Syria Watch

Syrian Network for Human Rights: 781 Civilians Killed in January 2017
I. Introduction
The report includes only the death toll of civilians that were killed by the main six influential parties in Syria:
• Syrian regime forces (Army, Security, local militias, Shiite foreign militias)
• Russian forces
• Self-management forces (consisting primarily of the Democratic Union Party forces, a branch for the Kurdistan Workers’ Party)
• Extremist Islamic groups
• Armed opposition factions
• International coalition forces
• Other parties

The Day After: Local Truces and Forced Demographic Change in Syria

Local Truces and Forced Demographic Change in Syria 

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE        

February 2, 2017

Contact:  Razan Saffour

Email:     rsaffour@tda-sy.org

Phone:    +90 (552) 216 35 82

 تجدون أدناه البيان في اللغة العربية 

TDA released the first-ever survey of Syrians’ views on local truces – offering lessons for how future truces can avoid past mistakes.

“As world powers fill the airways with opinions about what is best for Syria, we thought it important to find out what Syrians themselves think,” said TDA Executive Director Mutasem Alsyoufi. “In our new survey, Syrians from the regions where local truces have been attempted thus far identify significant flaws with these agreements that any nationwide peace proposal will have to avoid in order to succeed.”

TDA surveyed 1,261 Syrians March 1 – April 19, 2016, to solicit their views on local truces between the regime and residents. Of those surveyed, 1,031 were located in areas where truces have been agreed in Rif Damascus (Barzeh, al-Qaboun, Babibla, Yalda, Bait Sahem, al-Tal and Madaya) and in Homs (al-Wa’er).  Two hundred and two respondents were former residents of these areas, but forced to leave due to truce terms, and are now residing in the northern suburbs of Homs or Hama.

Among the most important findings of the survey is that most Syrians view the local truces as savage war tactics which force civilians to succumb in the face of starvation and siege, as opposed to viewing them as sustainable peace efforts. “Given the one-sided nature of these truces, respondents do not believe they will lead to real peace – offering a cautionary tale to policymakers seeking to craft a nationwide agreement,” Alsyoufi said. Further findings from the survey support this view in alluding to the regime’s main objective of establishing a ‘useful Syria’, whilst pushing all armed and non-armed opponents to the northern countryside in which they remain exposed to the attacks by both regime and ISIS.

Read the full report here.

الهدن المحلية والتغيير الديمغرافي القسري في سوريا

 

 نشرت منظمة اليوم التالي دراسة هي الأولى من نوعها، حول آراء السوريين بالهدن المحلية، تقدم صورة موسعة وتوصيات حول كيفية تجنب الهدن المستقبلية لأخطاء الهدن السابقة.

 

“في الوقت الذي ينشغل الرأي العام بطروحات القوى الدولية حول ما تراه مناسباً لمستقبل سوريا، وجدنا أنه من المهم استكشاف آراء السوريين بمصيرهم ومستقبلهم” كما يقول المدير التنفيذي لمنظمة اليوم التالي معتصم السيوفي، “بحسب نتائج هذه الدراسة، أشار غالبية المستطلعين من أبناء المناطق التي طبقت فيها تجارب الهدن المحلية إلى عيوب خطيرة شابت تلك الاتفاقات، وإننا نعتقد أن هذه العيوب ستعرقل وتفشل أي اتفاق سلام وطني شامل في حال لم تعالج ويتم تلافيها مستقبلاً”.

 

شملت دراسة اليوم التالي 1261 سوريا تمت مقابلتهم، بتاريخ الأول من آذار وحتى 19 نيسان 2016، لاستطلاع آرائهم حول الهدن المحلية بين النظام والسكان، توزعوا على عينتين رئيسيتين اثنتين، الأولى (1031 شخص) تم استبيان آرائهم في مناطق الهدن في دمشق (برزة – القابون – ببيلا – يلدا – بيت سحم – التل – مضايا)، وفي حمص (حي الوعر)، فيما تضمنت العينة الثانية (202 شخص) من المبعدين عن مدنهم وبلداتهم إثر اتفاق هدنة (المقاتلين – أفراد عائلة مقاتل –مدنيين)، تم إجراء المقابلات معهم في مكان إقامتهم الحالي في ريف حمص الشمالي (بعد تهجيرهم من مناطق أخرى منها حمص وحماة).

