Syrian Coalition Calls for Replacement of Regime Delegation
Louay Safi, spokesman for the Syrian Coalition, criticized the insistence of Russia on expanding the delegation of the opposition that was formed by the Syrian Coalition. “The delegation which needs to be replaced is Assad’s delegation for not complying with the terms of negotiation in the first and second rounds,” Safi said. He also said that “if Russia really wants fruitful negotiations at Geneva II, they have to put pressure on the regime to change the negotiating delegation who…Read more
Syrian Coalition Calls for 200 People Arrested By Assad’s Regime In Homs The Syrian Coalition expresses deep concern over the fate of more than 200 men who remain detained by the Assad regime upon leaving Old Homs, allegedly for questioning. Matthew…Read more
Regime Forces Arrest Two Human Rights Activists in Damascus The head of the Syrian Center for Legal Studies and Research Anwar al-Bunni said that the Military Security Branch of the Assad regime arrested the daughter of Khalil Matouk, a prominent human rights lawyer, and her fellow human rights activist. Members of the Military Security raided the houses of Jihan Amin and Ranim Matouk in Sehnaya of Rural Damascus yesterday. Jihan has been advocating human rights for dozens of political prisoners for more than ten years, while Ranim Matouk, a 24-year-old student at the College of Fine Arts , was not involved in any political activity. Khalil Matouk, her father, has also been detained by the Assad regime since October 2012. The arrest of these two activists, along with two other young men, refutes the regime’s claims about protecting the minorities in Syria, as Matouk is a member of the Christian minority in Syria, and a lawyer for human rights who has been defending human rights for many years. He took upon the defense of hundreds of political prisoners and prisoners of conscience, including those who appeared before the Supreme Court of State Security. (Source: AFP)
Malala Yousafzai Travels to Jordanian Border to Meet Syrian Refugees Malala Yousafzai, the Pakistani school girl who was shot in the head by the Taliban for standing up for girls’ education, has been in Al Hadlat on the Syria-Jordan border offering support to refugees fleeing war-torn Syria. Videos posted on the Malala Fund’s YouTube page on Monday purportedly show Yousafzai and her father watching as Syrian refugees, many carrying small children and a few possessions, crossed the border on foot into Jordan. Other videos show Yousafzai, who has become a global advocate for children’s education since her near-death experience in October 2012, playing football with Syrian children in a refugee camp on the outskirts of the Jordanian capital Amman. “I saw young children, barefoot and poorly dressed, and felt pain because they began their journey on foot since dawn.” Al Haddlat is a border crossing everywhere hundreds of Syrians cross every day to escape the daily bombardment carried out by Assad’s forces on their cities. Malala currently lives in the United Kingdom with her family, and was reportedly nominated for the 2014 World Children’s Prize earlier in February. (Source: Al Hayat)
Syria’s Interim Government Issue First Edition of the Revised Textbooks The Ministry of Education in the Syrian interim government issued its first edition of the revised textbooks, which excluded all political propaganda that the Assad regime sought to spread through. Abdul Rahman Al-Haj, adviser of the interim Prime Minister for education, said that the Syrian interim government printed two million textbooks for all grades, which will cover the needs of 200,000 Syrian pupils.” He also said that 80% of the textbooks would be distributed to schools in the liberated areas, while 20% will be distributed in schools in neighboring countries free of charge. The cost of printing the textbooks was funded by ACU. Haj also said that the “the educational content has been preserved because the curriculum is registered by UNESCO. The revision of the curriculum took two months and was carried out by committees comprising teachers and scientific experts from all disciplines in addition to specialists in psychology. This is the first edition of the textbooks issued by the interim government, while all previous revised editions are national initiatives by civil society organizations. Haj also said that this is the only one that includes courses in English and French languages. Haj pays tribute to the Turkish government for facilitating the printing of the textbooks. The National Commission for Education and Higher Education of the Syrian Coalition started printing the textbooks, but was completed by the interim government. The textbooks that have been printed will be distributed within the next week. The interim government intends to print 30 million textbooks to be ready at the beginning of the next academic year. (Source: Syrian Coalition)
FSA Blocks Regime Forces Attempt to Storm Yabroud The Free Syrian Army clashed with regime forces backed by terrorist militias of Hezbollah near Yabroud, killing about 27 fighters and injuring dozens. Assad’s warplanes bombed Mount Mermon near Yabroud, while artillery shelling was conducted on the town of Jiroud and Harira in Qalamoun, killing two people and wounding many others. The Free Syrian Army clashed with regime forces on the outskirts of Qadam district in southern Damascus. (Source: Syrian Coalition + LCC)
Barrel Bombs Kill 16 Civilians in Mazireeb Assad’s warplanes launched barrel bomb attacks on the town of Mazireeb in Dara’a province, killing 16 people and wounding dozens. Regime forces carried out artillery shelling on the towns of Giz, Yadoda, Museifra, Naa’ma and Basr al-Harir, while the districts of Tariq al-Sad and Dara’a Camp came under shelling by machine guns. (Source: Syrian Coalition + Smart News)
Three Civilians Killed by Air Raids North of Homs Assad’s warplanes bombed the town of Addar al-Kabira north of Homs, killing three civilians and wounding dozens. Regime forces carried out artillery and rocket shelling on Al Rastan and Al Ghannto, injuring a number of civilians and causing material damage. (Source: Syrian Coalition + LCC)
FSA Attacks Regime Positions Near Muhardeh Northwest of Hama The Free Syrian Army attacked regime positions near the town of Muhardeh northwest of Hama, achieving direct hits. The Free Syrian Army clashed with regime forces south of the town of Morek north of Hama, while Assad’s warplanes bombed the towns of Suran and Kafr Zeta, causing civilian casualties and material damage. (Source: Syrian Coalition + LCC)
Six Civilians Killed by Barrel Bombs in Aleppo Regime Forces dropped barrel bombs on Al-Inzarat district of Aleppo, killing six civilians and wounding dozens. Regime forces also carried out artillery shelling on the districts of Salhiya and Al Haidariya of Aleppo, causing civilian casualties and material damage. (Source: Syrian Coalition + LCC)
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12 million euros from Europe to dispose of Assad’s chemical weapons
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