Stories from and

Macedonian Activist Ends Hunger Strike for Migrant Rights

On Saturday, June 20, human rights expert and activist Suad Missini ended the hunger strike he started six days prior in protest of inhumane treatment of migrants passing through Macedonia. Mr. Missini issued the following statement [links added]: While the effects of the changes of the Asylum Law are yet to...

Question Time: How Many Jihadists Have Military Backgrounds?

  25 April 2015

Taking the cue from a Der Spiegel report on the mastermind behind the structure of ISIS, Palestinian blogger Iyad El-Baghdadi tweets: After that Spiegel story about the "mastermind" behind ISIS's takeover of Syria – noticed just how many Jihadists have military backgrounds? — Iyad El-Baghdadi (@iyad_elbaghdadi) April 21, 2015 Der...

Are ISIS Fighters in Rakka Infested with Skin Disease Leishmaniasis?

  12 April 2015

News is spreading that ISIS fighters in the Syrian town of Rakka have been hit by a skin condition caused by a parasite known as Leishmaniasis. According to the World Health Organisation, the disease is “caused by the protozoan Leishmania parasites which are transmitted by the bite of infected sandflies.The...

ISIS Burning US Food Aid for Syria

  1 April 2015

Turkish journalist Mete Sohtaoğlu, who is based in Istanbul, reports that ISIS is burning US food aid destined for Syria “because it is not halal” – or Islamically permitted or lawful. He tweets the following photographs to back up his report: #ISIS burned " #US food support to #Syria "...

Photo of Peshmerga Combatant Breastfeeding Her Child Captivates Kurdish Media

  11 December 2014

Kurdish media outlets are abuzz with a photograph of a Peshmerga woman, sitting beside an automatic weapon, breastfeeding her child. The picture has been widely distributed on social networking sites, highlighting the strength of Kurdish women and the resilience of female combatants in the ongoing fight against ISIS. In contrast...

The Difference Between ISIS and Al Nusra Front

  1 December 2014

Satirist Karl Sharro draws a stark comparison between two Al Qaeda offshoots fighting each other in Syria: the notorious ISIS and the Nusra front. He tweets: You get the sense that the main disagreement between ISIS and Nusra is font-based. pic.twitter.com/ETq95PlIqx — Karl Sharro (@KarlreMarks) November 28, 2014 Both terrorist...

Iranians protest in solidarity with Kobane

  7 October 2014

Iranians held several protest rallies in different cities including Tehran,Tabriz and Mehabad to support Kobane‘s people on Tuesday.Fighting continues to rage in the Syria-Turkey border town of Kobane Iran protest in solidarity with #Kobane Photos: @NasimMohammadi_ pic.twitter.com/QHu1k1szxB — Negar Mortazavi (@NegarMortazavi) October 7, 2014

Video: Distributing Food in Yarmouk Camp-Syria

  4 March 2014

FAJER PRESS posted a video of the besieged Yarmouk refugee camp in Damascus while receiving food parcels to feed the 18,000 remaining residents of the camp, who have been forced to eat stray animals to survive amid critical food shortages. The video is dated December 30, 2013.

Pakistan, Stay Out of Syria's Civil War

  25 February 2014

A day after a tiny news items titled, “Saudi Arabia ‘seeking Pakistani arms for Syrian rebels” appeared in Pakistani newspapers, political blogger Ahsan Butt posts a provocative piece warning Pakistan's foreign policymakers against tiptoeing into Syria's affairs. In “This is not our war (Syria Edition)” on the Five Rupees Blog, Ahsan...

e-Booklets for Syrian Activists

  11 February 2014

Syrian activists are now able to access an online archive which lists tactics for resisting tyranny and peaceful ways to revolt. Dawlaty, an NGO whose name translates to My State from Arabic, provides a series of e-booklets which [ar]: محاولة لتقديم بعض الأساليب والتكتيكات التي استخدمها وما زال يستخدمها نشطاء...

Human Rights Video: 2013 Year in Review

  3 February 2014

A video by WITNESS on the Human Rights Channel of YouTube wrapped up some of the most significant protests and human rights abuses of 2013. Dozens of clips shot by citizens worldwide are edited together to show efforts to withstand injustice and oppression, from Sudan to Saudi Arabia, Cambodia to...

The Islamic Caliphate Car Number Plates Come to Syria

  28 December 2013

Zaid Benjamin shares on Twitter a photograph of the first car in Syria with the Islamic Caliphate state registration plates: The first car in #Syria registered under Caliphate State #ISIS pic.twitter.com/HdUsrxtacy — Zaid Benjamin (@zaidbenjamin) December 28, 2013 The number plates are operated by the Islamic State of Syria and...

Jihadists Online: The Dark Side of the Internet

  20 December 2013

Islamist Jihadists are online. Lebanese blogger – and occasional satirist – Karl Sharro tweets: I honestly sometimes can't tell anymore if I'm watching news from Syria or a period drama from early Islamic history. — Karl Sharro (@KarlreMarks) December 16, 2013 Syrian Noor Al Ali replies: @KarlreMarks Have you come...

Syria's Homs: Once a Great City, Now a Winter Wasteland

  11 December 2013

CBS news correspondent Clarissa Ward tweets the photograph, saying: There are no words. Winter in #Homs #Syria – once a great city, now a wasteland pic.twitter.com/TTAiUPWVuk via @abumuqawama @borzou @RamiAlLolah — Clarissa Ward (@clarissaward) December 11, 2013

Five Arab Countries Among Top 10 Corrupt Worldwide

  3 December 2013

Five Arab countries have been named among the top 10 most corrupt countries, according to Transparency International's newly released annual Corruption Perceptions Index. Egyptian Amro Ali reacts: Congrats Syria, Iraq, Libya, Somalia & Sudan – 5 Arab states top most corrupt list http://t.co/7rsD6xErlA Egypt needed a break from rankings —...

Video: Harasta/Syria massive blast captured on camera

  19 November 2013

An unconfirmed video posted by Syria Archives 2013 on November, 17th shows a massive blast in Harasta, a city and northeastern suburb of Damascus, Rif Dimashq, Syria, in a government military building which kills 31 members of Assad regime forces. Booby Trap bomb Placed in Tunnel under the Assad Army...

Overwhelmed by Syrian Refugees, Bulgaria Seeks EU Aid

  23 October 2013

Bulgaria, as the closest EU country to Syria, is seeing more than its fair share of the average 5,000 refugees that are fleeing Syria every day. Unprepared and inexperienced in dealing with this influx of refugees seeking shelter, food and protection, Bulgaria has requested assistance and financial aid from the...