Global Voices » Syria

Syria: Revolution and Calcification

Mohamed ElGohary — Tue, 08 May 2012 05:14:23 +0000

Lebanese blog Beirut Walls has written about [ar] the accusations made against the Syrian revolution in a new light. “Maybe hard water, which is very common in Lebanon, is calcifying the mind. There is no other obvious explanation for the recent trend of inhuman or illogical accusations against the Syrian revolution. Let's try to find a reason that justifies this judgmental and offensive way of thinking.”

Syria: Television “Confession” of Activist Ali Mahmoud Othman

Leila Nachawati Rego — Sat, 28 Apr 2012 17:20:27 +0000

This post is part of our special coverage Syria Protests 2011/12.

On March 28, 2012, video activist Ali Mahmoud Othman, head of the media office of Baba Amr in Homs, was arrested. Fellow activists believe he has been subjected to severe torture since his arrest. On April 25, Syrian state television announced an exclusive interview with Othman.

In the preview that was broadcast by state television Addounia, Ali is seen first inside his cell, and then coming out to talk to interviewer Rafiq Lutif, accompanied by dramatic music and a headline announcing “Stay tuned… Inside Baba Amr” (the area of Homs that has faced an onslaught by regime forces). Recording forced “confessions” of detainees is a very common practice in Syria, as a way to discourage others from joining the opposition.

The video, which can be seen both on Facebook and YouTube, speaks for itself:

Othman, known among his friends as “Al Jed” (the Grandfather), was originally a vegetable vendor and has been documenting unrest in Homs since the beginning of the Syrian uprising. He was instrumental in assisting those covering the conflict from Baba Amr, helping evacuate international journalists from inside the neighborhood. He decided to stay in Baba Amr even after the Syrian army re-captured the neighborhood.

Ali Mahmoud Othman in Baba Amr, Homs. Image source: Baba Amro News

An “online demonstration” in solidarity with Othman has been announced for Saturday April 28 at 9 pm (Syrian time), with the slogan “We are all heroic activist Ali Mahmoud Othman”. According to the Baba Amro News Facebook page:

Syrian media have used Ali and told people to stay tuned for a show that will expose “the secrets of Baba Amr”. We know what Ali looked like and we knew what his weight was, he has clearly been tortured and treated badly. And now he will not be tried in court, no, he will be displayed on TV.

Spanish journalist Mónica G. Prieto tweeted:

@monicagprieto: Patético. A Al Jed, jefe del equipo d periodistas ciudadanos de #BabaAmr, le obligan a ‘confesar' sus crímenes en TV

@monicagprieto: Pathetic. Al Jed, head of the #BabaAmr citizen journalist team, is forced to “confess” his crimes on TV

Some netizens have expressed relief at the news that Othman is alive, as there is still no news of others who have been detained. Free Syrian tweeted:

@HamaEcho: Activists Noura al-Jizawi and Ali Othman are still arrested, but at least we know Ali is still alive. Two Turkish journalists still missing.

Netizens continue to call for Othman´s release through this online petition.

This post is part of our special coverage Syria Protests 2011/12.

Syria: Appeal by Diplomats' Wives to Asma Al Assad

Ayesha Saldanha — Thu, 19 Apr 2012 07:53:29 +0000

“Women from around the world, urge you, Asma Al-Assad, to take up your responsibility as wife of the Syrian leader. Hundreds of children in your country have already died, tens of thousands have been injured and displaced, all of them have been traumatized. We expect you to speak out for peace, to stop the bloodshed. Make your voice heard!” On April 16 the wives of the British and German ambassadors to the UN released a video urging Asma Al Assad, the wife of Syrian president Bashar Al Assad, to act to stop the violence in Syria. They also started a petition calling for peace.

Video Highlights: Syrian Activism, Children's Issues and Dolphin Deaths

Juliana Rincón Parra — Wed, 18 Apr 2012 18:36:50 +0000

This section aims to showcase interesting and recent posts in Global Voices that show the many ways in which videos are helping people tell stories all around the world. You can follow the activity by regions in our YouTube channel.

Middle East, North Africa:

As part of the special coverage on the Syria Protest 2011/12, these two posts sadly deal with the detention of yet more bloggers and activists.

Syria: Ali Mahmoud Othman, the “Eyes of Baba Amr”, Detained

Video activist Ali Mahmoud Othman, was seized by the Syrian Government. Othman, the head of the media office of Baba Amr, used to be a vegetable vendor who started documenting unrest in Homs when the revolution started, and continued assisting those covering the conflict. His detention is seen as a huge blow to citizen journalism in Syria, and the activists from the Baba Amr office are possibly at risk.

