Decade After Arab Spring, Thousands in Jail
International TUESDAY, DECEMBER 8, 2020 Ghana set for close election in ‘beacon of democracy’ Abiy says Ethiopia working to restore order in Tigray Page 6 Page 7 TUNIS: In this file photo taken on Jan 14, 2011, soldiers on an armored vehicle deploy to disperse demonstrators on Mohamed V Avenue. — AFP Decade after Arab Spring, thousands in jail Families often spend years searching for missing sons and daughters BEIRUT: Ten years ago, millions dared to dream “The Syrian government has used torture and and families often spend years searching for before being returned to their cells on new that political change could sweep across Arab enforced disappearance as a means to crush dis- missing sons and daughters. It was only in 2018 charges. Among them is Egyptian activist Alaa capitals, but in most places such hopes have been sent for decades,” said Amnesty in a different 2017 that many in Syria learnt that their loved ones had Abdel Fattah, 39, a prominent figure in 2011, who crushed as thousands languish in jail. From Cairo report. “Since 2011... the Syrian government’s vio- died years ago when authorities updated the was freed in March 2019, only to be re-imprisoned to Damascus, regimes have cracked down on the lations against detainees have increased drastically death records. “That’s it? You’re sure he’s dead?” in September that year after rare, small-scale anti- dissent which flourished in the early, heady days of in magnitude and severity.” Salwa had said, in shock. After seven years with government protests. In June, his sister, Sanaa, 26, the Arab Spring uprisings, with many protesters A report from the Human Rights Data Analysis no news, Salwa could hardly believe her nephew, was also arrested for allegedly inciting protests especially in Syria and Egypt now silenced Group said at least 17,723 people were killed in a Syrian activist arrested in 2011, had been dead and posting “fake” information about the spread of through torture and imprisonment.
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