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Date: April 19, 2024 Fri
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syria
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90 total results foundAuthor: Amnesty International Title: Deadly Detention: Deaths in Custody Amid Popular Protest in Syria Summary: Relentless repression has marked Syria since March 2011, as the government continues its efforts to stifle increasing numbers of pro-reform protests. Scores of people – believed to have been detained for their actual or suspected involvement in the protests – are reported to have died in custody. some were children. however, the Syrian authorities have failed to carry out credible investigations into any of the cases or ensure accountability for the perpetrators. In more than half of the cases, people filmed the bodies to record and show the world their injuries. many of them appear to have been tortured. Forensic experts contacted by amnesty international analyzed the footage to help determine possible causes of death. Amnesty International concludes that the torture reported here has been committed as part of a widespread, as well as systematic, attack on the civilian population – crimes against humanity. it is calling on the UN Security Council to refer the situation in Syria immediately to the prosecutor of the international criminal court. Details: London: Amnesty International, 2011. 42p. Source: Internet Resource: Accessed September 2, 2011 at: http://www.amnesty.org/en/library/asset/MDE24/035/2011/en/e4ed18bf-25c6-4eba-af40-2995299c4eb1/mde240352011en.pdf Year: 2011 Country: Syria Keywords: Deaths in Custody (Syria) Shelf Number: 122616 |
Author: Doctors Without Borders - Medecins Sans Frontieres Title: Syria: Medicine as a Weapon of Persecution Summary: These 15 testimonies from injured people and doctors from across Syria were collected by Médecins Sans Frontières/Doctors Without Borders (MSF) staff between January 30 and February 6, 2012. MSF is not authorized to operate inside Syria at present and thus is unable to fully verify the information collected here. However, given the recurring nature, the consistency, and the severity of the acts described in the testimonies, MSF has decided to make them public. For security reasons, names and locations have been withheld. The testimonies reveal the following: Casualties such as multiple fractures, gunshot wounds, and electric shocks that strongly suggest a concerted program of violence and torture; The merciless persecution and repression of the injured and their caregivers; The pursuit of doctors at risk of arrest and torture for treating wounded civilians; The monitoring of hospitals by security forces, in order to arrest and torture the wounded; The resulting need for many to seek medical care provided illegally in makeshift facilities, including private homes; The lack of even basic medical supplies, including drugs, anesthetics, blood bags, and sutures in places where patients do receive care. Details: New York: Doctors Without Borders (MSF), 2012. 18p. Source: Press Dossier: Internet Resource: Accessed March 4, 2012 at http://www.doctorswithoutborders.org/publications/reports/2012/In-Syria-Medicine-as-a-Weapon-of-Persecution.pdf Year: 2012 Country: Syria Keywords: Corruption Shelf Number: 124378 |
Author: Berman, Asher Title: Criminalization of the Syrian Conflict Summary: As the civil war in Syria enters its second year, observers such as Soner Cagaptay at the Washington Institute of Near East Policy have been discussing how the conflict is likely to evolve as it continues to protract. The debate has revolved exclusively around the likelihood for increased radicalization within the opposition, which would provide a growing constituency for jihadist groups such as the al-Nusrah Front. A second likely, and as yet ignored, development is an increased role for criminal networks on both sides of the conflict. Organized crime played a major role in creating nearly insolvable insurgencies in both Iraq and Afghanistan, as the governments became hopelessly corrupt, and insurgents secured regular sources of weapons and cash. As time went on, it became difficult to differentiate between insurgents, criminals, and government officials, as the profit motive became at least as salient as political motives, creating a volatile mix of war, crime, and corruption. It is likely that the conflict in Syria will move in the same direction as the fighting continues. As governments in the West stay on the sidelines for fear of being sucked into a messy conflict with complex ethnic and religious fault lines, Syrian society will see an increasing criminalization that may play a major role in how the post-Assad era unfolds. Details: Bethesda, MD: Small Wars Journal, 2012. 3p. Source: Small Wars Journal Article: Internet Resource; Accessed June 7, 2012 at http://smallwarsjournal.com/printpdf/12629 Year: 2012 Country: Syria Keywords: Civil War (Syria) Shelf Number: 125338 |