The following video [ar] shows Othman, fondly known as the “eyes of Baba Amr,” telling the world about the suffering of the population of Baba Amr. He talks to the camera without concerns for his identity. He believed his message would be more reliable and reach a wider audience if he showed his face:

Syria: Activist Rima Dali Arrested in Damascus for Calling for End to Killing

From Sunday 8 April, 2012 to Tuesday 10 April, 2012, Rima Dali was detained, Saffana Baqle and Assem Hamsho, who were with her at the time of the arrest, are still missing.

“Stop the killing. We want to build a country for all Syrians.” These were the words on the banner that Rima Dali held in front of the Syrian Parliament in Damascus on Sunday, April 8. Activists say she was arrested right after that. The following video shows Rima bravely holding the banner in front of cars while a group of women applaude [sic] her gesture.

Two other activists, Ali Dahna and Hussam Zein, were arrested 10 April, 2012 for holding the same banner during a sit-in near Qasr el-Adli, in Damascus.

South Asia and East Asia

Videos: Female Gendercide and Infanticide in India and China

In China and India, the strong cultural preference for male children instead of female children has resulted in a gender imbalance, brought on by female infanticide and selective abortions of female fetuses. A wide sample of videos, documentaries and even songs show the different implications of this problem: for the female children who are abandoned, for the women pregnant with female fetuses forced to abort or give the child for adoption, for those women who decide to raise daughters in spite of the cultural and economic hardships attached and for the people and organizations trying to change this phenomenon.

With the tagline of “The three deadliest words in the world”, the “It's a Girl” documentary is one which through interviews and on-location filming is figuring out why 200 million girls are “missing” in India and China, and why there has been no effective actions to this problem.

Latin America

Mexico: Children in Viral Video Shake Up Presidential Campaign

In the presidential race in Mexico, the Uncomfortable Children became viral through a video [es] showing young children inhabiting a city full of crime, violence, corruption, kidnapping and other problems that have become issues for Mexicans while asking for candidates to actually do something to change the situation and guarantee a better future for the children.

Reactions have been varied, between citizens who agree that the situation is unacceptable and is more like reality than people would comfortably admit, to others who would like to know who is behind the making of this video, and who criticize the use of children for this type of political message.

Si éste es el futuro que me espera, no lo quiero. Basta de trabajar para sus partidos y no para nosotros. Basta de arreglar el país “por encimita”. Doña Josefina, don Andrés Manuel, don Enrique, don Gabriel, se acabó el tiempo, México ya tocó fondo. ¿Sólo van a ir por la silla o van a cambiar el futuro de nuestro país?

If that is the future that is waiting for me, I don't want it. Stop working for your parties and not for us. Stop fixing the country superficially. Ms. Josefina, Mr. Andrés Manuel, Mr. Enrique, Mr. Gabriel, time has run out, Mexico has already hit bottom. Are you only gunning for the seat of the presidency or are you going to change the future of our country?

Peru: What Is Killing the Dolphins?

The death of more than 625 dolphins in 135 Km of beach to the North of Peru has made the headlines and has the international community concerned. Evidence seems to link the Sísmica 3D underwater exploration for oil and natural gas to the death of dolphins, due to the damage evidenced in the dead marine mammals which match with acoustic decompression. Dr Newborns, calves, juveniles, lactating females, pregnant females, adult males and female dolphins have all been affected. Links in this post lead to Spanish articles unless otherwise noted.

Dolphin and baby by Vincent Teeuwen CCBy

Hardy Jones, the founder of BlueVoice.org [en], filmmaker and activist for the conservation of marine life, went to Peru to experience Dr. Yaipén-Llanos' primary reports of the 25th March. Already on Peru's northern coast, he tweeted [en] on the 27th March:

Found 615 dead #dolphins on 135 kilometers of beach N of San Jose, Peru. Tragedy unspeakable. Please retweet. This must be investigated.

Meanwhile, environment and fishing ministers met on the 10th April to report on the link between oil exploration and the deaths of the dolphins. They also had to report on the measures being taken to avoid greater environmental impact on marine fauna, now that a report has shown that approximately 20,000 dolphins, as well as other species, are in mortal danger. Inquiries into the use of Sísmica 3d have been planned along the entire Peruvian coastline.

The producer of this video, Hardy Jones, has just returned from video taping the tragic die-off of dolphins along the coast of Peru. BlueVoice, working with the marine mammal rescue team of ORCA Peru, ran 135 kilometers of coast from San Jose north. We counted 615 dead dolphins. Dr. Carlos Yaipen Llanos, director of ORCA, conducted necropsies of several of the dead animals.

