whatever resources it has left to perceived loyalists. I also include policy recommendations focusing on U.S. sanctions. The brief is based on dozens of interviews w/ Syrians across all of Syria’s governorates, while focusing on regime areas. Among the interviewees: state employees, current & retired regime fighters, insurgents, former political prisoners, activists, NGO workers, US officials.   The report highlights how regime imposed laws & quotas that have severely affected prices & availability of products. It explains how favoritism, rampant corruption & smuggling has excacerbated food shortages. But most importantly, the report outlines clear policy recommendations.  https://cgpolicy.org/briefs/syrias-economic-meltdown/

-Two visions: So powerful are Washington’s new sanctions on #Syria that even some opponents of #Assad are unsure about them. @aljumhuriya_eng‘s own Syrian reporters have a range of views, two of which are presented head-to-head in this article https://aljumhuriya.net/en/content/two-views-caesar… #CaesarAct

– US ‘Caesar Act’ sanctions could devastate #Syria’s flatlining economy https://www.theguardian.com/world/2020/jun/12/us-caesar-act-sanctions-and-could-devastate-syrias-flatlining-economy

 – Loi César. Les dilemmes des sanctions contre la #Syrie  https://orientxxi.info/magazine/loi-cesar-les-dilemmes-des-sanctions-contre-la-syrie,3961

-US hits #Syria‘s elite with new economic and travel sanctions, including several construction companies involved in mega projects on land expropriated from Syrians displaced by the conflict https://apnews.com/83bb1963f86493dda0d0b3aac6cb9368

–Caesar Act: Shield Syria’s suffering civilians from sanctions Failing to bring the Assad regime to the table, the US should, at least, ensure aid continues to reach ordinary citizens https://www.thenational.ae/opinion/comment/caesar-act-shield-syria-s-suffering-civilians-from-sanctions-1.1034854

– #Damascus exploits #CaesarAct to offset blame for growing economic crisis in #Syria -Some good details here, by @will_christou & @Ammar_Hamou https://syriadirect.org/news/damascus-exploits-caesar-act-to-offset-blame-for-growing-economic-crisis/?preview=1

8- Le régime et la société :

– The Caesar Act Comes Into Force (Part 1): Increasing the #Assad Regime’s Isolation #Syria https://www.washingtoninstitute.org/policy-analysis/view/the-caesar-act-comes-into-force-part-1-increasing-the-assad-regimes-isolati#utm_term

– Arman Hotel and Tourism Management, which is linked to the Katerji brothers (Aleppo MP and leading businessman involved in oil sector), landed a B-O-T contract for a luxury development along the Tartous seaside http://www.levantnetworks.com/2020/06/04/syrian-businessmen-accused-of-oil-smuggling-linked-to-luxury-tourist-project/

-Regime’s destruction of agricultural lands as a tactic of cementing displacement. #Syria  https://medium.com/@SACD/regimes-destruction-of-agricultural-lands-as-a-tactic-of-cementing-displacement-6b46c53f3e3d

– Assad under pressure as economic crisis spirals https://www.bbc.com/news/world-middle-east-53020105

-In Damascus  https://www.bbc.co.uk/sounds/play/m000k2ts

-Syrie : enquête sur l’aéroport de Damas, lieu des répressions et des trafics du clan Assad https://lejdd.fr/International/Moyen-Orient/syrie-enquete-sur-laeroport-de-damas-lieu-des-repressions-et-des-trafics-du-clan-assad-3974904?Echobox=1592467802#utm_medium=Social&xtor=CS1-4&utm_source=Twitter

-Deraa: –@MEI_Syria scholar @Syrianzo spoke to @BowenBBC about resurging levels of violence in southern #Syria: https://bbc.co.uk/sounds/play/m000k2ts

-L’enfant qui ne savait pas ce qu’était un oiseau. #Syrie

https://syrie.news/2020/06/16/lenfant-ne-savait-quetait-oiseau/… via @syrie24h

– East Ghouta: -Ghouta has never been liberated.

