SYRIA COUNTRY of ORIGIN INFORMATION (COI) REPORT COI Service

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SYRIA COUNTRY of ORIGIN INFORMATION (COI) REPORT COI Service SYRIA COUNTRY OF ORIGIN INFORMATION (COI) REPORT COI Service 15 August 2012 SYRIA 15 AUGUST 2012 Contents Preface Latest news EVENTS IN SYRIA FROM 5 JULY 2012 TO 13 AUGUST 2012 Useful news sources for further information REPORTS ON SYRIA PUBLISHED OR ACCESSED BETWEEN 5 JULY 2012 AND 13 AUGUST 2012 Paragraphs Background information 1. GEOGRAPHY ............................................................................................................ 1.01 Maps ...................................................................................................................... 1.06 2. ECONOMY ................................................................................................................ 2.01 Currency and exchange rate ............................................................................... 2.09 3. HISTORY 1946-2011 ................................................................................................ 3.01 The census of Al-Hasaka province: 1962 and Arabization: 1960s-1970s ........ 3.02 The Baath party seizes power: 1963 ................................................................... 3.04 The reign of Hafez al-Assad: 1970-2000 ............................................................. 3.06 The Muslim Brotherhood rebellion: 1976-1982 .................................................. 3.08 The annexation of the Golan Heights: 1981 ....................................................... 3.09 The reign of Bashar al-Assad 2000 to the present ............................................ 3.10 The ‗Damascus Spring‘: June 2000-February 2001 ........................................... 3.11 Increased opposition and subsequent clampdown: 2003-2007 .......................... 3.12 Elections and the Presidential referendum: April and May 2007 ........................ 3.16 Continued clampdown: June 2007- December 2009 ......................................... 3.17 Thawing of relations with the West (2010) – start of unrest in March 2011 ........ 3.19 4. CONSTITUTION .......................................................................................................... 4.01 Supreme Constitutional Court............................................................................. 4.06 5. POLITICAL SYSTEM ................................................................................................... 5.01 Human Rights 6. INTRODUCTION ......................................................................................................... 6.01 7. SECURITY SITUATION SINCE MARCH 2011 .................................................................. 7.01 Armed Opposition ................................................................................................ 7.09 Syrian National Council and Syrian Free Army .................................................. 7.10 Al-Nusra Front .................................................................................................... 7.17 Areas of conflict ................................................................................................... 7.19 Areas of alleged human rights abuses ............................................................... 7.20 The Siege of Homs............................................................................................. 7.20 Idlib Province ...................................................................................................... 7.23 Hama .................................................................................................................. 7.26 Al-Houla ............................................................................................................. 7.28 Mazaraat al-Quebeir ........................................................................................... 7.31 Government initiatives during the unrest .......................................................... 7.32 International reaction ........................................................................................... 7.34 International relations .......................................................................................... 7.40 ii The main text of this COI Report contains the most up to date publicly available information as at 4 July 2012. Further brief information on recent events and reports has been provided in the Latest News section to 13 August 2012. 15 AUGUST 2012 SYRIA 8. SECURITY FORCES .................................................................................................... 8.01 Overview ............................................................................................................... 8.01 Armed forces ........................................................................................................ 8.04 Defections .......................................................................................................... 8.05 Internal Security Forces (ISF) .............................................................................. 8.06 Police, Gendarmerie and Desert Guard/Frontier Force ...................................... 8.06 Shabbiha and People’s Army .............................................................................. 8.09 Security and intelligence forces .......................................................................... 8.12 Overview ............................................................................................................ 8.12 Human rights violations by government forces ................................................ 8.15 Arbitrary arrest and detention ............................................................................. 8.19 Torture ................................................................................................................ 8.27 Surveillance ........................................................................................................ 8.39 Surveillance abroad ....................................................................................... 8.44 Extra-judicial killings & ‗disappearances‘ ............................................................ 8.45 Alleged Syrian involvement in the ‗disappearance‘ of Lebanese nationals and Palestinians ............................................................................................. 8.53 Avenues of complaint .......................................................................................... 8.55 9. MILITARY SERVICE .................................................................................................... 9.01 Recent presidential declarations about military service ................................... 9.11 Reservists ............................................................................................................. 9.16 10. ABUSES BY NON-GOVERNMENT ARMED FORCES .......................................................... 10.01 Extra-judicial killings ............................................................................................ 10.02 Arbitrary arrest and detention ............................................................................. 10.04 Torture ................................................................................................................... 10.06 Other abuses ........................................................................................................ 10.07 11. JUDICIARY ................................................................................................................ 11.01 Organisation ......................................................................................................... 11.02 The Supreme State Security Court (SSSC) ....................................................... 11.05 Independence ....................................................................................................... 11.06 Fair trial ................................................................................................................. 11.10 12. ARREST AND DETENTION – LEGAL RIGHTS .................................................................. 12.01 13. PRISON CONDITIONS ................................................................................................. 13.01 Abuses in prisons ................................................................................................ 13.07 14. DEATH PENALTY ....................................................................................................... 14.01 15. POLITICAL AFFILIATION ............................................................................................. 15.01 Freedom of political expression .......................................................................... 15.05 Freedom of association and assembly ............................................................... 15.08 Opposition groups and political activists .......................................................... 15.13 Islamist/Salafist political activists ........................................................................ 15.17 Al-Ikhwan al-Muslimun (Muslim Brotherhood) .................................................... 15.20 Kurdish political activists .................................................................................... 15.25 16. FREEDOM OF SPEECH AND MEDIA ............................................................................... 16.01 Overview ............................................................................................................... 16.01 Print media ...........................................................................................................
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