Arab World: Technology in the Time of Revolution

Tarek Amr — Tue, 17 Apr 2012 10:41:30 +0000

The Arab uprisings have created a debate about the role played by social media and mobile technology in bringing change. Whatever conclusion you come to on that subject, activists certainly make use of a wide range of new technologies, and we'll take a look at some of them in this post.

Reporting your arrest

Since the beginning of the Arab uprisings many bloggers and activists have been arrested. In Syria, in the last few months alone, Rima Dali, Safana Baqleh, Ali Mahmoud Othman, Razan Ghazzawi were detained. In Egypt Maikel Nabil Sanad, Alaa Abd El Fattah and Amr Gharbeya were just a few of those arrested. That's without mentioning countries such as Tunisia and Bahrain, as well as the cases where a bloggers or activists were denied entry to Egypt and held for investigation in Cairo airport.

While some of these bloggers and activists were later released, at the time of their arrest many didn't have time to tell their lawyers and family members what was happening. And this is where technology can play a role. A while ago Global Voices Advocacy contributor Ramy Raoof talked about Etmasakt, one such technical solution:

@RamyRaoof: Our friend Mohamed Hussien (@7aloli) developed this application http://bit.ly/Etmasakt to alert people when you get arrested. #Egypt #Android

Etmasakt helps you send short message to multiple numbers (family, lawyer, activists etc.) as well as sending the location where you were arrested.

Etmasakt is an Arabic word that means “I've been arrested”. On his blog Orlando Elkabeer wrote about the application and how it sends an SMS to multiple recipients along with your exact location - grabbed from your phone's GPS - with one click:

التطبيق يمكنك في حالة القبض عليك من ارسال رسالة لعدة أرقام تخبرهم فيها أنه قد تم القبض عليك ويرسل عنوانك بدقة بضغطة زر واحدة

The application lets you send an SMS to multiple recipients telling them you got arrested, and sends your exact location to them with just one click.

Etmasakt is not the only application of its kind. There is also “Byt2ebed 3alia” and “I'm Getting Arrested“; the latter seems to be older with a bigger user base. The existence of these different applications all basically doing the same thing clearly means that there is a need for them.

Live video broadcast

Nothing is worse than recording an important incident with your video camera, then being detained by security forces who destroy your camera, or at least force you to erase your memory card. And this is why Bambuser is very popular tool among activists. The Swedish mobile application lets you shoot videos and upload them instantaneously from your mobile phone; it's like having a video broadcasting station in your pocket.

Before being blocked by the Syrian government, Bambuser was used a lot by Syrians. In February the service reported on its own blog that it had been blocked in Syria:

Over the past weeks the number of Bambuser broadcasts from Syria has increased, with strong footage showing bombings, victims, destruction and terrible conditions at local field hospitals in Syria.

Some live footage like that of the destroyed oil pipeline in Homs was used by major TV channels such as CNN, BBC, AlJazeera and SkyNews:

We believe this footage was the trigger for the Syrian government to block access to bambuser.com and disable the possibility to broadcast live video with mobile phones on Syrian 3G.

In Egypt Tarek Shalaby reported his own arrest via Bambuser, and there were plans for activists to use the service in monitoring the parliamentary elections especially when international observers were not permitted to do so. During the first days of the Egyptian revolution the government decided to block Bambuser, amongst other services, before deciding to turning the whole Internet off two days later.

Other tools

Nancy Messieh of The Next Web has put together basic mobile apps arsenal for activists. Movements.org, which is a non-profit organization dedicated to identifying, connecting, and supporting grassroots digital activists, and advocates for the use of new technologies, has listed dozens of applications that range from Open Source word processing and audio/video editing software to encryption and tunneling software.

There are other less useful applications like this one that tries to document the Egyptian revolution by bringing a gallery of photos taken during the revolution onto your mobile phone.

The downside of automation

Despite the usefulness of the above applications, automation can be a problem. A month ago activist Hossam El Hamalawy received a short message from Mostafa Sheshtawy saying that he got arrested.

@3arabawy: Guys, I received few mins ago a text message from @msheshtawy saying he's getting arrested. I called him, he's not answering.

People were worried about Mostafa Sheshtawy, and only later was it discovered that the message was sent by mistake:

@msheshtawy: Am fine people. Am not arrested or anything. My phone wasnt with me. Am sorry people.

@msheshtawy: Someone clicked on the application while i was asleep. Silly joke and i will screw whoever did this. Am really sorry.

Finally, just like activists and citizens, dictators also use new technology. Authoritarian regimes in the Arab world have had plenty of help from American firms when it comes to censorship and spying on pro-democracy protestors. At the end of the day, technology is a double-edged sword; each side uses it for its own purposes.

