Syria: Day 2 of Ramadan, Day 3 of attack on Hama (videos)

What is now labelled the Ramadan Massacre, Sunday, July 31, 2011 was the start of a bloody crackdown in Hama, Syria when government troops led by tanks lay siege to the city apparently indiscriminately shelling neighbourhoods and firing upon citizens. 150 people were reportedly killed. It is thought that the randomness of the attacks was a ploy to pacify the protests in the city by terrorizing its citizenry.

Monday, the first day of Ramadan saw more government attacks against the city. VOA writes that some of these attacks came as people protested following evening prayers. Tanks bombarded parts of the city while troops fired machine guns at worshippers.

The U.N. held a closed door session on Monday and is set to meet on Tuesday to discuss a draft resolution condemning the Syrian government’s actions. The European Union did likewise but has gone farther by imposing sanctions. These sanctions impose travel bans and asset freezes on five more officials associated with its bloody crackdown. It is reported that the EU has already sanctioned more than 30 people, including Mr. Assad.

Reuters Africa furnished some details on those targeted by EU: Major-General Tawfiq Younes, head of internal security for the intelligence directorate, Mohammad Mufleh, head of military intelligence in Hama, Ayman Jabir, an official responsible for coordinating the militia, and Mohammed Makhlouf, an uncle and close associate of Assad.

British Foreign Secretary William Hague has apparently called for stronger sanctions but is also saying that international military intervention is “not a remote possibility.” He added that in order to effectively ramp up the pressure on President Assad, Arab countries should be more outspoken in their condemnation of his actions. Up to now, most Arab countries have been silent on events in Syria and some pundits are speculating that this silence represents the apprehension of similar regimes to seeing protests come to their own countries.

This vast movement of civil unrest, known as the Arab Spring, is a surprising turn of events after decades of the status quo. Since 18 December 2010 there have been revolutions in Tunisia and Egypt; a civil war in Libya; civil uprisings in Bahrain, Syria, and Yemen; major protests in Algeria, Iraq, Jordan, Morocco, and Oman, as well as on the borders of Israel, and minor protests in Kuwait, Lebanon, Mauritania, Saudi Arabia, Sudan, and Western Sahara. Whatever is going on, it seems more and more apparent that the genie is not going back in the bottle.

Assad has been quoted as saying that he lays the blame for the protests on foreign-inspired plots adding that extremist religious groups are exercising violence and terrorism. However, at some times Assad has reportedly conceded that some demonstrators have legitimate demands and he has gone so far as to pledge political changes. Unfortunately, as with other movements like in Egypt, Tunisia and Libya, the political change demanded by the people also entails a change in regime and it would seem that Assad like Gaddafi is determined to not give up the reins of power. As one analyst questioned, is civil war soon to break out in Syria? So far, the only element similar to Libya which is missing would be high-ranking defections in the military. There have been some reports of Syrian soldiers refusing to follow orders by firing on their own citizens.

Avaaz, a global movement that monitors Syria as the government has banned foreign journalists, said that since March 15, 1,634 people have been killed in the crackdown. It estimated that 2,918 people had disappeared, 26,000 had been arrested with many of them beaten and tortured, and that 12,617 were still in detention. (Reuters Africa)

Uploaded by timesnowonline on Aug 2, 2011

Syria: Assad launches brutal crackdown

Syrian forces killed nearly 140 people on Monday (August 1) including 100 when the army stormed the flashpoint protest city of Hama to crush dissent on the eve of Ramadan, activists said. Activists said it was one of deadliest days in Syria since demonstrators first took to the streets on March 15 demanding democratic reforms before turning their wrath on the regime and calling for its ouster.

Uploaded by AlJazeeraEnglish on Aug 1, 2011

Syrian violence draws international criticism

International condemnation of Syria’s violent actions in Hama and other cities has been swift, but NATO has ruled out any intervention to stop the violence. Turkey and Russia, both close allies of the country’s president, led the criticism, with Britain calling for concerted action by the United Nations.