 

من بين أهم نتائج الدراسة، أن معظم السوريين ينظرون إلى الهدن المحلية على أنها تكتيكات حرب وحشية تجبر المدنيين على الاستسلام في مواجهة الجوع والحصار، بدلا من النظر إليها على أنها جهود مستدامة للسلام!، “نظرا للطبيعة أحادية الجانب لهذه الهدن، لا يعتقد المشاركون في الدراسة أن تلك الهدن ستؤدي لسلام حقيقي” يضيف السيوفي، كما أن نتائج أخرى من الدراسة تدعم هذا الرأي في إشارة إلى الهدف الرئيسي للنظام من إنشاء (سوريا المفيدة)، في حين يتم الدفع بكل المعارضة المسلحة وغير المسلحة إلى شمال سوريا في ريف إدلب، حيث سيبقون عرضة لهجمات النظام السوري وداعش.

 

The Day After (TDA) is a Syrian civil society organisation working towards democratic transition in Syria, and focuses on work in the following sectors: rule of law, transitional justice, security sector reform, constitutional design, electoral system design, and post-conflict social and economic reconstruction.

Syria Deeply: Weekly Update: Renewed Cease-Fire Agreement Amid Rebel Fighting

WEEKLY UPDATE
January 27, 2017
Dear Readers,Welcome to the weekly Syria Deeply newsletter. We’ve rounded up the most important stories and developments about Syria and the Syrians in order to bring you valuable news and analysis. But first, here is a brief overview of what happened this week:Delegates from the Syrian government and the opposition met in the Kazakh capital of Astana on Monday for peace talks organized by Russia and Turkey. After less than two days of negotiations, Russia, Turkey and Iran announced that they had reached an agreement to enforce the nationwide cease-fire in Syria that has somewhat been in place since the fall of eastern Aleppo last month.The statement given on the Astana agreement gave little indication of how the cease-fire would be maintained and monitored. It called on opposition groups to distance themselves from the so-called Islamic State and the former al-Qaida affiliate, but did not specify what measures would be taken to ensure this.Following the Astana talks, Russia said it presented the opposition with a new draft of the Syrian constitution, which rebel groups later said they rejected. The talks were expected to be a precursor to United Nations-backed negotiations in Geneva early next month for a political settlement. However, on Friday, Russian foreign minister Sergei Lavrov said that the Geneva talks would be postponed.As the rebel delegation engaged in negotiations this week, armed opposition groups on the ground clashed with the former al-Qaida affiliate Jabhat Fatah al-Sham (JFS). On Wednesday, JFS accused rebels – some of whom were attending peace talks in Astana – of conspiring against it and attacked their positions in the western Aleppo countryside and in Idlib. After the initial attack, five rebel factions in northern Syria joined forces with major faction Ahrar al-Sham to fight against JFS.

After Astana, Many Obstacles Remain to Maintain the Cease-Fire in Syria

Russia, Turkey and Iran agreed to enforce a nationwide truce in Syria, in the hopes of paving the way for a future political solution to the crisis, but both the Syrian government and opposition have their doubts about the truce.
Chief opposition negotiator Mohammed Alloush (center) of the Jaish al-Islam (Army of Islam) rebel group attends the first session of Syria peace talks at Astana’s Rixos President Hotel on Jan. 23, 2017. AFP/Kirill KUDRYAVTSEV

The Flawed Aftermath of a Damascus Suburb Truce

In the Damascus suburbs, local truces are becoming more common and usually follow long periods of siege and fighting. Though the truce rarely restores normalcy, residents are forced to accept the situation to avoid renewed fighting.
A picture released by the official Syrian Arab News Agency (SANA) on January 25, 2014, shows Syrians who had fled their homes due to fighting returning to their houses in the Barzeh neighbourhood of the capital Damascus. AFP/HO/SANA