Syria: Safana Baqleh, the “Freedom Harp”, Arrested in Damascus

Leila Nachawati Rego — Sun, 15 Apr 2012 04:32:30 +0000

UPDATE 19 April: Friends have confirmed that Safana Baqle was released on Thursday, after being taken to court for a few hours. The rest of activists detained for holding a “Stop the killing” banner are still under arrest. __________________________________________________________________

When Rima Dali was arrested on April 8 for holding a banner reading “Stop the killing. We want to build a country for all Syrians”, Safana Baqleh was the first person who rushed to defend her and try to stop the security forces from taking her with them. For this attempt she too was arrested, together with other activists attending a peaceful protest in front of the Syrian parliament. Rima Dali was released on April 10, but Safana remains in detention, as do activists Hussam Dahna, Ali Zain and Assem Hamsho.

Safana Baqleh, 30 years old, is a musician. She plays the harp and is known by her friends as the “Freedom Harp”. She was due to give a concert at the Opera House in Damascus on April 11. She graduated with honors from the High Institute of Music of Damascus and has a degree in English language and literature. Safana is a strong believer in nonviolent resistance and is a member of Nuwab Shabab (Young Members of Parliament), an organization promoting the presence of young people in parliament. She has also been a volunteer for the Syrian Arab Red Crescent since 2001.

Safana Baqleh, the "Freedom Harp". Image from Activist News Association on Facebook

Activists do not know Safana's whereabouts or what she is accused of, and are therefore deeply concerned about her. Her friends have created a Facebook page to share news on her detention and demand her release. Updates on her detention can also be followed under the #freesafana hashtag on Twitter.

Demonstrations and sit-ins have taken place in solidarity with Safana, Hussam Dahna, Ali Zain, Assem Hamsho and all Syrians imprisoned since the beginning of the regime´s brutal crackdown against all forms of opposition. The following video shows activists holding a banner reading “Stop the killing. We want to build a country for all Syrians”, at a shopping mall in Damascus on April 11.

Syria: Activist Rima Dali Arrested in Damascus for Calling for End to Killing

Leila Nachawati Rego — Mon, 09 Apr 2012 00:34:29 +0000

UPDATE: 10 April: Friends have confirmed that Rima Dali was released at 2 pm on Tuesday. Saffana Baqle and Assem Hamsho, who were with her at the time of the arrest, are still missing. Two other activists, Ali Dahna and Hussam Zein, were arrested today for holding the same banner during a sit-in near Qasr el-Adli, in Damascus.

9 April: To protest Rima´s detention and that of all Syrians imprisoned since the beginning of the regime´s brutal crackdown against all forms of opposition, activists have opened a Facebook page called “Stop the killing. We want to build a country for all Syrians” , where they call on people from Damascus to concentrate in front of the Parliament at 6 pm (the time when Rima held the banner calling for an end to killing):

لنعلن كلنا رفض الموت و قتل سورية كل يوم ,غدا الساعة 6 مساءا امام البرلمان لاشعار لا لافتات لا علم
فقط الجميع يحضر لافتة حمراء مكتوب عليها باللون الأبيض : أوقفوا القتل نريد بناء وطن لكل السوريين

To protest against the daily death and killing of Syria, we will gather in front of the Parliament tomorrow at 6 pm. With no slogans, no signs, no flags. Only a red banner reading in white letters: “Stop the killing. We want to build a country for all Syrians”

_____________________________________________________________________________________

“Stop the killing. We want to build a country for all Syrians.” These were the words on the banner that Rima Dali held in front of the Syrian Parliament in Damascus on Sunday, April 8. Activists say she was arrested right after that. The following video shows Rima bravely holding the banner in front of cars while a group of women applaude her gesture.

Activists have denounced her arrest and that of Saffana Baqleh, who was with Rima at the time of her arrest. Saffana was arrested for trying to stop the authorities from taking Rima.

Rima Dali in a candle-lit vigil for Syrian martyrs in Damascus. June 2011. Image source: Facebook

Rima Dali, 33, is from the port city of Latakia. She graduated with a degree in Law at the University of Aleppo. She is currently a Training and Capacity Building Associate for the United Nations Development Program and a volunteer with the Red Crescent. She is well known for her work on the campaign “Homs is in our hearts” to bring humanitarian aid to Homs.

Quoting Martin Luther King, this was Rima's last update on her Facebook profile:

“The means we use to achieve our goals must be as pure as our goals”

Global Voices Podcast: The Good and Bad of Online Campaigns

Jamillah Knowles — Fri, 06 Apr 2012 18:43:01 +0000

Hello World!

Welcome to another edition of the Global Voices podcast.
In this edition we have company in the voice of co-host Yazan Badran, a Global Voices author from Syria based in Japan. The topic this month is global social media campaigns: the good, the bad, and the ugly.

