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No Jobs for Syria’s Civil Servants in Former Rebel-Held Areas By Haid Haid - Aug 19, 2019
The war in Syria brought work to a halt for many people. But for hundreds of public servants in former rebel-held areas now retaken by the regime, there will be no return. They have been fired for reasons such as “insufficient loyalty” to simple “failure to report for work.” As for the latter, the restrictions that war imposes on … Continue reading “No Jobs for Syria’s Civil Servants in Former Rebel-Held Areas”
Syria Wants Complete Control Over Information, Which Is Why Even Loyalist Journalists Can Be Arrested for Being ‘Out of Order’ By Haid Haid - Jul 28, 2019
Rabea Kalawandy, a war correspondent and social-media influencer, was arrested on July 8 in Aleppo. This might seem sadly unremarkable in a country where the regime has systemically targeted journalists throughout the conflict. But what is unusual about this case is that Kalawandy is a pro-regime journalist arrested by the Syrian government itself. And he is not the only one … Continue reading “Syria Wants Complete Control Over Information, Which Is Why Even Loyalist Journalists Can Be Arrested for Being ‘Out of Order’”
The Syrian Regime Is Pursuing Its Opponents Through the Use of a Loophole – Private Prosecution By Haid Haid - Jul 1, 2019
After the Damascus regime successfully regained control of rebel-held territories in Syria, the number of opposition figures arrested skyrocketed. Yet, they were not arrested on charges filed by the state, as one might have thought. Rather, they were arrested on the basis of private prosecution charges – a judicial recourse in which, in this case, … Continue reading “The Syrian Regime Is Pursuing Its Opponents Through the Use of a Loophole – Private Prosecution”
A Transitional Justice Process for ISIS Members Is Essential for Stability in Syria By Haid Haid - Jun 20, 2019
Following the territorial defeat of ISIS in northeastern Syria, Kurdish-led local authorities are now grappling with bringing the group’s members to justice. The scale of the crimes and the sheer number of victims – combined with massive shortages in resources and personnel – make the task extremely difficult to address through the traditional legal system. … Continue reading “A Transitional Justice Process for ISIS Members Is Essential for Stability in Syria”
Cutting Aid to Syria’s Idlib May Be the Easy Choice for Western Donors, But It’s Not the Right One By Haid Haid - May 7, 2019
The increased dominance of Hayat Tahrir Al-Sham over the last rebel-held pocket in north-west Syria is severely hampering efforts toward establishing good governance. Fears that aid money is being siphoned off to HTS, which most of the world regards as a terrorist group, have led Western donors to cut funding for all non-humanitarian projects related … Continue reading “Cutting Aid to Syria’s Idlib May Be the Easy Choice for Western Donors, But It’s Not the Right One”