SYRIA DEEPLY – Weekly Update – July 23, 2016

July 25, 2016

The Basics · The Government · ISIS · The Opposition · Global Players

WEEKLY UPDATE

July 23, 2016

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:

Northern Syria was the site of some of of the country’s most violent battlefields this week, and cities under siege saw an increase pro-government forces advances as civilians and opposition forces in the area came under heavy aerial bombardment.

The opposition-held eastern part of Aleppo, Syria’s largest city, officially came under siege over the weekend. The only supply route into the eastern areas of the city, Castello Road, came under regime fire on July 7, but forces loyal to Syrian President Bashar al-Assad, backed by Russian air power, seized the actual road over the weekend.

Food and fuel supplies are running critically low and besieged areas have not received any aid since the beginning of this month, according to the U.N.’s Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA).

The latest Syrian government advance on Aleppo and subsequent retaliation from several opposition forces over the last three months have killed at least 955 civilians, including 219 children, and injured some 6,000 others, according to the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights.

“The situation is devastating and overwhelming. We hear that dozens of civilians are being killed every day and scores more injured from shells, mortars and rockets. The bombing is constant. The violence is threatening hundreds of thousands of people’s lives, homes and livelihoods,” Marianne Gassers, head of the delegation for the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC), said in a statement.

In northern Aleppo province, along the Turkish border, the U.S-backed Syrian Democratic Forces pushed forward in their ground offensive against ISIS militants in the city of Manbij. The SDF has been fighting to push ISIS out of Manbij since May but this week saw a notable advancement in the operation. On Tuesday, the SDF was able to seize an ISIS headquarters in the town that had been set up in a hospital. By the end of the week, the SDF issued a 48-hour ultimatum for ISIS fighters to clear the area “in order protect civilian lives and property.”

The U.S. came under fire for its aerial bombardments over Manbij this week. At least 56 civilians, including children, were killed in a U.S.-led coalition airstrike over Manbij on Tuesday. At least 167 civilians have been killed in coalition airstrikes in Manbij since the coalition began its operation against ISIS there in May, according to the Observatory.

Opposition forces south of Manbij, west of the capital Damascus have not had the same successes as those in Manbij. Forces loyal to Assad launched a major offensive this week on the rebel-held and government-besieged city of Darayya.

Last month Darayya received the first aid delivery it has seen in the last four years of siege, but opposition forces said the new government offensive began soon after the humanitarian drop, preventing any additional supplies from reaching the city. Since the start of July, some 700 barrel bombs reportedly hit Darayya.

The week ended with a United Nations call for several, local 48-hour cease-fires across Syria to facilitate humanitarian aid deliveries into besieged and hard-to-reach areas. As of Friday, none of Syria’s many warring factions had agreed to the truce.

Weekly Highlights:

Sowing Hope and Weeding Out Siege Profiteers
As sieges have spread across Syria, people in the besieged areas have discovered a secret weapon that’s difficult to detect and almost impossible to defeat: seeds. In many of Syria’s besieged areas, people are turning to urban gardening to make up for the lack of humanitarian aid and exorbitant cost of black-market food.

Economics Trumps Politics in Syria’s Proxy War
Instead of driving a wedge between regional players, the Syrian conflict’s duration and intractability have forced proxy powers to prioritize cooperation over rivalry for their wider interests, according to Middle East analyst Sharif Nashashibi.

My Days in Damascus Entry 1: Contagious Fear
In her first diary entry for Syria Deeply, Farah, a young woman living in Syria’s capital city, discusses the daily struggles of trying to maintain a normal social and professional life in a country where residents are plagued by fear.

Additional Reading:

For new reporting and analysis every weekday, visit www.newsdeeply.com/syria.
You can reach our team with any comments or suggestions at info@newsdeeply.org.

Top image: A child holds up a picture of a Pokemon character that reads “I am from Syria… Save me!” Revolutionary Forces of Syria Media Office

Turkish Government Arrests Thousands After Failed Coup

July 25, 2016

By Zachary Lucas
Impunity Watch Reporter, Middle East

ANKARA, Turkey — Following a failed military coup, the Turkish government has arrested thousands of officials across all levels of society for suspected involvement. Turkish President, Tayyip Erdogan, stated that reinstating the death sentence was possible for suspected “plotters.”

Military Personnel Detained After Failed Military Coup (Photo Courtesy of CNN)

After the attempted coup was thwarted last Saturday morning, the Turkish government has arrested or detained more than 10,000 military personnel. A portion of those arrested were soldiers directly involved in the failed coup. This has also included 118 generals and admirals.