Views on Kony 2012 from Africa

In the last month we have seen one of the most controversial social media campaigns light up Twitter, Facebook and other social networks. The “Kony 2012″ campaign by the organisation Invisible Children went viral with a video about war Ugandan war criminal Joseph Kony that was seen by millions of people. But was it the right way to highlight an issue? We've tracked several responses here.

There were many points of criticism when it came to the project, not least from people in Uganda.

Rosebell Kagumire is a journalist, blogger and Global Voices author from Uganda, living in Kampala. She works as an editor for Channel 16, a news site by bloggers about conflict and humanitarian news. When she first saw the Kony 2012 video, Rosebell uploaded a very critical YouTube response that has been viewed more than 500,000 times. She shares her thoughts with us about her initial reactions.

Citizens in many African nations took issue with the Kony campaign.

‘Femi Adesina is a British-born Nigerian web and creative technologist who describes herself as an African in the diaspora. She agrees there are problems with Kony 2012, but thinks it's hard to be too critical when people have the best intentions.

Are social media campaigns always a good thing?

Online campaigning is not new. It can be a good way to crowdsource opinions, attract volunteers and even raise money. Yazan argues that the anti-SOPA blackouts were quite effective. They were informative and educated many people about the dangers of institutional censorship of the web.

We threw the question out to the Global Voices community asking for their thoughts on online campaigns. Thanks to Asteris Masouras from Greece, Lova Rakotomalala from Madagascar, Mohamed Ragab from Egypt, Rana Khattab from Palestine based in Saudi Arabia, and Mohammed Adel from Yemen for their views.

Unite for Syria marked the escalation of protests and violence in that country by encouraging people around the world to uploading images to show their support for Syrians. Tarek Amr, an engineer and an author for Global Voices from Cairo, Egypt, told us more about the campaign that also involved global celebrities.

PR for charities and NGOs

As well as grassroots efforts, there are PR companies who work closely with online campaigns for non-profits and activist groups. Boyd Neil is SVP and National Practice Leader for Social Media and Digital Communications at Hill+Knowlton Strategies in Canada. He says getting the social web right is difficult.

It seems from our guests in this edition are divided on what they made of the Kony campaign, but mostly united in the idea that the social web can help to amplify a message in a good way.

Of course, it all depends on how you measure success. Amplifying a message, doesn’t necessarily translate into the desired effect beyond the virtual realm.

Thank you for listening!

We hope you enjoyed this edition of the podcast. A huge thank you to Yazan for being great company and a brilliant co-presenter, as well as to all of our informed and amazing guests.

The Global Voices Podcast, the world is talking, we hope you’ve been listening!

Music Credits
In the podcast you can hear lots of lovely Creative Commons music. Thanks to Mark Cotton for his fantastic creations and thanks also to all of the wonderful voice over performances and clips that help to glue the podcast together. The Global Voices Podcast, the world is talking, we hope you’re listening!

Syria: Ali Mahmoud Othman, the “Eyes of Baba Amr”, Detained

Leila Nachawati Rego — Tue, 03 Apr 2012 16:44:33 +0000

This post is part of our special coverage Syria Protest 2011/12.

Video activist Ali Mahmoud Othman, head of the media office of Baba Amr, has been seized by the Syrian government. Friends and colleagues believe he is being subjected to severe torture. His detention puts all activists from the office at risk and is a huge blow to citizen journalism in the country.

Othman, who was originally a vegetable vendor, has been documenting unrest in Homs since the beginning of the Syrian revolution. He was instrumental in assisting those covering the conflict from Baba Amr, helping evacuate international journalists from inside the neighborhood. He decided to stay in Baba Amr even after the Syrian army re-captured the neighborhood after bombing it for three months.

According to Mónica G.Prieto, correspondent for Spanish news outlet Periodismo Humano, “he did not want to leave as long as a single person stayed in the neighborhood, he refused all offers to leave”.

Ali Mahmoud Othman in Baba Amr, Homs. Image source: Baba Amro News

The following video shows Othman, fondly known as the “eyes of Baba Amr,” telling the world about the suffering of the population of Baba Amr. He talks to the camera without concerns for his identity. He believed his message would be more reliable and reach a wider audience if he showed his face:

Activists have created a Facebook page to share news on his whereabouts and demand his release. And the Committee to Protect Journalists has called on Syrian authorities to immediately release Othman and all journalists detained for their work:

Syrian citizen journalists have been documenting the unrest at extraordinary risk to their lives. The regime must end its campaign to intimidate them and silence reporting of its brutal crackdown.

