Neue Proteste in Syrien gehen in die zweite Woche

Vor zwei Wochen gingen sie in Suwaida los: Neue Proteste, erst nur gegen Preiserhöhungen, dann offen gegen das Regime. Auch in anderen Städten wurde demonstriert und schon stellen einige sich die Frage, ob dies der Beginn einer neuen Protestwelle im von Assad kontrollierten Teil des Landes ist:

A spate of protests and strikes across government-held areas in southern Syria have continued into their second week, with demonstrators increasingly unafraid to call for the removal of the president, Bashar al-Assad.

Protesters gathered in the southern city of Suwayda on Monday, closing provincial roads. The province of Suwayda has remained under government control since Syria’s 2011 uprising and is home to much of the country’s Druze minority.

Video shared by the activist-led organisation Suwayda24 showed several hundred people gathered in a central square waving Druze flags and chanting “long live Syria, and down with Bashar al-Assad”.

Another video circulating online showed activists chanting on Sunday evening after welding shut the doors of a branch of the ruling Ba’ath party in the town of Melh in the east of Suwayda province.

One protester explained that they targeted the building due to its role in suppressing previous protests calling for an increase in basic services such as water and electricity.

He then directed his cries towards the Syrian president, who has worked to stamp out all dissent since protests against his rule first erupted in 2011. “From Melh we call on you, Bashar al-Assad … we say leave, we don’t want you, you’re going to fall.”

Protests spurred by a rise in fuel prices and anger at economic corruption and mismanagement quickly morphed into anti-government demonstrations, including repeated calls for Assad to leave. Demonstrations have grown steadily throughout Syria’s south.

In Suwayda, people held signs citing a UN security council resolution demanding a transitional government, or calling for the release of thousands that have been forcibly disappeared by the Syrian security apparatus since protests first gripped the country 12 years ago.

“Suwayda hasn’t witnessed a civil strike and movement like this before. People don’t want reforms. This regime is not able to provide people with any of their needs,” said Rayan Marouf, the exiled head of Suwayda24.

“These protests have awakened hope in Syrians. Their demands are clear, and no one is making economic demands. People in Suwayda also protested over the past few years and nothing changed.”

In verschiedenen Orten mauerten Demonstranten außerdem die Eingänge zu Büros der herrschenden Baath-Partei zu:

Local news outlet Suwayda 24 shared a video showing a group of men using welding tools to seal the main gate to party headquarters. Local branches of the Baath in other parts of the province and government institutions have likewise been closed.