COUNTRY OF ORIGIN INFORMATION REPORT THE SYRIAN ARAB REPUBLIC 6 FEBRUARY 2009 UK Border Agency COUNTRY OF ORIGIN INFORMATION SERVICE SYRIA 6 FEBRUARY 2009 Contents Preface Part One: Report Paragraphs Background Information on Syria 1. GEOGRAPHY ......................................................................................1.01 Map...............................................................................................1.03 2. RECENT HISTORY ................................................................................2.01 Independence from France: 1946...............................................2.01 The census of Al-Hasakah province: 1962 ................................2.02 The Baath Party seizes power: 1963 ..........................................2.03 The Six-Day War: 1967, and the resumption of hostilities: 1973 .................................2.04 The reign of Hafez al-Asad: 1970-2000.......................................2.05 Lebanon – Intervention and occupation: 1976...........................2.07 The Muslim Brotherhood rebellion: 1976-1982..........................2.08 The accession and reign of President Bashar al-Asad.............2.10 The ‘Damascus Spring’.............................................................2.11 Lebanon – Redeployment and withdrawal: 2001-2005..............2.12 Clampdown...............................................................................2.18 3. RECENT EVENTS AND POLITICAL DEVELOPMENTS .................................3.01 Elections and a Presidential referendum: 2007.........................3.01 Legislative elections: April 2007................................................3.03 Presidential referendum: May 2007 ..........................................3.04 Continued clampdown ................................................................3.06 4. ECONOMY ..........................................................................................4.01 Exchange rate..............................................................................4.03 Human Rights 5. INTRODUCTION ...................................................................................5.01 6. SECURITY SITUATION ..........................................................................6.01 7. SECURITY FORCES .............................................................................7.01 Armed forces ...............................................................................7.03 Military Service .........................................................................7.05 Internal Security Forces (ISF).....................................................7.06 Security and Intelligence Services.............................................7.07 Overview ......................................................................................7.07 Abuses by the Security Forces..................................................7.10 Arbitrary arrest and detention ...............................................7.10 Torture .................................................................................7.14 Extrajudicial killings & ‘disappearances’ ...............................7.18 Alleged Syrian involvement in the extra-judicial killing and ‘disappearance’ of Lebanese nationals ............................7.21 8. ARREST & DETENTION – LEGAL RIGHTS ..............................................8.01 9. JUDICIARY ..........................................................................................9.01 Organisation ................................................................................9.02 Independence ..............................................................................9.05 Fair trial........................................................................................9.06 2 This COI Key Documents contains the most up-to-date publicly available information as at 14 January 2009. Older source material has been included where it contains relevant information not available in more recent documents. 6 FEBRUARY 2009 SYRIA Trials before the Supreme State Security Court (SSSC) ...........9.09 10. PRISON CONDITIONS ..........................................................................10.01 Abuses in prisons .......................................................................10.03 11. ETHNIC GROUPS & NON -SYRIAN NATIONALS .......................................11.01 Kurds............................................................................................11.04 Stateless Kurds.........................................................................11.10 Ajanibs and Maktoumeen .....................................................11.11 12. POLITICAL AFFILIATION ......................................................................12.01 Freedom of association and assembly......................................12.03 Civil and human rights activists.................................................12.07 Opposition groups and political activists..................................12.11 Islamist / Salafist political activists.............................................12.13 Al-Ikhwan al-Muslimun (Muslim Brotherhood) ......................12.17 Kurdish political activists ...........................................................12.19 13. WOMEN ............................................................................................13.01 Legal rights..................................................................................13.03 Political rights..............................................................................13.05 Social and economic rights ........................................................13.06 Violence against women.............................................................13.14 Rape.........................................................................................13.16 ‘Honour’ crimes.........................................................................13.19 Trafficking....................................................................................13.22 14. FREEDOM OF MOVEMENT ...................................................................14.01 Travel restrictions .......................................................................14.01 Departure and return...................................................................14.02 Part Two: Index to key source documents Key facts and geography ..........................................................65 Maps ....................................................................................66 History ......................................................................................66 Politics and recent developments..............................................67 Human Rights – general ...........................................................68 Human Rights – specific issues ................................................70 Abuses by non-government armed forces ............................70 Arrest and detention .............................................................71 Children................................................................................71 Citizenship and nationality....................................................72 Corruption ............................................................................72 Death Penalty.......................................................................72 Disability...............................................................................73 Employment rights................................................................73 Ethnic groups .......................................................................73 Exit – entry procedures.........................................................75 Foreign refugees ..................................................................75 Freedom of movement .........................................................78 Freedom of religion ..............................................................79 Freedom of speech and the media .......................................79 Human Rights institutions, organisations and activists..........80 Humanitarian issues.............................................................82 Judiciary...............................................................................83 Lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender persons..................84 Medical issues......................................................................84 Military service......................................................................84 This COI Key Documents contains the most up-to-date publicly available information as at 14 January 2009. 3 Older source material has been included where it contains relevant information not available in more recent documents. SYRIA 6 FEBRUARY 2009 Political affiliation..................................................................85 Prison conditions..................................................................86 Security forces......................................................................86 Security situation..................................................................88 Terrorism..............................................................................90 Trafficking.............................................................................91 Women.................................................................................91 ANNEXES Annex A – Chronology of major events Annex B – Guide to acronyms Annex C – References to source material 4 This COI Key Documents contains the most up-to-date