His detention has captured attention of mainstream media and political representatives from different countries. The UK's Foreign Secretary William Hague called on his release:

I call on the Syrian authorities to release Mr Othman and other political prisoners immediately. The Syrian regime will be held responsible for Mr Othman's safety and his treatment and I will raise his case in Istanbul at the Friends of Syria meeting.

United States Senator John McCain tweeted:

Got reports that Syrian journalist Ali Mahmoud Othman is held & tortured by Assad forces- world must call 4 his release

Othman´s detention has been widely shared on Twitter, mainly under the #freeothman tag. Netizens have also started a petition to demand his release.

Journalist Randa Habib brought attention to the danger faced by Othman and activist Noura Aljiwazi, who disappeared in Damascus on the same day:

Figures of #Syria resistance Ali Mahmoud Othman & activist Noura Al-jizawi, arrested, their live in danger: Reporters Without Borders (RFS)

Six days after Othman's arrest, friends posted the following message on Facebook:

It is the 6th night without Ali's voice or warm words. It is the 6th night Ali sleeps hands tied, exhausted from torture. It is the 6th night and Ali's name has reached as far as Australia, people demanding for his freedom. It is the 6th night, the revolution has no Ali. One of the heroes of Baba Amr, now a hero of the revolution. His good deeds repeated daily by those he saved from injuries, journalists, friends and family. Freedom for Ali Othman, one of the bravest men to exist.

This post is part of our special coverage Syria Protest 2011/12.

Syria: A Year On, From Beirut With Love

Mohamed ElGohary — Mon, 26 Mar 2012 20:17:28 +0000

This post is part of our special coverage Syria Protests 2011/12.

On 15 March, 2012, the Syrian revolution marked its first anniversary with increasing determination that marked its beginning. On this day many activists around the world rallied at the Global March Against the Syrian Dictator while protests were arranged in many cities around the world supporting the Syrian cause.

Lebanon, Syria's neighbour, and its capital Beirut, were not away from all what was happening despite the difficulties in freedom of expression lately. There, activists faced this challenge and decided to do something different. Beirut Walls [ar] explains the activists stance in Lebanon in the blog post entitled “The Syrian revolution after a year, from Beirut with love”:

منذ عام والشعب السوري يصرخ “الموت ولا المذلة”، “حرية حرية حرية”. قتل منهم ما يفوق الثمانية ألف شهيد واعتقل الآلاف ودمرت البيوت واغتصبت النساء… منذ عام ونحن في بيروت نحترق أمام المشاهد ونتخبط في حيرتنا عمّا بوسعنا ان نفعله. كيف نتضامن مع شعب يقتل لأنه يريد اسقاط نظام قمعه لمدة عقود؟ كيف نعبر عن تأييدنا وبيروت يملؤها شبيحة من الطراز البعثي والقومي والميليشيوي؟

منذ عام وبعضنا من أفراد وناشطين مستقلين نحاول ان نشارك من بيروت في ثورة سوريا. نعتصم هنا، نكتب هناك، نعرض أفلاماً، نيأس ثم نعود نرفض ان يطالنا القمع فنهرع الى جدران المدينة. كانت الجدران الحيز الحر الذي وجدنا فيه مكاننا للتعبير

For a year, the Syrian people have been chanting “Death rather than living in humiliation” and “Freedom Freedom Freedom”. More than 8,000 people have been murdered, and thousands of people have been detained, homes destroyed and women raped. A year has passed and we are on fire in Beirut watching what's happening in confusion not knowing what to do. How can we be in solidarity with people being murdered and whose only crime is their determination to take down a regime that has been repressing them for decades? How can we express our support and Beirut is full of thugs from different Baath, Ultra-National and Militant backgrounds?

Beirut Walls: To the Syrian revolution with love, used under CC.

Despite this, netizens and activist Twitter users announced their support for the Syrian revolution. @abirsasso [ar], from Beirut, tweeted:

عام والسوريون يبدعون بشعاراتهم. “الممانعة مو مانعة غير حريتنا” من المفضلات لدي، مكتوبة على جدران بيروت ‎‬#1YearAgo‪

A year passed and Syrian revolutionaries prove their creativity in their chants. My favorite one is “Resistance (to US/West) is only against our freedom”. It is written on Beirut walls. #1YearAgo

While @taniaelk said:

Early this morning, on the 1st anniversary of the revolution in #Syria Beiruti activists sent a message of solidarity.

@NadineBek [ar] also assured the Lebanese solidarity with the Syrian revolution saying:

رسائل من بيروت الى أحرار سوريا good morning Syria #Syria‪‏ ‎‬#banner‪‏ ‎‬#beirut‪‏ ‎‬#March15‪‏ صباح الثورة

Messages from Beirut to Syria's free people. Good morning Syria, good morning revolution!