‘Many young men, myself included, left for the north to avoid compulsory military service; we refused to kill innocent people or to do to others what we had experienced ourselves, to be part of this army led by a criminal’ http://www.radiofreesyria.com/has-assad-really-liberated-east-ghouta-ahmad-dimashqi

-Les kurdes de Syrie: Turkey mum as Syrian Kurds make ‘historical step’ in unity talks, by @amberinzaman https://www.al-monitor.com/pulse/originals/2020/06/syria-kurdish-groups-unity-turkey-erdogan-kobane-trump.html

9-Le clan Assad:

– If one good thing came out of the Assad-Makhlouf rift in Syria, it is all this striking sub-history we’ve been reading about. This is a good example, from the well-placed @aabnour. « No matter how the assets are split, however, it’s a lose-lose situation. » https://www.mei.edu/publications/assad-makhlouf-spat-complicated-family-affair

-Report: Assad’s brother rejects Russia orders to remove checkpoints – Middle East Monitor https://www.middleeastmonitor.com/20200615-report-assads-brother-rejects-russia-orders-to-remove-checkpoints/

–#Syria’s dictator crushed an uprising—but the ground may be crumbling beneath his feet. The War Has Arrived Inside the #Assad Family. https://foreignpolicy.com/2020/06/15/rami-makhlouf-bashar-war-has-arrived-inside-the-assad-family/

-Washington s’attaque à «l’une des plus célèbres profiteuses de la guerre» #Syrie https://www.20min.ch/fr/story/des-sanctions-contre-l-une-des-plus-celebres-profiteuse-de-la-guerre-896109992761

10-Armes chimiques:

– Scoop: Syria’s Scientific Studies and Research Center,an agency the

@USTreasury says builds chemical weapons for the regime of Bashar Assad, made attempts last year to obtain illegal weapons of mass destruction technology in Germany  @Jerusalem_Post https://www.jpost.com/middle-east/syrian-chemical-weapons-agency-sought-illicit-wmd-tech-in-germany-631980

11-US:  

-U.S. to impose sanctions aimed at blocking Syria military victory http://news.yahoo.com/u-impose-sanctions-aimed-blocking-175245354.html?soc_src=community&soc_trk=tw… via @YahooNews

12-Interview:

– @ActionForSama about how #COVID19 shed light on the fractures born out of a failure to address rights violations in #Syria, @hrw‘s approach to these issues & how @forsamafilm combats apathy towards the suffering of Syrians.

https://actionforsama.com/afs-news/human-rights-watch-sara-kayyali

13- Les nouvelles consciences de la société syrienne :

-« I ask each person to search their own life, community, neighborhood, and find a mission or cause that they can contribute to, roll their sleeves up, and get to work. » Read the interview between our founder Lina @AmalHananoand @InSightCollabo2 https://www.in-sightcollaborative.org/post/lina-sergie-attar-ceo-founder-karam-foundation

  -Abdelbasset Al-Sarout: chronique d’une révolution trahie..#Syrie @ziadmajed

http://vendredis-arabes.blogspot.com/2020/06/abdelbasset-al-sarout-chronique-dune.html

-Refugee who moved to Bromsgrove from #Syria supports the vulnerable https://www.bromsgroveadvertiser.co.uk/news/18520017.refugee-moved-bromsgrove-syria-supports-vulnerable/?ref=twtrec

-Souad Nofal Face au Régime à #Raqqa #Syrie https://femmesdemoc.wordpress.com/2020/06/16/souad-nofal-face-au-regime-a-raqqa/… via @wordpressdotcom

–100 Faces of the Revolution The faces behind the numbers. A group of excellent activists from around the world have come together to work on this. 100 stories behind the revolution.

Muzna Aljundi, born 1984, is the manager of Women Now for Development in Idlib, a civil society organisation aiming to empower women in the northwest of Syria. An engineer specialised in the field of biotechnology, Muzna hails from Maarat Al Numan. https://100facesofthesyrianrevolution.wordpress.com/2020/06/02/munza-al-jundi/

14- Justice:

-« « Biens mal acquis » : Rifaat al-Assad, oncle du président #syrie n, condamné en France notamment pour blanchiment | Transparency International France https://transparency-france.org/actu/biens-mal-acquis-rifaat-al-assad-oncle-du-president-syrien-condamne-en-france-notamment-pour-blanchiment/#.XurdlqAX48Z.twitter… via  @TI_France

-En Allemagne, sept survivant·e·s de violences sexuelles subies dans les geôles du régime syrien portent plainte contre de hauts responsables de Renseignements de l’Armée de l’Air, accusés de #CrimesAgainstHumanity : https://ecchr.eu/en/case/survivors-sexual-violence-by-syrian-intelligence-services-are-crimes-against-humanity/… #SGBV #Syria  @ECCHRBerlin

-Episode 8 of #Branch251, more on the testimonies, mean for the trial & the wider topic of sexual violence. So much to learn. So much to do..  https://branch-251.captivate.fm/

