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 ...........................................................................................................