Activists in Beirut found another way to announce their solidarity with the Syrian people, by drawing graffiti and putting posters on walkways and bridges. They also wrote and distributed slogans in the memory of the Syrian revolution.

Beirut Walls also wrote about the revolution morning [ar] including a video entitled: “From Beirut with love”:

لأن تضامن الشعوب والأفراد أقوى وأهم من تصريحات ومواقف الأنظمة وزعماء الطوائف والأحزاب، أردنا ان نعبّر عن تأييدنا لثورة الشعب السوري. في أولى ساعات الصباح في يوم 15 آذار وبعيداً عن أعين السلطات اللبنانية المختلفة، قمنا بعملية نشر هذه “الرسائل” من بيروت الى أحرار سوريا.

Because the people's and individuals' solidarity is stronger and more important than official statements and the stance of politicians and sect and parties heads, we wanted to express our support to the Syrian revolution. In the early hours of 15 March, and away from the different Lebanese official eyes, we were to spread these “messages” from Beirut to Syria's free people.

This post is part of our special coverage Syria Protests 2011/12.

Arab World: Happy Mother's Day - Tribute to Martyrs' Mothers

Amira Al Hussaini — Wed, 21 Mar 2012 20:32:53 +0000

The Arab world marks Mother's Day today, on March 21. On social networking sites, netizens have sent out congratulations to their mothers on the day. They also remember the mothers of the thousands of martyrs killed by the authorities as they protested against dictatorship in this so-called Arab Spring.

From Bahrain, Sayed Ahmed Al Alawi tweets [ar]:

في هذا اليوم لطف الله بقلب كل أم فقدت فلدة كبدها مقتولا ظلماأو مغيبا في المعاقلات أو مشردا في الوطن والمهجر لكل هؤلاء الامهات نقول فصبر جميل

@SAalalawi: On this day, may God have mercy on the heart of every mother who has lost her child, killed unjustly, or imprisoned or forced into exile. To all those mother we say: patience is sweet

Egyptian Salma Hegeb shares a similar sentiment. She reminds us:

@Salma_ts2al: It's the second #MothersDay for some mothers of martyrs in Egypt. Since yesterday and I'm thinking how painful is that…

And Syrian Zain has bad news:

@ZainSyr: The number of martyrs in #Syria has risen to 70, including 14 children and 7 women #MothersDay

The heartbreak many, particularly children and mothers, felt on this day is summed up by Syrian blogger Razan Ghazzawi, who admits:

@RedRazan: I really envy those who have many words to say to the mothers of martyrs on Mother's Day. I can't even find one word. #Syria #Mothersday

She adds:

@RedRazan: #Syria Facebookers have been campaigning 2 encourage citizens 2 visit mothers of martyrs 2day,2 show them they're not alone in their plight.

A screen shot of the Syrian martyr's mother Facebook page, which encourages Syrians to visit the mothers of martyrs killed by the Assad regime

The Facebook Page is called We are Your Children, Martyr's Mother and can be found here [ar].

Back in Egypt, Mohannad tells us [ar]:

من الحاجات اللي باحترمها في أمي انها ثورية وعلى الرغم اني عارف انها بتبقى قاعدة في البيت مرعوبة لما بانزل اشتباكات،بتدعيلي وتدعمني ‎‫#عيد_الأم‪‏

@mand0z: One of the things I respect in my mother is that she is a revolutionary. Although I know she stays at home terrified when I am out during clashes, she prays for me and supports me

Meanwhile, Syrians abroad are finding it difficult to connect with family back home and wish their loved ones a Happy Mother's Day. The 47th tweets:

@THE_47th: Seriously, I have to f^^&** find a satellite phone or tie a message to a pigeons feed to tell my grandma Happy Mother's Day in #Homs

Kareem Lailah adds:

@KareemLailah: Please Assad, give me the communication back just for 1 minute to tell her #HappyMothersDay mom! #Syria #iLoveYou

And Syrian Shakeeb Al-Jabri jokes:

@LeShaque: Happy Mother's Day to my motherboard, one mother without which I cannot survive.

Lebanon : Mothers' Day Event in the Absence of Prisoners Detained in Syria

Jane Ellis — Wed, 21 Mar 2012 14:08:17 +0000

Various organisations demanding the liberation of Lebanese prisoners detained in Syria are organising an event in the “Tent of the Families of the Missing and Detained” on Lebanese Mothers' Day, today, 21st March 2012, in the gardens in front of the Beirut UN building.

Syria: When Assad Falls

Amira Al Hussaini — Sun, 18 Mar 2012 19:18:47 +0000

This post is part of our special coverage Syria Protests 2011/12.

Like all Arabs protesting against their dictators, Syrians have many hopes and aspirations for life after the toppling of their dictator Bashar Al Assad. On Twitter, Syrians are sharing their dreams under the hash tag #WhenAssadFalls.