Author: Solvang, Ole Title: Torture Archipelago: Arbitrary Arrests, Torture and Enforced Disappearances in Syria’s Underground Prisons since March 2011 Summary: Since the beginning of anti-government protests in March 2011, Syrian authorities have subjected tens of thousands of people to arbitrary arrests, unlawful detentions, enforced disappearances, ill-treatment and torture using an extensive network of detention facilities, an archipelago of torture centers, scattered throughout Syria. Based on more than 200 interviews with former detainees, including women and children, and defectors from the Syrian military, intelligence and security agencies, Torture Archipelago: Arbitrary Arrests, Torture and Enforced Disappearances in Syria’s Underground Prisons since March 2011 focuses on 28 of these detention facilities. For each facility, most of them with cells and torture chambers and one or several underground floors, we provide the location, identify the agencies responsible for operating them, document the type of ill-treatment and torture used, and name, to the extent possible, the individuals running them. The facilities included in this report are those for which multiple witnesses have indicated the same location and provided detailed descriptions about the use of torture. The actual number of such facilities is likely much higher. The systematic patterns of ill-treatment and torture documented in this report clearly point to a state policy of torture and ill-treatment and therefore constitute a crime against humanity. The United Nations Security Council should refer the situation in Syria to the International Criminal Court, adopt targeted sanctions on officials credibly implicated in abuses, and demand that Syria grant recognized international detention monitors access to all detention facilties, including those mentioned in this report. Details: London: Human Rights Watch, 2012. 84p. Source: Internet Resource: Accessed July 7, 2012 at: http://www.hrw.org/sites/default/files/reports/syria0712webwcover.pdf Year: 2012 Country: Syria Keywords: Detention Facilities Shelf Number: 125502 |
Author: International Federation for Human Rights (FIDH) Title: Violence against Women in Syria: Breaking the Silence. Based on an FIDH assessment mission in Jordan in December 2012 Summary: In December 2012, the International Federation for Human Rights (FIDH), in collaboration with the Arab Women Organisation (AWO), sent an international fact-finding mission to meet with Syrian women who had fled the crisis to seek refuge in Jordan. The mission focussed on the impact of the ongoing conflict on women and sought to document specific forms of violence targeting women. The FIDH delegation visited three refugee camps, Al Zaatari, King Abdullah Park and Cyber City and held meetings with 80 refugees living outside “official” camps in Amman, Rusaifa, Dhleil and Sama Sarhan (Zarqa Governorate). It remains extremely difficult to measure the extent of crimes of sexual violence or to draw conclusions on patterns, in particular due to the stigma surrounding such crimes. However, all those interviewed reported having witnessed or heard about cases of sexual violence and said that the fear of being raped had motivated their decision to flee the country. Several of the women interviewed gave indirect accounts of rape and other forms of sexual violence committed by pro-government forces during house searches, following arrest at checkpoints and in detention. There were also accounts of such crimes having been committed by antigovernment armed groups. Many of those interviewed also spoke of the risk of women being abducted, by all parties to the conflict, in order to obtain information or as bargaining tools for the release of prisoners. According to several women and organisations providing support services, survivors of rape are sometimes forced into marriage, in order to “save family honour”. Risks of stigmatisation and rejection of survivors impose a culture of silence, preventing women reporting crimes of sexual violence. As a result, the vast majority of those in need of medical and psycho-social support do not have access to such services. FIDH presents at the end of this briefing paper a set of recommendations towards different stakeholders. Details: Paris: FIDH, 2012. 22p. Source: Internet Resource: http://www.fidh.org/IMG/pdf/syria_sexual_violence-web.pdf Year: 2012 Country: Syria Keywords: Rape Shelf Number: 128613 |
Author: Human Rights Watch Title: Under Kurdish Rule: Abuses in PYD-Run Enclaves of Syria Summary: Based on research in Syria and northern Iraq, Under Kurdish Rule: Abuses in PYD-Run Enclaves of Syria documents human rights abuses in the three predominantly Kurdish areas in northern Syria that are controlled since 2012 by the Kurdish Democratic Union Party (PYD). In January 2014, the PYD and allied parties established an interim administration in these areas. While conditions are better there than in other war-torn parts of Syria, the PYD-run authorities have arbitrarily arrested political opponents, denied defendants the right to a fair trial, and physically abused detainees, leading to death in two recent cases. PYD-run security forces have also used children under 18 for military purposes. As the de facto authority in these regions, the PYD is obliged under international human rights law to grant the people in the areas it controls - Kurds, Arabs, Syriacs, and others - their fundamental rights. Details: New York: Human Rights Watch, 2014. 116p. Source: Internet Resource: Accessed June 30, 2014 at: http://www.hrw.org/sites/default/files/reports/syria0614_kurds_ForUpload.pdf Year: 2014 Country: Syria Keywords: Detainees Shelf Number: 132564 |