Uploaded by AlJazeeraEnglish on Jul 31, 2011

‘Scores dead’ as Syrian tanks storm Hama

Syrian security forces have launched a major assault on Hama, the country’s third-largest city, a day before the start of the Islamic holy month of Ramadan.

References

Oye! Times – Monday, August 1, 2011

Syria faces condemnation but the killing continues (videos)

The Telegraph is reporting today that tanks have renewed their assault on the city of Hama. Syrian security forces are supposedly bombarding Hama while reportedly shooting at anyone who ventures out onto the streets and shelling the homes of those who do not. Pacify Hama and the protests at any cost seems to be the order of the day.

Oye! Times – Sunday, July 31, 2011

Syria: 150 killed in pre-Ramadan crackdown (videos)

News outlets are reporting that President Bashar al-Assad has decided to follow in his father’s footsteps by sending in tanks to crush the uprising in the central city of Hama. Hama was the scene of a notorious massacre in 1982 when the Ba’ath regime crushed an Islamist uprising that challenged the rule of the president’s father, Hafez al-Assad. At least 10,000 were killed then.

Wikipedia: 2011 Syrian uprising

The 2011 Syrian uprising is an ongoing internal conflict, occurring in Syria since March 2011. Protests began on 26 January 2011, and escalated to an uprising by 15 March 2011. The uprising is influenced by concurrent protests in the region, and has been described as “unprecedented.”

Wikipedia: Timeline of the 2011 Syrian uprising

The following is a timeline of the 2011 Syrian uprising, a series of major protests and unrest taking place in Syria, which began on 26 January 2011, influenced by concurrent protests in the region.

31 July – Ramadan Massacre

On what appeared to be the bloodiest day of the uprising to date, at least 136 were killed across the country as Syrian tanks, snipers, and troops stormed Deir ez-Zor, Hama, Harak, and Al-Bukamal. The crackdown was an apparent effort to halt the momentum of the protest movement before the Muslim holy month of Ramadan. The Syrian government claimed its military actions were in response to armed gangs attacking buildings and forcing people to protest, allegations rejected by protesters and American diplomats inside the country.

Wikipedia: Siege of Hama (2011)

The Siege of Hama, also known as the Ramadan Massacre, occurred on 31 July 2011, primarily in the Syrian city of Hama.

Wikipedia: Hama massacre (1982)

The Hama massacre) occurred in February 1982, when the Syrian army, under the orders of the president of Syria Hafez al-Assad, conducted a scorched earth policy against the town of Hama in order to quell a revolt by the Sunni Muslim community against the regime of al-Assad. The Hama massacre, personally conducted by president Assad’s younger brother, Rifaat al-Assad, effectively ended the campaign begun in 1976 by Sunni Islamic groups, including the Muslim Brotherhood, against Assad’s regime, whose leaders were disproportionately from president Assad’s own Alawite sect.

Initial diplomatic reports from western countries stated that only 1,000 were killed. Subsequent estimates vary, with the lower estimates claiming that at least 10,000 Syrian citizens were killed, the majority civilians, while others put the number at 20,000 (Robert Fisk), or 40,000 (Syrian Human Rights Committee). About 1,000 Syrian soldiers were killed during the operation and large parts of the old city were destroyed. Alongside events like the Black September massacre in Jordan, the attack has been described as among “the single deadliest acts by any Arab government against its own people in the modern Middle East”. The vast majority of the victims were civilians.

Wikipedia: Arab Spring

The series of protests and demonstrations across the Middle East and North Africa has become known as the “Arab Spring”, and sometimes as the “Arab Spring and Winter”, “Arab Awakening” or “Arab Uprisings” even though not all participants in protests identify as Arab. It was sparked by the first protests that occurred in Tunisia on 18 December 2010 following Mohamed Bouazizi’s self-immolation in protest of police corruption and ill treatment. With the success of the protests in Tunisia, a wave of unrest struck Algeria, Jordan, Egypt, and Yemen, then spread to other countries, with the largest, most organised demonstrations often occurring on a “day of rage”, usually Friday after noon prayers. The protests have also triggered similar unrest outside the region.

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