Syria Notes
@syrianotes.org
Informing UK policy debates on Syria. Focused on human rights and accountability. Web: https://www.syrianotes.org/ Facebook: http://facebook.com/SyriaNotes/ YouTube: http://youtube.com/@syrianotes5908
Martin Griffiths, former UN under-secretary-general for humanitarian affairs and emergency relief coordinator, writes on what the international community should have done from the start, and on what the Syrian government needs to do now. www.aljazeera.com/opinions/202...
Syrian people must not be failed again
Stabilising Syria means stabilising its economy. It urgently needs international support and a safer investment climate.
aljazeera.com
As a British citizen, Asma Assad comes under the ICC’s jurisdiction. A warrant could also be issued in the UK for her arrest. “She’s British – it’s an opportunity, because she’s from a member country that’s signed the treaty.” — @chloehadj.bsky.social et al. observer.co.uk/news/interna...
The case against Asma: how a London schoolgirl helped lea...
The British wife of toppled Syrian president Bashar al-Assad has been revealed as a central figure in his murderous operation and at the heart of its decision-making
observer.co.uk
Two bombs exploded near a hotel in Damascus where Emmanuel Macron spent the night, but his office says he did not hear the explosions. He met al-Sharaa soon afterwards. Syrian authorities say 18 people were wounded by the blasts. — @reuters.com www.reuters.com/world/middle...
Bomb attack rocks Damascus during Macron visit
Two bombs exploded near a hotel in Damascus where French President Emmanuel Macron had spent the night, but his office said he did not hear the explosions and he met Syrian President Ahmed al-Sharaa ...
reuters.com
After the announcement of 70 members appointed by al-Sharaa, the new Syrian People’s Assembly prepares to hold its first session nearly two years after the fall of the Assad regime. — @thenewarab.bsky.social www.newarab.com/news/new-syr...
New Syrian assembly begins: priorities, powers and limitations
Syria’s new People’s Assembly prepares for its first session, with lawmakers outlining legislative priorities, oversight powers and constitutional limits during
newarab.com
Austrian court convicts two former Syrian officials of torture Khaled al-Halabi, former head of General Intelligence Directorate in Raqqa city, was sentenced to eight years. Musab Abu Rukbah, a Raqqa police investigator, was also convicted. — @deutschewelle.dw.com www.dw.com/en/syrian-of...
Austrian court convicts 2 former Syrian officials of torture
A Vienna court has convicted two former Syrian security officials, including the former intelligence chief in Raqqa, for offenses including torture and sexual assault against opponents of Bashar Assad...
dw.com
Discrimination against pregnant women Syrian employee legislation promises protection for pregnant women, but many workplaces contravene the law. — Mawada Bahhah for Syria Untold syriauntold.com/2026/07/06/d...
Discrimination against pregnant women | SyriaUntold | حكاية ما انحكت
It took Deema, 40 years old, some time to settle into the company car. She is in the final three months of her pregnancy. She groaned deeply, settling into the driver’s seat. Then she heard one of her...
syriauntold.com
British firms explore investment in Syria First conference of the Syria Britain Business Council held in Damascus. — Enab Baladi english.enabbaladi.net/archives/202...
British Firms Explore Investment in Syria - Enab Baladi
British businesspeople and companies are looking to invest in vital sectors in Syria, a prospect discussed at the first conference […]
english.enabbaladi.net
Women and girls in Syria continue to be killed under pretexts linked to so-called “honour” in crimes that target their right to make personal decisions concerning marriage, divorce, choice of partner, and management of their private affairs. — Syrians for Truth & Justice stj-sy.org/en/under-the...
Under the Pretext of “Honour”: Syrian Women Killed for Exercising Their Right to Choose - Syrians for Truth and Justice
This publication was funded by the European Union, and in partnership with the Ceasefire Centre for Civilian Rights. The contents of this publication are the sole responsibility of Syrians for…
stj-sy.org
Syria’s New Parliament of Networks The backgrounds of those sitting in the People’s Assembly indicate a body that is neither monolithic nor strictly factional. — Abdullah Al-Ghadhawi for @newlinesmag.bsky.social newlinesmag.com/spotlight/sy...
Syria’s New Parliament of Networks
The biographies of those sitting in the People’s Assembly show that it is neither monolithic nor strictly factional, but simply the revolution's memory, given a political afterlife
newlinesmag.com
Why Syria needs to reckon with the massacres of 1860 — Asser Khattab for @aljumhuriya.bsky.social. aljumhuriya.net/en/2026/07/0...
Why Syria Needs to Reckon With the Massacres of 1860
Confronting Our Darkest Chapters Is Essential to Moving Past Them
aljumhuriya.net
The fate of Rania al-Abbasi’s children: How one family came to embody Syria’s struggle for justice Muzna Alnaib for @thenewarab.bsky.social www.newarab.com/analysis/how...
How one family came to embody Syria’s struggle for justice
In-Depth: For more than a decade, Dr Rania al-Abbasi’s family symbolised Syria’s disappeared. Today, they embody the country’s struggle for justice after Assad
newarab.com
#Syria and #Lebanon signed an agreement establishing a High Committee for Cooperation and Partnership after talks in #Beirut between FM Asaad al-Shaibani and PM Nawaf Salam. Al-Shaibani invited President Joseph Aoun to #Damascus and left the door open to future #Hezbollah talks.
