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Assad Under Siege

(Washington Times) Nir Boms and Daveed Gartenstein-Ross - On March 31, Syrian military intelligence arrested Internet journalist and human-rights activist Mohammed Ghanem, 51, most likely because of his work at www.surion.org where he wrote a recent series of articles detailing Syria's political realities and the plight of its Kurdish community. He joined the ranks of close to 1,500 political prisoners being held without trial. In the past three months, Human Rights Watch has documented the arrests of 26 activists that appear to be tied solely to their attempts to speak freely about political conditions in Syria. This growing wave suggests that the Syrian opposition - a group that was invisible only three years ago - is beginning to show some real resistance to the regime. Assad's weakness and ineptitude, combined with an increased international focus on Syria's involvement in Lebanon and Iraq, have helped reinvigorate the opposition. Indeed, it is becoming difficult to keep track of the large number of Syrian groups and activists who are working on the cause of political reform inside and outside Syria.
2006-04-19 00:00:00
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