Along with the military more than 50,000 civil service officials have been arrested, detained, fired, or suspended. Directly following the coup, approximately 3,000 judges and prosecutors were detained or fired. Another 9,000 Ministry of Interior personnel have been suspended. This purge has also reached the education sector with 21,000 teachers having their licenses revoked and 1,500 deans being asked to resign. Multiple broadcasting stations have also had their licenses revoked.

President Erdogan has vowed to punish all responsible for the failed military coup and wouldn’t rule out the death penalty. The death penalty was abolished in 2004 as Turkey made a bid to join the European Union. President Erdogan said if the people wanted the death penalty to return and the Turkish Parliament passed the legislation, then he would uphold the will of the people.

President Erdogan also imposed a three month state of emergency. He said the purpose of the state of emergency was to restore order and capture and punish all involved in the coup. Under the Turkish Constitution, Erdogan would gain the powers to suspend fundamental rights of freedom so long as it doesn’t violate international law. The Turkish government is also going to suspend its participation in the European Convention of Human Rights.

Many within Turkey and around the world have expressed concern with the purge arguing that Erdogan is using the coup as a way to eliminate opposition and consolidate power. A local chef at a restaurant in Istanbul, said Erodgan is setting a trap and will use the coup as a way to gain more power. The United States of America has expressed concern with the expansiveness of the purge particularly against non-military officials. America called on Turkey to preserve the rule of law and democracy. The European Union has stated that if the death penalty were to return, then Turkey would not be allowed to join the European Union.

Erdogan was elected to President in 2014. After winning 52 percent of the vote many argued election fraud. Shortly after the election, Erdogan attempted controversial constitutional amendments to give more powers to the president. Some have argued the purge of the judicial officials after the coup was to replace them with supporters of his constitutional changes.

The attempted coup occurred early last Saturday morning with a faction of the military blocking bridges leading to Istanbul. President Erdogan called on the people to fight off the coup. Later Saturday morning the coup had been defeated with the soldiers involved laying down arms and surrendering. The coup left 300 people dead and more than 1,000 wounded.

Turkey has had multiple military coups it it’s brief history as a country. There were successful military coups occurring in the 1960s, 70s, 80s, and 90s. The political divide within Turkey pits the secular and western military class against an increasingly conservative and popularly elected Islamist political parties in the country such as President Erdogan’s party, Justice and Development Party.

For more information, please see:

BBC — Turkey coup attempt: Erdogan signals death penalty return — 19 July 2016

CNN — Turkey declares three-month state of emergency — 20 July 2016

CBS News — Thousands jailed after failed Turkey coup — 20 July 2016

NBC News — Turkey’s Parliament to Give Erdogan Sweeping New Powers as Crackdown Widens — 21 July 2016

Reuters — Turkey says no return to past repression despite state of emergency — 21 July 2016

Washington Post — Turkey rounds up thousands of suspected participants in coup attempt — 16 July 2016

Violations Documentation Center Ghouta Office Attacked

July 24, 2016

Damascus Ghouta, July 22nd, 2016
A Syrian government jet fighter attacked one of the Violations Documentation Center (VDC) in Syria offices in Damascus Ghouta with two missiles in the afternoon on Saturday, July 22, 2016. According to confirmed evidence, the attack occurred during an attack on civilian areas in Doma city in eastern Ghota. The attack led to considerable material damage and the destruction of the office.
VDC office director, Thaer Hijazi, mentioned that “Doma city and the rest of eastern Ghota cities are under a heavy attack for a week now, where the frequency was noticeably increased during the last week. Yesterday the main city market was attacked resulting in nine deaths, while today the attack started at noon and in the beginning focused on the city outer neighbourhoods but moved to the city centre later.
The total number of attacks today was twelve, resulting in 70 injuries and 4 deaths. In the afternoon, one of the VDC offices was attacked by two missiles launched from Syrian government jet fighters. The attacked building hosts other civil organization offices like the Local Development Office, The Hurras Network, an office for Rising for Freedom, and an office for the Syrian Non-Violence Movement. The attack did not result in any human casualties but considerable material damage and the destruction of the office.”
The VDC strongly condemns this bombing, and it considers it to be in line with the other systematic and continues hostile activities carried out by the Syrian government against the civilians in Ghota area. The VDC ensures the continuity of its independent legal work in documenting the violations against human rights and the International Humanitarian Law in the Ghota and the rest of Syria from all parties to ensure the fulfilment of its main objective of bringing about justice for the victims and hold perpetrators for the war crimes accountable.