Author: Hallaj, Omar Abdulaziz Title: The balance-sheet of conflict: criminal revenues and warlords in Syria Summary: The conflict in Syria is forging new forms of territorial control, and a political economy that is not unlike the patronage system that was previously fostered by the ruling Ba'ath party. As a result of the extended war efforts and the need for revenues to fund them, the national economy is now deeply affected by illicit activities such as trade in antiquities, oil and drugs, as well as smuggling, kidnapping, looting and extrajudicial land expropriations. Warlords and armed groups such as the Islamic State of Iraq and al-Sham (ISIS) and Jabhat al-Nusra (or the al-Nusra Front) must fund their military campaigns. However, at the same time, they have to balance the extraction of local revenues with the loyalty of the civilian populations they control. At stake are their reputations and their abilities to raise money from foreign donors and to perpetuate their coercive governance. This paper proposes a rough estimate of the size of the funding streams used by loyalist and rebel militias. The paper also argues that the creeds and beliefs that initiated the conflict are no longer the sole motors of violence; indeed, greed is increasingly shaping the nature of hostilities and the strategies adopted by armed groups. As a result, the framework proposed in the Geneva Communique for achieving peace in Syria is not likely to succeed alone in solving the conflict. Recent experiences in other countries suggest that transitional political arrangements for the transfer of power are failing to dislodge war profiteering. Additional approaches to enable a progressive recovery of livelihoods and the provision of local services should be considered a key part of the peacebuilding process. It is also vital to consider other factors sustaining the war economy, including international sanctions and external funding. Details: Oslo: Norwegian Peacebuilding Resource Centre, 2015. 14p. Source: Internet Resource: Accessed June 2, 2015 at: http://www.clingendael.nl/sites/default/files/Hallaj_NOREF_Clingendael_The%20balance-sheet%20of%20conflict_criminal%20revenues%20and%20warlords%20in%20Syria_Apr%202015_FINAL.pdf Year: 2015 Country: Syria Keywords: Illicit Trade Shelf Number: 135841 |
Author: Healy, Claire Title: Targeting Vulnerabilities: The Impact of the Syrian War and Refugee Situation on Trafficking in Persons. A Study of Syria, Turkey, Lebanon, Jordan and Iraq Summary: Conflict and violence in Syria since 2011 have caused massive loss of life and human suffering, as well as a complex displacement crisis. Four of Syria's neighbouring states are the most important hosting countries worldwide for refugees from the war-torn country. As of the end of September 2015, there are almost four million Syrian refugees in Turkey, Lebanon, Jordan and Iraq alone, whose registration is active with the UN High Commission for Refugees (UNHCR). In addition, over six and a half million Syrians are internally displaced within their own country. Not all Syrians and stateless people who have fled abroad have registered with UNHCR or the national authorities (NRC, April 2015a), and not all those internally displaced are recorded as such, therefore the figures are likely to be even higher in all cases. Apart from the violence itself, the conflict and attendant refugee crisis in neighbouring countries have led to increased impoverishment, informal "coping" economies and war profiteering, rendering people displaced by the crisis vulnerable to exploitation and different forms of trafficking in persons. Uncertainty prevails as to when the war in Syria will end and internally displaced people (IDPs) will be able to return to their homes, whether Syrian refugees abroad will be able to return to their country of origin, and for how long the hosting states will be able to meet the refugees' needs in terms of providing access to basic services - accommodation, healthcare and education - and opportunities for income generation. As of mid-2014, the situation in Syria, as well as in parts of Iraq, has been further exacerbated by the seizure of large swathes of territory by Da'ish (ISIS/ISIL/IS), resulting in violence and further displacement of Syrian and Iraqi people, as well as of other people residing in those areas. This Study assesses the effects of the Syrian war and refugee crisis on trafficking in persons (TIP) in Syria and the surrounding region. The five countries under study - Syria, Turkey, Lebanon, Jordan and Iraq (with a focus on the Kurdistan Region of Iraq - KR-I) - were selected on the basis of the magnitude of refugee and internal displacement. While around 6.6 million people are internally displaced in Syria as of the time of writing (October 2015), to the north of Syria, Turkey hosts around 1.9 million registered Syrian refugees, mostly in the southeastern and southern Turkish provinces. At Syria's western border, the second most important hosting country in absolute numbers, Lebanon, is currently hosting over 1.1 million registered Syrians. Syria borders Jordan to the south, which is currently hosting around 630,000 people who have fled from Syria. Finally, Syria shares its eastern border with Iraq, where the majority of Syrians in the country reside in the Kurdistan Region of Iraq (KR-I), an autonomous region in the federal state, host to a total of around 250,000 Syrian refugees. Nevertheless, these numbers do not include people who have fled from Syria to the neighbouring countries, but are not registered as active with the UNHCR - nor, in the case of Turkey, with the national authorities. In addition, the situation is highly dynamic, with Syrian refugees newly arriving in host countries, moving outside the region, entering a situation of internal displacement within Syria and, in some cases, returning to Syria for various reasons. Throughout the text, the five countries under study are referred to by order of the size of the displaced Syrian population: Syria, Turkey, Lebanon, Jordan, Iraq. The human trafficking phenomenon itself is the thematic focus of this research, which aims to understand the forms of trafficking in persons that are taking place and whom they affect, as well as who the perpetrators are, rather than examining anti-trafficking policies or initiatives. The forms of trafficking in the countries under study are the subject of investigation, as well as situations