For Syrian Kareem Lailah, the dream is a personal one:

@KareemLailah: #WhenAssadFalls I'll be able to see my beloved mother again.

Zainab wants to see the smile on children's faces:

@_Zazo_: #whenassadfalls i want to take a toy for every child of the martyrs children! maybe it will make them smile for 1 minute only #syria

And the 47th wants to take revenge on men of religion, blamed for spreading sectarianism among Syrians:

@THE_47th: #WhenAssadFalls I'll be after religious figures.. No one is getting away

Meanwhile, Syrian Freedom takes a stab at Syria's censorship and monitoring of the Internet. He laments:

@SooriMadsoos: So #WhenAssadFalls who will control #Syria the Facebook activists, the LCC, the FSA, or the foreign opposition???

Abu Hatem cautions:

@abuhatem: #WhenAssadFalls huge major problems are going to arise in transition harder than Tunisia, Libya, Egypt combined.

And Mishael Shamsi reminds us [ar]:

سيكون بشّار ماضياً تلعنه كتب التاريخ ! ‎‬#WhenAssadFalls‪‏

@Mishael_Shamsi: Bashar will become a past, cursed in history books

This post is part of our special coverage Syria Protests 2011/12.

Brazil: Solidarity March for Syrian Revolution

Rami Alhames — Sun, 18 Mar 2012 14:29:17 +0000

This post is part of our special coverage Syria Protests 2011/12.

Syrian revolution support reached Sao Paulo, Brazil, on March 18, 2012. Hundreds of activists in Sao Paulo rallied to show their solidarity with the Syrian struggle on its first anniversary. The event took place as part of Global March Against the Syrian Dictator and in support of Palestine against Israeli occupation.

The activists shared photos and videos on Twitter and YouTube, for example Nadine Bekdache‏ (@NadineBek [pt]) who posted:

fotos da passeata hoje em #SaoPaulo apoiando a revolação #Siria - A #palestina estava em todas as palavras ditas

Photos of the march today in #SaoPaulo supporting #Syria Revolution - #Palestine was in all speeches there

Brazilian committee to support Syrian Revolution. Via @NadineBek on Twitter (used with permission)

Although the protest numbers did not reflect the whole Arab community that exists in Sao Paulo, people from different cultures, origins and backgrounds gathered to demonstrate: Syrians, Lebanese, Palestinians, Brazilians, human rights activists and a leftist representative from a party from Argentina. The march started from Shopping Paulista to the MASP art museum and went via the Paulista avenue.

A video posted on YouTube [ar] described the actions of the protest:

واحد واحد واحد الشعب السورية واحد، بعد هذا الهتاف تأتي هذه الكلمة الذي يقول فيها المتكلم أن في سورية هدف واحد وهو إسقاط النظام ونحن هنا نتعلم من الثورة ورغم الصعوبات سنعمل كي نبقى موحدين. بإختصار: ثم يعتذر عن إنفعاله ويقول أن قضيته هي فلسطين وبأن ثورات كل البلدان العربية هي من شأنه وبإنه يؤمن أن من خلال حرية العالم العربي نقضي على إسرائيل. وينتظر أن يتغير النظام في الأردن أيضا ويحيي المغرب على حراكهم

One one one, the Syrian people is one. After chanting these words, the speaker declared that in Syria there is one goal: to bring down the regime while they are here to learn from the revolution, despite the difficulties, they will work to stay united. In brief: the speaker apologized for his troubles, says that his case is Palestine, and he pays attention to the Arab revolutions because he believes that through the freedom of the Arab world, they could fight Israel. He expected to change the regime in Jordan, whilst he cheered Moroccans for their mobility.

The march stopped at the Syrian and Lebanese consulates (although they were on their day off) chanting and requesting Lebanese officials to treat the Syrian refugees with respect, to provide them with necessities, and to open the borders for Syrians who are escaping the tyranny of the Syrian regime.

"Absolute Support to Syrian Revolution." Via @NadineBek on Twitter (used with permission)

Speeches focused a lot on Palestine, free Syria, occupy Golan heights, and called for a united Syria while rejecting foreign intervention.

"For a united nation, secular and democratic. Palestine will be free." Via @NadineBek on Twitter (used with permission)

This post is part of our special coverage Syria Protests 2011/12.

Syria: Friday's Demonstrations on Video

Amira Al Hussaini — Fri, 16 Mar 2012 20:45:48 +0000

Saudi blogger Ahmed Al Omran complies a Storify collection of videos allegedly leaked from Syria today. Many show protests which happened this Friday. [Warning: Some of the videos contain graphic material)