Analysis: Why Jabhat Fatah al-Sham Is Lashing Out at Syrian Rebels

The former al-Qaida affiliate in Syria said it has struck out at a “conspiracy” to undermine the group, but analysts say infighting among factions will further undermine Syrian opposition, writes Middle East reporter Alex MacDonald.
Rebel fighters from Jaish al-Fatah sit in the back of a truck as they take part in a major assault on Syrian government forces west of Aleppo city on October 28, 2016. AFP/Omar haj kadour
Top image: A Syrian boy runs while carrying bread following a reported airstrike by government forces in the Syrian town of Binnish, on the outskirts of Idlib, on January 12, 2017. AFP/Omar haj kadour

United Nations News Centre: Syria: UN chief Guterres clarifies tasks of panel laying groundwork for possible war crimes probe

A damaged building in Aleppo City, Syria. Photo: OCHA/Gemma Connell (file)

26 January 2017 – Following the approval late last year of an independent panel to assist in the investigation and prosecution of those responsible for war crimes or crimes against humanity in Syria, the United Nations today announced that the mechanism will be headed by a senior judge or prosecutor with extensive criminal investigations and prosecutions experience.

According to a note from a UN spokesperson, the mechanism will be established in phases until it is fully functioning and the Secretary-General will announce the person leading it by the end of February.

The head of the mechanism, which is formally called the ‘International, Impartial and Independent Mechanism to assist in the Investigation and Prosecution of those Responsible for the Most Serious Crimes under International Law committed in the Syrian Arab Republic since March 2011,’ will be assisted by a deputy and a secretariat.

The two primary tasks assigned to the mechanism include:

  • Collecting, consolidating, preserving and analyzing evidence of violations of international humanitarian law and human rights violations and abuses; and
  • Preparing files in order to facilitate and expedite fair and independent criminal proceedings, in accordance with international law standards, in national, regional or international courts or tribunals that have or may in the future have jurisdiction over these crimes, in accordance with international law.

In discharging its responsibilities, the mechanism will closely cooperate and coordinate with the Independent International Commission of Inquiry on Syria (Syria CoI) and the two panels will be complementary to each other.

“However, there is a clear distinction between the Syria CoI and the mechanism in terms of functions. The Syria CoI focuses on information collection, publicly reporting and making recommendations notably to Member States,” explained the spokesperson.

The mechanism will build on the information collected by others, by collecting, consolidating, preserving and analysing evidence and information. It will also prepare files to assist in the investigation and prosecution of those responsible for the most serious crimes under international law.

The resolution approving the mechanism was adopted by the General Assembly – the universal body comprising all 193 UN Members States – on 21 December by a recorded vote of 105 in favour and 15 against, with 52 abstentions.

See also: Syria: UN approves mechanism to lay groundwork for investigations into possible war crimes

INSCT: Teaching About Syria: David M. Crane Presents to NYSCSS

Teaching About Syria: David M. Crane Presents to NYSCSS

On Jan. 10, 2017, INSCT Faculty Member David M. Crane joined Andrew Beiter, Education Director, iamsyria.org, at a webinar presented by the New York State Council for the Social Studies (NYSCSS). NYSCSS is a statewide professional organization of school social studies educators.

During the webinar, Crane and Beiter discussed the humanitarian crisis in Syria, the rise of ISIS, and the current situation on the ground, as well as how teachers can approach this topic with students and how students can take action.

Thanks to NYSCSS, this webinar has been released as a video presentation using Adobe Connect. Click here to watch.

Co-founded by Crane, iamsyria.org is a public outreach effort to raise awareness of the humanitarian crisis in Syria, especially aimed at schools. It offers zero-prep, Common Core-friendly lesson plans; educational background articles; ground-truth facts about the civil war; and information on how to take action.

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