of vulnerability to trafficking, although reference is also made, where relevant, to trafficking from or through these countries. Relevant anti-trafficking legislation, institutions, policies and activities in the countries under study are briefly examined below, and throughout the rest of the Study are referred to only as and when relevant to understanding the trafficking phenomenon. This is driven by the conviction that the most important step in responding to the trafficking and exploitation of girls, boys, women and men is to first understand it. The chronological scope of the Study facilitates a comparison of the situation at the beginning of 2011, referred to throughout as the baseline date, with the situation throughout 2011-2015 inclusive, in order to assess the effects of the conflict. To better understand the situation prior to the outbreak of the war, the Study covers the decade 2001-2010, which is referred to as the baseline period. As set out below in the section on Methodology, the analysis of the baseline period principally draws on secondary research and data, while primary sources were also consulted for the period since the outbreak of the war. Research commenced in late 2014, with all of the field research taking place in Turkey, Lebanon, Jordan and Iraq during 2015. Details: Vienna: International Centre for Migration Policy Development, 2016. 258p. Source: Internet Resource: Accessed February 17, 2016 at: https://www.icmpd.org/fileadmin/ICMPD-Website/Anti-Trafficking/Targeting_Vulnerabilities_EN__SOFT_.pdf Year: 2016 Country: Syria Keywords: Human Trafficking Shelf Number: 137860 |
Author: Save the Children Title: Childhood Under Siege: Living and dying in besieged areas of Syria Summary: This report aims to shed light on the terrifying reality of life and death that is being endured by people - particularly children - in besieged areas of Syria, and show the urgent need for the international community to take action. Save the Children and partners have conducted 22 focus groups with 126 mothers, fathers and children living in besieged areas of Syria, as well as 25 extensive interviews with local aid groups, doctors, teachers and individuals. These discussions painted a picture of enormous suffering and injustice, of sick children dying while the medicine they need is on the other side of a checkpoint, and of children forced to eat animal feed or leaves just a few kilometres from warehouses of food. Freezing families unable to get fuel rip the stuffing from mattresses in search of something to burn, while children hide in fear of the shelling and barrel bombs - large metal barrels filled with explosives and dropped indiscriminately - that continue to pound the trapped population. Doctors operate without electricity and basic equipment, and schools move underground in a desperate attempt to keep children safe from the blasts. Details: Washington, DC: Save the Children, 2016. 28p. Source: Internet Resource: Accessed April 20, 2016 at: http://www.savethechildren.org/atf/cf/%7B9def2ebe-10ae-432c-9bd0-df91d2eba74a%7D/CHILDHOOD%20UNDER%20SEIGE%20REPORT-%20EMBARGOED%20UNTIL%207PM%20EST%20MARCH%208-SM.PDF Year: 2016 Country: Syria Keywords: Child Protection Shelf Number: 138711 |
Author: Human Rights Watch Title: "You Can Still See Their Blood": Executions, Indiscriminate Shootings, and Hostage Taking by Opposition Forces in Latakia Countryside Summary: h r w . o r g D eath announcement identifying 16 members of the al-Qusaybeh family and two other Barouda residents killed on August 4, - 2013 Private Death announcement identifying seven members of the Shihadeh family as well as one member of Ibrahim family from Nbeiteh killed on August 4, 2013 Private Death announcement identifying eight members of the Darwish family from al-Hamboushieh killed on August 4, 2013 Private (front cover) Site of Safwan Hassan Shebli's execution on August 4 in his home in Barouda. - 2013 Human Rights Watch On August 4, 2013 fighters from several armed opposition groups began a large scale operation in Latakia countryside, occupying more than 10 Alawite villages in a matter of hours. The operation lasted until August 18 w hen government forces regained full control over the area. During the operation opposition forces killed at least 190 civilians, executing or unlawfully killing at least 67 of them. The evidence Human Rights Watch has collected strongly suggests they were killed on the first day of the operation, August 4. At the time of writing opposition groups continued to hold over 200 civilians hostage, the vast majority of them women and children. Based on an onsite investigation and interviews with over 35 individuals i ncluding residents who survived the offensive, emergency response staff, and fighters and activists with both the government and the opposition, this report documents extremely serious abuses committed by opposition forces during this operation. Survivors and witnesses described how opposition forces executed residents and opened fire on civilians, sometimes killing or attempting to kill entire families who were either in their homes unarmed or fleeing from the attack, and at other times executing adult male family members, and holding female relatives and children hostage. The evidence collected by Human Rights Watch strongly suggests that the abuses committed by the opposition forces during the operation rise to the level of crimes against humanity. The scale and organization of these crimes indicate that they were systematic as well as being planned in part as an attack on a civilian population. Governments, companies, and individuals should immediately stop selling or supplying weapons, ammunition, materiel, and funds to the groups responsible for these abuses, given compelling evidence that they have committed crimes against humanity, until they stop committing these crimes and perpetrators are held to account. Human Rights Watch urges the UN Security Council to provide a measure of justice to these and other victims of abuse by all sides by referring the situation in Syria to the International Criminal Court (ICC). Details: New York: HRW, 2013. 113p. Source: Internet Resource: Accessed August 2, 2016 at: https://www.hrw.org/sites/default/files/reports/syria1013_ForUpload.pdf Year: 2013 Country: Syria Keywords: Executions Shelf Number: 139942 |
