Stories about Syria from July, 2012
Guinea: The Plight of Guineans Students in Syria
Kante Taliby writes on Guinée News about the plight of Guinean students in Syria [fr] : “I am a Guinean student on scholarship in Syria and I am married with...
Jordan: Thousands of Syrians Seek Refuge
The situation in Syria has led hundreds of thousands of Syrians to flee the country to neighbouring Jordan. A Jordanian government source has said that officials are preparing for the possible arrival of up to one million Syrians.
Syria: Weapons and Combat Tutorials Online
Syrian rebels turn to a YouTube channel called 'Free Syrian Army Help' for training. The channel has 80 videos explaining tactics like hand-to-hand combat, how-to-make flame-throwers, and ambushing an enemy.
Syria: Refuge in Armenia
With the situation in Syria deteriorating rapidly, Cilicia comments on the plight of the country's 100,000 strong ethnic Armenian population. The blog says that many are already applying for Armenian...
MENA: Welcoming Ramadan
Ramadan, the ninth month in the Islamic calendar has just begun. It is a time when Muslims fast from sunrise to sunset, try to get closer to God and celebrate their blessings. Around the world, Muslims have been trying to capture the spirit of the month with photographs, sharing them on different social media websites.
Syria: Videos Document a Sharply Escalating Conflict
News from Syria set social media ablaze. Videos uploaded by activists on YouTube allowed viewers to follow key stages of a sharply escalating conflict.
Video: Internet Society Discusses International Freedom of Speech and Censorship
Will the technologies of anonymization win out over new digital monitoring tools? And will new wireless data technologies foster democracy–or lead to more effective tracking and surveillance? A panel discussion in Washington, DC on 25 June, 2012 with 6 activists from Syria, India, Burkina Faso, Cambodia, Venezuela and Azerbaijan aimed to answer these questions.
Iran: “If Bashar Gets Killed, the Iranian Regime Will Call Him a Martyr”
Iranian bloggers reacted with humour to the Syrian rebels attack in Damascus and the bomb blast that killed three top security chiefs in the Syrian President Bashar Al Assad's regime. Iran and Syria enjoy excellent relations and netizens have resorted to poking fun at how impacted the Iranian regime would be should Al Assad finds himself out of power, following the 16 month revolution raging in Syria.
Lebanon: Mixed Feelings Following Syria's Bombing
Today's Damascus blast cost the life of Syria's deputy Defense Minister Assef Shawkat and other top officials of president Bashar Al Assad's inner circle. As usual, the blast had its direct repercussions on Lebanon. Lebanese netizens take to their keyboards to share their thoughts.
Egypt: Egyptians Give Advice to Syrians
Egyptians are dishing out advice to Syrians - on Twitter. Under a dedicated hash tag, the advice ranges from "do not take photographs with tanks" to "take advice from someone else." The move follows news from Damascus this afternoon that three of Syrian president's inner circle have been killed in a bomb blast in Damascus. They include the Defense Minister, whose successor has since been named.
Syria: Live Blogging from Midan
Syrian blogger Razan Ghazzawi was live blogging from the Midan neighbourhood in Damascus. Here's her take.
Syria: Netizens Say Countdown for Bashar Begins
Twitter is abuzz with news of the beginning of the end of the Assad regime, following a bomb explosion in Damascus in which three senior members of president Bashar Al Assad's inner circle were killed.
Syria/Turkey: Syrian Refugees Protest Water Shortages at Kilis Camp
Syrian refugees at the Kilis Refugee camp, on the Syrian-Turkish border, protested against water shortages. Four policemen and 10 refugees are reportedly injured.
Arab World: Detect Dialect Search Tool for Twitter
On Twitter, @Detect_Dialect is pushing for Detect Dialect – a dialect-specific search tool for Arabic content on Twitter. In addition to Classic Arabic, Arabs speak their local dialects, which sometimes...
Lebanon: Fresh Attention For Lebanon's Missing and Abducted People
Recent kidnappings carried out since the outbreak of the Syrian revolution have made abduction a constant threat once again and drawn new attention to the issue of Lebanon's missing people.
Syria: Mapping Rape Allegations
Women Under Siege charts “Syria's use of rape to terrorise its people.” Check out its crowdsourced map here.
Syria: Palestinians and the Syrian Revolution
Palestine has been the single most influential player on Syria's political history since independence. Playing host to more than 500,000 Palestinian refugees who have almost exactly the same rights and privileges as Syrian citizens, Syria has both influenced and been influenced by their cause and their plight. Where do Palestinians stand from the Syrian revolution? Yazan Badran takes a look at what Palestinian netizens have to say.
Mauritania: Anger at Foreign Minister's Support for Assad
In his speech at the Friends of Syria conference on July 6, the Mauritanian foreign minister Hamadi Ould Hamadi described what was happening in Syria as "violence and counterviolence". This comment was considered to be an expression of support for Bashar Al Assad's regime, and angered activists.
Syria: Traymseh Massacre Evokes Rage and Sorrow
Last year, on the eve of the holy month of Ramadan, Syrian forces loyal to the regime of Bashar al-Assad, killed around 45 civilians in the central town of Hama. This year, the bloodshed is in a village in the vicinity of Hama, Traymseh, but the death toll is believed to be several times higher.
Syria: Bloggers and Activists Rally to #FreeHussein
Syria's bloggers rallied again to campaign for yet another of their own in Syria's detention centers. After the #FreeBassel campaign about blogger and open source developer Bassel Safadi, bloggers and activists launched the #FreeHussein campaign to highlight the plight of blogger Hussein Ghrer.
Syria: Defection of General Manaf Tlas A Blow to Assad
The news of Brigadier General Manaf Mustapha Tlas' defection causes a vocal reaction from supporters and the opposition in Syria's streets and on Facebook. Rami al-Hamis summarises the response for us
