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01 Sep 2011 11:11

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World: Syrian political official steps down via YouTube video

  • Adnan Muhammad al-Bakkour, the Attorney General of the Syrian province of Hama, resigned in protest of the bloodshed being perpetrated by the Assad government. Via YouTube. He’s a translation of his video. He’s the highest-ranking official to resign amidst the crackdown. source

11 Jul 2011 17:24

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World: Pro-Assad protesters confront U.S. and French embassies in Syria

  • Embassies in Syria beset by protests: Throngs of protesters loyal to the embattled Syrian leader Bashar al-Assad descended on the embassies of both France and the United States today, ostensibly to protest ambassadors visiting the violence-stricken city of Hama over the weekend. We say ostensibly because there’s little reason to doubt this was organized by the Syrian government, which has been using violence, intimidation and torture on its citizenry for months — rounding up a posse isn’t as hard when you wield that sort of brutal muscle. The U.S. thinks so, at least: “The Syrian government can organize protests at our embassy if it wants, but the world will not be distracted from the fact that it is the Syrian government that is imprisoning, torturing and killing people who want to peacefully protest,” said press attaché JJ Harder. source

05 Jul 2011 17:38

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World: Syrian security crackdown brings violent repression to Hama

  • 10 Syrian citizens killed by security forces in the city of Hama source
  • » “Implacable armed repression”: Those were the words France used to describe the onslaught on the Syrian citizenry by security forces loyal to Bashar al-Assad, as they lobbied the U.N. to adopt a firmer stance on the issue. The realities within Syria are dire right now — as we’ve mentioned before, human rights groups estimate over a thousand people have been killed, and over ten-thousand detained, so in an extremely depressing way, this number isn’t surprising. French MP Gerard Bapt doesn’t see much will for international involvement, either: “With the Arab League not moving and with a nation like Saudi Arabia saying nothing publicly to condemn the killings by the Syrian regime it is difficult to see international pressure rising beyond the economic.”