Author: Amnesty International Title: "It Breaks the Human":Torture, Disease and Death in Syria's Prisons Summary: The experiences faced by detainees in Syria's detention system are often lethal. An estimated 17,723 people were killed in custody across Syria between 2011 and 2015, with the real number likely to be even higher. Of the 65 former detainees interviewed by Amnesty International for this report, most had witnessed at least one death in custody. All had been tortured and/or otherwise ill-treated. This report charts the journey of detainees through what the UN Commission of Inquiry, among others, considers to be Syria's most lethal detention facilities, including Saydnaya Military Prison and the detention centres operated by Syria's four intelligence services - Air Force Intelligence, Military Intelligence, Political Security and General Intelligence. Based on the evidence presented in this report, as well as prior research by Amnesty International and the documentation of credible national and international monitoring groups, Amnesty International considers that the torture and other ill-treatment of detainees carried out by the Syrian government since 2011 has been perpetrated as part of a widespread and systematic attack against the civilian population, pursuant to a state policy, and therefore amounts to a crime against humanity. This report calls on the international community to pressure the Syrian authorities to abide by their international obligations and end the use of torture and other ill-treatment, arbitrary detention and enforced disappearances, and prevent further deaths in custody. Details: London: AI, 2016. 73p. Source: Internet Resource: Accessed September 2, 2016 at: https://www.amnesty.org/en/documents/mde24/4508/2016/en/ Year: 2016 Country: Syria Keywords: Detention Facilities Shelf Number: 140117 |
Author: Crabtree, Ben Title: The nexus of conflict and illicit drug trafficking: Syria and the wider region Summary: Evidence of drug seizures shows that captagon has become the major drug in the Middle East, enriching criminal and terrorist networks and fueling conflict across the region, sidelining other drug routes such as the billion-dollar business of Afghan heroin via the Balkan route. With seizures of 69.5 million pills in Syria, Turkey, Jordan and Lebanon in 2015 alone, the captagon market has exploded. One captagon pill, sold on the streets in the Gulf countries, would fetch US 10-20$. Thus, the market can be estimated at a worth as much as 1.39$ billion. This means that millions of dollars are being raised from drug trafficking and directly benefit different groups involved in the Syrian conflict. This Global Initiative investigation shows that captagon has become the conflict drug of choice -- not only in directly financing the ever deteriorating war in Syria but also slowly fueling the appetite for conflict: Evidence suggests that ISIS is also not only involved in captagon trafficking but also in prescription drug trafficking and abuse (tramadol). Both captagon and tramadol are used by ISIS fighters to suppress feelings of pain, induce feelings of euphoria and thereby increase levels of violence. In addition, migration and displacement feed into another vicious cycle. As drug trafficking sprawls, so does the potential for increased abuse and addiction by Syrian nationals both within the country and among the refugee populations. Further evidence suggests the increasing vulnerabilities and mental health issues of the displaced population, leading to spiking levels of drug abuse. This new Global Initiative report, launched on 1st of November, is a timely piece of analysis based on field research in six countries. It examines the dimensions of regional drug trafficking and highlights the troubling consequences for the possible resolution of the Syria conflict and the region's long-term stability. This report finds that despite limited reliable information: Drug trafficking and its impact on the rule of law is extensive and chronic, and its impact goes beyond the borders of Syria. This must be factored into development implementations in a post-conflict Syria. Development policies should have a mid- to long term focus understanding the local needs and conflicts and development of the rule of law as a cornerstone for success. Captagon production within Syria has been occurring for at least a decade. However, the current conflict has merely exploited the breakdown of the rule of law to intensify production and trafficking and added a regional facet to the issue, because The current level of conflict within Syria has forced some traffickers to move production of captagon to Lebanon and Turkey and potentially other countries within the region including Sudan. If the conflict worsens for either the regime, FSA, or ISIS and extremist groups, captagon drug trafficking could be moved on a larger scale to neighboring countries. It is unclear if ISIS is a net exporter of captagon due to other more reliable sources of funding (oil, extortion). However, there are clear links between tramadol trafficking and ISIS. Destination markets for captagon are predominantly in the Arab Peninsula and East Africa with consumption in Turkey and Syria also rising precipitously. Overall, drug trafficking and serious organized crime are a significant challenge to some countries in the region, due to newer priorities and limited capacity of law enforcement. Details: Geneva: Global Initiative against Transnational Organized Crime, 2016. 48p. Source: Internet Resource: Accessed November 3, 2016 at: http://globalinitiative.net/wp-content/uploads/2016/10/global-initiative-the-nexus-of-conflict-and-illicit-drug-trafficking--syria-and-the-wider-region-november-2016_low.pdf Year: 2016 Country: Syria Keywords: Drug Trafficking Shelf Number: 144991 |
