COUNTRY OF ORIGIN INFORMATION REPORT THE SYRIAN ARAB REPUBLIC 3 SEPTEMBER 2010 UK Border Agency COUNTRY OF ORIGIN INFORMATION SERVICE SYRIA 3 SEPTEMBER 2010 Contents Preface Paragraphs Latest News EVENTS IN SYRIA FROM 17 AUGUST TO 2 SEPTEMBER 2010 Useful sources for further information REPORTS ON SYRIA PUBLISHED OR ACCESSED BETWEEN 17 AUGUST AND 2 SEPTEMBER 2010 Background Information 1. GEOGRAPHY ....................................................................................... 1.01 Maps .............................................................................................. 1.05 2. ECONOMY ........................................................................................... 2.01 Currency and exchange rate....................................................... 2.07 3. HISTORY: 1946-2009 .......................................................................... 3.01 The census of Al-Hasakah province: 1962, and Arabization: 1960s-1970s ................................................ 3.02 The Baath Party seizes power: 1963 .......................................... 3.04 The reign of Hafez al-Asad: 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-Asad: 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-May 2009 ........................... 3.17 4. RECENT DEVELOPMENTS: JANUARY – JULY 2010 ................................ 4.01 5. CONSTITUTION..................................................................................... 5.01 Supreme Constitutional Court .................................................... 5.05 6. POLITICAL SYSTEM .............................................................................. 6.01 Human Rights 7. INTRODUCTION .................................................................................... 5.01 8. SECURITY SITUATION ........................................................................... 8.01 International relations.................................................................. 8.07 Relations with Lebanon ............................................................. 8.10 Relations with Israel .................................................................. 8.15 Relations with Turkey ................................................................ 8.21 Relations with Iran ..................................................................... 8.23 Relations with Iraq ..................................................................... 8.26 9. SECURITY FORCES............................................................................... 9.01 Armed forces ................................................................................ 9.03 Internal Security Forces (ISF) ..................................................... 9.04 Police, Gendarmerie and Desert Guard/Frontier Force............. 9.04 Security and intelligence forces ................................................. 9.07 Overview.................................................................................... 9.07 Human rights violations by the security forces ........................ 9.10 2 The main text of this COI Report contains the most up to date publicly available information as at 16 August 2010. Further brief information on recent events and reports has been provided in the Latest News section to 2 September 2010 3 SEPTEMBER 2010 SYRIA Arbitrary arrest and detention .................................................... 9.13 Torture ....................................................................................... 9.17 Surveillance ............................................................................... 9.28 Extrajudicial killings & ‘disappearances’ .................................... 9.34 Alleged Syrian involvement in the ‘disappearance’ of Lebanese nationals and Palestinians............................... 9.40 Avenues of complaint ................................................................ 9.42 10. MILITARY SERVICE.............................................................................. 10.01 11. JUDICIARY.......................................................................................... 11.01 Organisation ................................................................................. 11.02 Independence ............................................................................... 11.06 Fair trial ......................................................................................... 11.09 Trials before the Supreme State Security Court (SSSC)........... 11.12 12. ARREST AND DETENTION – LEGAL RIGHTS........................................... 12.01 13. PRISON CONDITIONS........................................................................... 13.01 Abuses in prisons ........................................................................ 13.05 14. DEATH PENALTY................................................................................. 14.01 15. POLITICAL AFFILIATION....................................................................... 15.01 Freedom of political expression ................................................. 15.03 Freedom of association and assembly ...................................... 15.05 Opposition groups and political activists.................................. 15.10 Islamist / Salafist political activists............................................. 15.15 Al-Ikhwan al-Muslimun (Muslim Brotherhood) ...................... 15.19 Kurdish political activists............................................................ 15.25 16. FREEDOM OF SPEECH AND MEDIA ....................................................... 16.01 Print media.................................................................................... 16.09 Radio and television .................................................................... 16.14 Journalists .................................................................................... 16.17 Internet freedom........................................................................... 16.22 17. HUMAN RIGHTS INSTITUTIONS, ORGANISATIONS AND ACTIVISTS ........... 17.01 Travel abroad................................................................................ 17.13 International organisations ......................................................... 17.15 18. CORRUPTION...................................................................................... 18.01 19. FREEDOM OF RELIGION....................................................................... 19.01 Religious groups.......................................................................... 19.05 Proselytising................................................................................. 19.08 Conversion ................................................................................... 19.09 20. ETHNIC GROUPS ................................................................................. 20.01 Kurds............................................................................................. 20.03 Death of Kurdish conscripts....................................................... 20.14 Stateless Kurds ......................................................................... 20.18 Ajanibs and Maktoumeen ..................................................... 20.25 21. LESBIAN, GAY, BISEXUAL AND TRANSGENDER (LGBT) PERSONS......... 21.01 Legal rights................................................................................... 21.02 Treatment by, and attitudes of, state authorities ...................... 21.03 Societal treatment and attitudes................................................. 21.07 22. WOMEN.............................................................................................. 22.01 Legal rights................................................................................... 22.06 Political rights .............................................................................. 22.17 Social and economic rights ........................................................ 22.24 Education and employment ....................................................... 22.30 Marriage/temporary marriage, divorce, child custody and inheritance ........................................................................... 22.39 Catholic personal status law ................................................. 22.48 The main text of this COI Report contains the most up to date publicly available information as at 16 August 2010. 3 Further brief information on recent events and reports has been provided in the Latest News section to 2 September 2010 SYRIA 3 SEPTEMBER 2010 Violence against women ............................................................. 22.49 Rape .......................................................................................... 22.57 ‘Honour’ crimes.......................................................................... 22.60 23. CHILDREN .......................................................................................... 23.01 Overview ......................................................................................