Friends back home have been writing me to ask what is going on in Syria. As of this morning, I still thought the protests would probably fizzle after some concessions by the government, but what happened in Daraa today appears to be very bad. Rumors are everywhere, while the country’s reliable journalistic eyes and ears are disappearing into prison, including those of a friend. Some say 6 died today, some say 9, some say 13, some say 31, some say 150. Al Jazeera’s coverage was heroic in Egypt, but here can barely be called reporting. In addition, it’s hard to get a feel for whether or not fears of sectarianism are founded when different groups are so willing to exploit them for political purposes. Meanwhile, on the streets of Damascus, the honk squad is back.
This is from Reporters Without Borders:
The Syrian Human Rights Monitoring Centre said journalist, writer and activist Louay Hussein was arrested yesterday after a raid on his home in the Damascus district of Sahnaya. A political prisoner from 1984 to 1991, Hussein had issued a call on the Internet for solidarity with the demonstrators in Deraa who were the victims of a heavy-handed crackdown last weekend.
Employees of Orient TV, a privately-owned satellite TV station that broadcasts from the United Arab Emirates, have been threatened by senior Syrian security officials because of its coverage of the anti-government demonstrations in Deraa and other cities. The station also interviewed opposition figures. Reporters Without Borders has been told that three employees resigned after getting threatening phone calls. As a result of the harassment, the station’s management announced that it would no longer cover events in Syria.
Also, this:
Reporters Without Borders has learned that the journalist, poet and novelist Mohammed Dibo was arrested on the night of 18 March at his home in Al-Annazah, in the northwestern city of Baniyas, where demonstrations were held earlier in the day to demand reforms.
Dibo writes for various newspapers including Jordan’s Al-Dustour and many news websites such as Al-Waan (run by the Association of Rational Arabs), Bab el Moutawasset (MediterraneanGate.net), which covers the various cultures of the Mediterranean basin, Lamp Of Freedom (http://lampoffreedom.com/) and Shukumaku (http://www.shukumaku.com/Default.php).