Author: Amnesty International Title: Human Slaughterhouse: Mass Hangings and Extermination at Saydnaya Prison, Syria Summary: At Saydnaya Military Prison, the Syrian authorities have quietly and methodically organized the killing of thousands of people in their custody. Amnesty International's research shows that the murder, torture, enforced disappearance and extermination carried out at Saydnaya since 2011 have been perpetrated as part of an attack against the civilian population that has been widespread, as well as systematic, and carried out in furtherance of state policy. We therefore conclude that the Syrian authorities' violations at Saydnaya amount to crimes against humanity. Amnesty International urgently calls for an independent and impartial investigation into crimes committed at Saydnaya. Details: London: AI, 2017. 48p. Source: Internet Resource: Accessed February 15, 2017 at: https://www.amnesty.org/en/documents/mde24/5415/2017/en/ Year: 2017 Country: Syria Keywords: Disappearances Shelf Number: 145306 |
Author: Almohammad, Asaad Title: The ISIS Prison System: Its Structure, Departmental Affiliations, Processes, Conditions, and Practices of Psychological and Physical Torture Summary: This paper endeavors to explore the ISIS prison system, the arrest or abduction, interrogation and confession and total detention processes; as well as the condition of detention facilities, and the physical and psychological torture taking place within the terrorist organization's jails. Fifty-five ISIS cadres (defectors, returnees or prisoners) and 17 Syrian civilian interviewees who had been detained by ISIS were interviewed regarding their knowledge of and first experiences of incarceration in ISIS prison facilities. Their reports are compiled and dissected into three phases: 1) abduction/arrest, 2) initial processing including interrogation and confession phases, and 3) post interrogation processing. The accounts obtained from ISIS cadres, detainees and sources on the ground provided a chilling portrayal of ISIS' prison system. The detention facilities are run by different entities. These entities are namely: the Islamic police, military police, hisbah (morality police), raid squads, and Emni (security forces). Methods of detention, conditions, and torture and punishment varied across the aforementioned entities. Throughout their abduction/arrest and interrogation, detainees are subjected to a number of psychological methods of torture. These include the threat of execution, promises to receive similar fates as other tortured fellow detainees, solitary confinement, and the placement of severed heads in cages in which detainees are being held. Elaborate physical torture includes seven methods named as follows: Lashing, the Fuel, Bisat al-Rih (Flying Carpet), Shabeh (Ghost), German Chair, the Biter, and the Tire. It is hard to assess whether ISIS operatives gained actionable information or confessions as result. For many of the tortured interviewed detainees as well as the defectors, confessions meant that they would be executed by the terrorist organization. Though, detainees appear to collectively develop coping mechanisms and strategies including sharing information to avoid coerced confessions to inhibit the effectiveness of ISIS' interrogations. The use of torture serves as a reinforcement of ISIS' brand of terror. In that sense, torture is a violent method that scares civilians into submitting to ISIS' theological codes and socio-political aims. Throughout detainees' time in shared cells, they were expected to participate in sharia courses. The first course was called Redemption. The sharia lectures were often delivered by highly ranked sharia figures. The courses are carried out to indoctrinate detainees in ISIS ideology prior to their release. The last phase of the incarceration starts when the interrogation is concluded. Former detainees reported that they were not made aware beforehand of meeting sharia judges. Detainees who have been cleared of their purported offences and those who have survived ISIS' punishment are subjected to conditional release. ISIS is reported to offer former detainees to either make a ransom-like payment, or for those with skills needed by the terrorist organization to work for ISIS directorates. ISIS operatives try to coerce former detainees who can neither make the payment nor possess the skills deemed valuable by the terrorist organization to commit suicide operations. The presented findings illustrate that ISIS jailors cooperate with media operatives to use, most probably coerced, pre-execution testimony for its propaganda. The current paper also puts forth a number of names and details on ISIS operatives engaged in detaining, torturing, and extorting civilians to supply the terrorist organization with material support. Evidence of the terrorist organization's handling of hostages suggests that they were subjected to various methods of psychological and elaborate physical torture. The