Syrian News Channel, citing a security source, said a planted #explosive device caused a blast at a café near #Damascus’ Palace of Justice. Five people were killed and 16 injured. The Interior Ministry cordoned off the area and launched an investigation. #Syria
Today, Antoine Kassis, a cousin of Bashar Al-Assad was sentenced to 30 years in prison in the US Antoine Kassis was part of a multinational drug & weapon trafficking operation which directly supported the #Assad government www.justice.gov/usao-edva/pr...
justice.gov
Coastal Incidents Trial #3 - Assad Affiliates On day 4 of the trial, multiple witnesses testified on behalf of 4 accused Witnesses recounted that none of the accused were affiliated with armed groups or participated in the fighting syriaaccountability.org/inside-the-c...
Inside the Coastal Incidents Trial – Assad’s Affiliates #3: Defense Witnesses’ Testimony
TRIAL OF The Coastal Incidents Military Criminal Court – Aleppo, Syria Trial Monitoring Summary #3 – Assad’s Affiliates Hearing Date: March 15, 2026 CAUTION: Some testimony may include graph...
syriaaccountability.org
‘Waiting for chaos’: IS adapts under pressure, betting on the failure of Syria’s transition ✍️ @walid-alnofal.bsky.social syriadirect.org/waiting-for-...
‘Waiting for chaos’: IS adapts under pressure, betting on the failure of Syria’s transition
Harried by government security campaigns, IS appears unable to regain territorial control in Syria, instead working to maintain visibility through limited operations while betting on the failure of th...
syriadirect.org
🧵 Driven by high property prices, Daraa residents are building homes beyond the planned boundaries of cities and towns, creating new neighborhoods without basic infrastructure and presenting already overstretched municipalities with a dilemma. 🔗 bit.ly/4wdHg2w
The third site, located in the central part of Syria, contained chemical rockets, launchers for these rockets, mixing equipment for chemical bombs, nerve agent precursor storage containers, a variety of other unidentified chemicals, and lots of documents.
At another site in the central area of Syria, the OPCW found "several dozen undeclared unfilled" bombs and rockets designed to deliver chemical agents. OPCW has already said these munitions match those used sarin attacks on Ghouta, Khan Sheikhoun, and Ltamenah. www.opcw.org/media-centre...
According to @dankaszeta.bsky.social the amount of hexamine hidden by Assad would have been enough to stabilize the production of about 1 ton of sarin. For more on hexamine's role as an acid scavenger in the production of sarin, see his @bellingcat.com article: www.bellingcat.com/resources/20...
Amines and Sarin – Hexamine, Isopropylamine, and the Rest… - bellingcat
Translations:English (UK)Русский (Россия)(Revised edition, May 2017) One subject that keeps coming up in ongoing debates about Sarin chemical attack in Syria from 2013 to date is the nature, role, and...
bellingcat.com
Hexamine is a well known signature ingredient of the Syrian sarin recipe as documented by multiple international investigations and national intelligence agencies. www.bellingcat.com/news/middle-...
What We Know About Hexamine and Syria's Sarin - bellingcat
Translations:English (UK)Русский (Россия)After 6 years of chemical attacks in Syria, many details have been gathered about the nature of chemical weapon use in Syria, including the munitions and chemi...
bellingcat.com
First site contained 600 kg of a "chemical compound linked to the production of nerve agents." This is likely the hexamine that @reuters.com said was part of one of the caches. www.reuters.com/world/middle...
In May, OPCW inspectors visited 7 suspected CW sites in central and coastal areas of Syria, 3 of which contained declarable munitions, equipment, or chemicals. The inspectors had identified 16 high priority sites to visit so what they found so far is likely just a portion of what Assad hid.
The OPCW has released its latest monthly progress report on the elimination of the former Syrian CW program. This report adds some details to the big reveal in May regarding the discovery of a cache of Assad-era chemical weapons. Here are the highlights: www.opcw.org/sites/defaul...
opcw.org
#Syria - Last week in Damascus, the trial of Wassim Assad kicked off just after a third hearing in the Atef Najib case, and just before the opening of another trial against the former Grand Mufti of Syria. www.justiceinfo.net/en/161045-sy... #WassimAssad #JusticeInSyria #TransitionalJustice
Syria: First Assad in the Cage
Last week in Damascus, the trial of Wassim Assad kicked off on Wednesday June 24, just after a third hearing in the Atef Najib case, and just before the opening of another trial against the former Gra...
justiceinfo.net
After public pushback forced a pause on alcohol restrictions, the issue has re-emerged through a quieter route: Syria’s new customs regulations. Alcoholic beverages and musical instruments have reportedly been listed as prohibited imports. — @haidhaid22.bsky.social en.majalla.com/node/331804/...
People granted asylum in the UK will be required to pay back around £10,000 towards the cost of their accommodation and support once they start earning, under new rules included in the upcoming Immigration and Asylum Bill, which will be put before Parliament on Tuesday. bsky.app/profile/jonf...
Jon Featonby@jonfeatonby.bsky.social · last mo.The latest reveal from tomorrow’s asylum bill - a refugee tax. Asylum support is only available to people who would otherwise be destitute. So this targets those with the least, lumbering refugees with £10k of debt just when they’re trying to get on with their lives www.bbc.co.uk/news/article...