-La justice c’est beau. @laralou_otte  long et important article. Le procès d’Anwar Raslan c’est le début de la fin de l’impunité en Syrie et c’est capital. Les Syriens qui ont courageusement témoigné et suivi ce procès. https://www.lignes-de-cretes.org/a-la-recherche-de-notre-humanite-perdue/?fbclid=IwAR1TgRiVNX9yh7UpgrA0CkW190AeeGGmnV4Ex97V7nfSPdfuqclD2kF4jCQ

– Badael, as part of the @Road2JusticeSY coalition, supports the 7 survivors of #SGBC in their submission of complaint, accusing the Syrian regime of crimes against humanity. Full statement in English – https://medium.com/@syriaroad2justice/the-syrian-road-to-justice-statement-f8da114ef1ba… #myroadmyjustice #justice4Syria #EndSGBV

-Isopropanol case: today the Antwerp Appeal court convicted three Flemish companies and two directors for exporting chemicals to Syria without an export license. @knack revealed the case two years ago, in collaboration with @syrian_archive and @bellingcat https://www.bellingcat.com/news/mena/2018/04/18/belgium-illegally-shipped-96-tonnes-sarin-precursor-syria/

15-Patrimoine:

– Special Report: Current Status of the syrians museums #Syria Cheikhmous Ali @apsa2011syria https://www.academia.edu/43229429/Special_Report_Current_Status_of_the_syrians_museums

-Report documents severe damage to #Syria n heritage and museums @AJENews https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2020/06/report-documents-severe-damage-syrian-heritage-museums-200608082049725.html

16-Analyse :

-Les Alaouites en #Syrie, une minorité au pouvoir  https://orientxxi.info/va-comprendre/les-alaouites-en-syrie-une-minorite-au-pouvoir,3948

–@samdagher : Bashar al-Assad is the weakest he has ever been in the past 20 years. He is only able to hang on because his principal patrons, #Iran and #Russia, want him there. https://www.washingtoninstitute.org/policy-analysis/view/is-regime-collapse-on-syrias-horizon-evaluating-assads-grip-on-power

17-Livre:

-« Why did the #Brotherhood fail to live up to expectations, and how much can its history tell us about its role in the 2011 Syrian uprising? » –  @MEI_Syria scholar @daraconduit talks to @jadaliyya about her book on #Syria‘s Muslim Brotherhood: https://jadaliyya.com/Details/41221/Dara-Conduit,-The-Muslim-Brotherhood-in-Syria-New-Texts-Out-Now

  18-Photographie:

–Votez pour Mouneb Taim, photojournalistique, la présélection du prix Levallois 2020.. https://prix-levallois.com/fr/concours/prix-levallois-2020/preselect/261

https://www.exibartstreet.com/mouneb-taim/

19-Arts :

-Exhibition by #Syria n painter, Oroubah Dieb , in France to open on World Refugee Day.   https://www.arabnews.com/node/1691311/art-culture#.XuuNQrRdDaN.twitter

Oroubah Dieb, expo, #Paris #Syrie @WorldRefugeeDay

https://www.facebook.com/story.php?story_fbid=703189626913483&id=222241945008256&__tn__=*s*s-R

20-Les Syriens:

–#Syria n refugee attending University of Iowa hears echoes in U.S. turmoil Monzer Shakally: Tear gas, threats, violence evoke deja vu https://thegazette.com/subject/news/government/syrian-refugee-university-of-iowa-student-monzer-shakally-george-floyd-protests-20200608

-A beautiful Syrian story that ends well #Syria #Germany https://www.reuters.com/article/us-refugee-day-germany-syria-feature/from-damascus-to-berlin-a-reuters-journalists-quest-for-family-reunion-idUSKBN23P1WJ

21- La Syrie en virtuelle, Global Syria :

–Film Unbroken Paradise, Ramman Ismail, a refugee of the #Syria n Civil War flees to France, hoping to reconstruct his life after the war and become a professional architect in his new home. http://juandavid.org

-Samedi 27 juin, 20h  #Syria n musicians Maya Youssef (qanun) and Ayman Jarjour (classical guitar) play a fundraising concert 27 June to aid refugees in the UK https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/fundraiser-concert-for-sevenoaks-welcomes-refugees-tickets-106240494178?aff=eand

– Zero Impunity. Le film fait partie d’un projet transmédia global combinant journalisme d’investigation et activisme, visant à mettre fin à l’impunité apparemment totale des violences sexuelles dans les conflits armés actuels #Syrie https://annecy.org/programme/fiche:film-20193152… https://online.annecy.org/product/zero-impunity