category of detainees that ISIS uses as sabaya or sex slaves include the Yazidis captured in Iraq, wives and daughters of captured Free Syrian Army and Jabhat al Nusrah cadres. These women are either sold or given to foreign fighters, ISIS cadres or outsiders or held in detention facilities in both Syria and Iraq. Those held in detention centers are subjected to repeated rapes by ISIS cadres who are given access to them as a reward for service. The report also demonstrates a level of sophistication in the organizational structure and governance of ISIS' prison system and interrogation processes. Based on evidence provided throughout the paper, ISIS has been observed to move its detention facilities when fearing territorial loss. This trend may be informative in reading future movements of the terrorist organization. Alongside ISIS cash reserves and ISIS leadership, the cities of Mayadin and al-Bukamal, Deir ez-Zor received a significant number of detainees and hostages. The aforementioned indicators suggest the operational significance of the two cities in taking the fight to ISIS. Details: International Center for the Study of Violent Extremists, 2017. 91p. Source: Internet Resource: Accessed August 29, 2017 at: http://www.icsve.org/research-reports/the-isis-prison-system-its-structure-departmental-affiliations-processes-conditions-and-practices-of-psychological-and-physical-torture/ Year: 2017 Country: Syria Keywords: ISIS Shelf Number: 146928 |
Author: Chynoweth, Sarah Title: " We Keep It In Our Heart": Sexual violence against men and boys in the Syria crisis Summary: As the civil war in Syria further deteriorates, accounts of systematic human rights abuses continue to emerge, including torture, starvation, and widespread sexual violence against civilians and combatants. More than five million refugees have fled to neighbouring countries in search of safety, yet they continue to face challenges of poverty, discrimination, as well as sexual violence and exploitation. Some attention has been given to women and girls who have suffered sexual violence in Syria and in displacement; however, less is known about male survivors, including ways to meet their needs. This exploratory study examined sexual violence against men and boys in the Syria crisis and their access to services in Jordan, Lebanon, and the Kurdistan Region of Iraq (KRI). In addition to a review of the literature and an online survey completed by 33 key informants, in-country data collection was undertaken in October 2016. Key informant interviews with 73 humanitarian personnel from 34 agencies were conducted as well as 21 focus group discussions with 196 refugees. Questions probed the characteristics and scope of sexual violence against men and boys, the impact on male survivors and their families, and the availability and utilisation of services for male survivors in countries of asylum. The findings and recommendations presented in the report offer a starting point for unpacking and addressing a complex, under-investigated issue. Given the challenges in researching this taboo topic, sexual violence against men and boys is likely occurring under a variety of circumstances not identified in this exploratory study. Additional investigation and attention are imperative to clarify the scope of sexual violence against males, prevent this violence where possible, and effectively meet the needs of survivors Details: Geneva, SWIT: UN High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR), 2017. 82p. Source: Internet Resource: Accessed February 12, 2018 at: https://data2.unhcr.org/en/documents/download/60864 Year: 2017 Country: Syria Keywords: Conflict-Related Violence Shelf Number: 149089 |
Author: Morrison, Chas Title: Civilian protection in urban sieges: Capacities and practices of first responders in Syria Summary: Urban conflict in Syria has had devastating impacts on besieged civilians targeted by deliberate bombing and human rights abuses. Local actors, some with an overt humanitarian mandate, engage in first response activities, but often lack sufficient training, equipment and operationalisation. Our research from four besieged urban areas finds a range of capabilities, understandings and mandates within six different sets of organisations involved in first response. Our mixed-methods research methodology points to a strong evidence-base of the needs and strengths of organisations undertaking first response, and how external agencies can better support them. Details: London: International Institute for Environment and Development (IIED), 2017. 64p. Source: Internet Resource: Working Paper: Accessed February 21, 2018 at: http://pubs.iied.org/pdfs/10834IIED.pdf Year: 2017 Country: Syria Keywords: Citizen Protection Shelf Number: 149194 |
Author: Allgeier, Rosemary Title: ISIS Child Soldiers in Syria: The Structural and Predatory Recruitment, Enlistment, Pre-Training Indoctrination, Training, and Deployment Summary: Research on the engagement of children with the so-called Islamic State (a.k.a. ISIS) relies heavily on the analysis of obtained ISIS documents and ISIS-disseminated propaganda, leaving major elements of the recruitment and deployment process uncovered. Such ambiguities hinder future efforts aimed at dealing with ISIS' child soldiers. As such, an intensive effort to compile data using interviews and naturalistic observations across ISIS held territories in Syria was made to exhaustively explore the process of child recruitment and deployment by ISIS. Findings suggest that there are two methods of recruitment: predatory and structural. The enlistment, intensity of indoctrination, types of training, and nature of deployment were found to depend, to a high degree, on the type of recruitment (i.e., predatory or structural), and category of children based on their origin (i.e., local, Middle Eastern and North African [MENA], or foreign) and if they are orphans. The data shows that the separation between children and adults' roles/assignments is diminishing. After a thorough exploration of the elements of ISIS' recruitment and deployment process, this paper argues its findings, implications, and limitations. Details: The Hague: International Centre for Counter-Terrorism, 2018. 29p. Source: Internet Resource: ICCT Research paper: Accessed March 13, 2018 at: https://icct.nl/wp-content/uploads/2018/02/ICCT-Almohammad-ISIS-Child-Soldiers-In-Syria-Feb2018.pdf Year: 2018 Country: Syria Keywords: Child Soldiers Shelf Number: 149454 |