8300 Civilians in Immense Danger in Daraya, Syria

July 24, 2016

Daraya, July 21st 2016
Five thousand women and children are in immense danger in the city of Daraya, they are part of the 8,300 civilians left in the city according to the Violations Documentation Centre (VDC). In January 26th 2016 the Syrian government armed forces managed to complete the siege on the city extending by this the systematic deprivation of food, medicine and resources, forced on the city since 2012. Evidence based on direct testimonies, Darya local council, and VDC’s documentation members on the ground, show that the Syrian government uses the siege as a mean to penalize civilians in the areas outside its control.

Daraya is 30 square Kilometre and in 2007 used to be the home for more than 250 thousand people, now 90% of all the buildings and infrastructure in the city has been completely ruined with little over 8000 civilians left in the city. After much pressure from the international community, in June this year, the UN finally managed to enter Daraya for the first time since 2012. With only 14 trucks, half full, containing 480 food parcels, fewer medicine and medical kits, and other materials. To people’s dismay, the Syrian jet-fighters, within less than ten hours, attacked the city with 23 barrel-bombs targeting the wheat fields (Video). This indicate the clear Syrian government direction to enforce the siege any not allowing any relief to enter the city. And regardless of the ceasefire in Syria that took effect on February 27 – as part of a negotiated deal, based on the United Nations Security Council Resolution 2254 in December 2015- between May 12th and May 25th, VDC with Darya local council was able to document 60 missiles, 508 mortar shell launched from the government armed forces on Daraya.

VDC condemns penalizing civilians by the Syrian government and “The use of starvation of the civilian population as a method of warfare” which, in addition to the killing, now puts the lives of more than eight thousand at immense danger and inhuman condition. This is a clear human rights violation and the siege with its systematic deprivation amounts to war crimes.

VDC appeals to all humanitarian and relief organizations, world governments, and the United Nations to pressure the Syrian government in order to implement the United Nations Security Council Resolution 2139 and 2254 to ease the aid delivery to Syrians, insure the respect for international humanitarian law and international human rights, and provide safe passages for civilians in the city.

For further information, please contact VDC. A Hamzah
At email: a.hamzah@vdc-sy.info, Tel: +44 7985794393

Ledesma employees Injured in Confrontation with Police

July 22, 2016

By Cintia Garcia

Impunity Watch Reporter, South America

BUENOS AIRES, Argentina—Clashes ensued on Thursday when Ledesma company employees were injured by tear gas and rubber bullets fired by the Jujuy police and military forces. Wmployees protested outside the Ledesma company compound—the largest sugar mill in Argentina located in the northern providence of Jujuy.

Employees and the local police clash during protest. (Photo Courtesy by Telesur)

Ledesma employees are currently on strike and as union members they voted to protest against the company’s refusal to improve work conditions and to increase their salaries by 43%. They sought the salary increase in order to counter act depreciation caused by inflation. Approximately 250 workers were demonstrating in front of the Ledesma company compound when they were met by the company’s private security. An estimated 200 police officers and border guards were called to the area. Immediately the police riot squad began to fire tear gas and rubber bullets at the employees. The police separated protestors from one another and corralled about 80 employees within company grounds. Employees claim that the police prevented city ambulance from entering the area and treating the injured.

Following the clash images and video of the violence went viral on social media. Union leaders and lawmakers denounced the actions by the local police. Victoria Donda, the chair of the Human Rights Commission of the Lower House of Congress stated in a press release, “The institutional violence is incredible and unacceptable. These who are practicing their constitutional right to protest, shouldn’t have been repressed under any circumstance.” The Center for Legal and Social studies called upon the governor of the region, Gerardo Morales to prevent another situation similar to the repression endured by the employees from occurring. The Ledesma company released a statement in which they attempted to downplay the situation and claimed that the employees illegally trespassed onto their property.

Since the clash, unions and political activists in the region have joined the Ledesma company employees in solidarity and halted traffic on the National highway route 34. The union has announced more protests are to follow. Jujuy has been plagued by similar clashes between governmental forces and its citizens.

For more information, please see:

Politica Argentina—Brutal Repression en Jujuy Contra Una Protesta en Ingenio Ledesma—14 July 2015

Telesur—Policía Argentina Reprime a Trabajadores Azucareros en Jujuy—14 July 2015

Buenos Aires Herald—Force Used Against Workers’ Protest in Jujuy—15 July 2015

Los Andes—Represión Policial: 80 Trabajadores de Ledesma Heridos Durante una Protesta en Jujuy—15 July 2016