Author: United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees Title: "We Keep It In Our Heart": Sexual Violence Against Men and Boys in the Syria Crisis Summary: This exploratory study examined sexual violence against men and boys in the Syria crisis and their access to services in Jordan, Lebanon, and the Kurdistan Region of Iraq (KRI). In addition to a review of the literature and an online survey completed by 33 key informants, in-country data collection was undertaken in October 2016. Key informant interviews with 73 humanitarian personnel from 34 agencies were conducted as well as 21 focus group discussions with 196 refugees. Questions probed the characteristics and scope of sexual violence against men and boys, the impact on male survivors and their families, and the availability and utilisation of services for male survivors in countries of asylum. The findings and recommendations presented in the report offer a starting point for unpacking and addressing a complex, under-investigated issue. Given the challenges in researching this taboo topic, sexual violence against men and boys is likely occurring under a variety of circumstances not identified in this exploratory study. Additional investigation and attention are imperative to clarify the scope of sexual violence against males, prevent this violence where possible, and effectively meet the needs of survivors. Details: Geneva: UNHCR, 2017. Source: Internet Resource: Accessed july 31, 2018 at: https://riselearningnetwork.org/wp-content/uploads/2018/07/sirya-pic.pdf Year: 2017 Country: Syria Keywords: Child Sexual Abuse Shelf Number: 150971 |
Author: Nanninga, Pieter Title: Branding a Caliphate in Decline: The Islamic States Video Output (2015-2018) Summary: Whereas video releases have been central to the Islamic State's efforts to represent itself to its audiences, an extensive quantitative and qualitative study of these sources over a longer period of time is still lacking. This paper therefore provides an overview and analysis of the entire corpus of official videos released by the Islamic State between 1 July 2015 and 30 June 2018. It particularly focuses on how the Islamic State's decline in Iraq and Syria during this period is reflected in its video output and how the group has responded to its setbacks. The paper demonstrates a strong correlation between the group's mounting troubles and its video production: the numbers of videos decreased dramatically and their content reflects the Islamic State's (re)transformation from a territory-based 'state' to an insurgent group relying on guerrilla tactics and terror attacks. Nevertheless, this paper argues, the Islamic State's multi-faceted response to its setbacks might ensure the groups' appeal to its target audience in the years to come. Details: The Hague: International Centre for Counter-Terrorism, 2019. 33p. Source: Internet Resource: Research Paper, Accessed May 8, 2019 at: https://icct.nl/wp-content/uploads/2019/04/ICCT-Nanninga-Branding-a-Caliphate-in-Decline-April2019.pdf Year: 2019 Country: Syria Keywords: Caliphate Shelf Number: 155702 |
Author: Falb, Kathryn Title: Cash Transfers in Raqqa Governorate, Syria: Changes over Time in Womens Experiences of Violence and Wellbeing Summary: Cash and voucher assistance (CVA) has quickly become one of most widely used modalities of aid in humanitarian crises. In humanitarian contexts, cash assistance has been shown to have significant positive impacts on food security and basic needs for households, helping them to withstand conflict-related economic shocks and market fluctuations, and reducing their reliance on negative coping. While cash is being increasingly used in acute emergency settings, there is a gap in evidence around the impact of CVA on violence against women and girls (VAWG). Women and girls are at increased risk of a variety of negative outcomes in conflict and humanitarian crises, including harm to their physical and mental health and increased exposure to violence and exploitation. There is little evidence from emergency settings on how cash might improve protection outcomes for women and girls, or how it might put them at further risk of gender-based violence (GBV). However, recent reviews offered promising evidence that cash has the potential to decrease intimate partner violence (IPV) in development settings. Similarly, evidence demonstrates a positive link between cash and measures of empowerment and wellbeing for women and girls, including sexual exploitation and early marriage, although impact is dependent on the programme design and contextual norms. Details: Washington DC: International Rescue Committee and London: UK Department for International Development, 2019. 80p. Source: Internet Resource: Accessed May 17, 2019 at: https://www.rescue-uk.org/sites/default/files/document/1943/p856ircsyriacashtransfersreportlr.pdf Year: 2019 Country: Syria Keywords: Cash Transfers Shelf Number: 155895 |