After more than five decades of tyranny, repression, and corruption, the Assad regime has fallen. It left behind a heavy legacy of physical and moral destruction, extreme poverty and marginalization of large segments of the Syrian people, an alarming decline in public services, the exacerbation of ethnic and sectarian tensions that the former regime fostered, and a political vacuum after generations were denied the right to freely engage in public affairs. All of this confronts our country in its new epoch with major challenges—to rebuild politically, economically, socially, culturally, and psychologically, and to safeguard its future from tyranny and any tendency by any party to monopolize power at its own whim.

Our daughters and sons, students and young researches are in very crucial need of opening these diplomatic missions and cultural centers. Continuing of closing these institutions for more than five years affected very negatively the scientific and cultural situation, which is in usefulness of deeper spreading the extremism and fundamentalism.

I appeal for "opening German Embassy and Goethe Institute" in Damascus!

Bassel Khartabil was moved to an unknown location on 3 October, from ‘Adra prison, where he had been held since December 2012. He is at risk of torture and other ill-treatment. He had been arrested on 15 March 2012 by Syrian Military Intelligence agents in the al-Mezzeh area of Damascus.

He was detained by Military Intelligence incommunicado and without his family being informed of his whereabouts until November 2012, when he was transferred to ‘Adra prison and from there to a Military Field Court and then Saydnaya military prison on 9 December 2012. He later said that his questioning before the Military Field Court took roughly one minute and he was not told its conclusion.

When he was returned to ‘Adra prison in late December 2012, he said that he had been tortured and otherwise ill-treated while detained at Saydnaya military prison.

It is not known why Bassel Khartabil was arrested, but it is likely to have been because of his activities as a peaceful activist and advocate for the right to freedom of expression. He had worked as a software engineer until he was arrested, specializing in open-source software development.

Bassel Khartabil was able to tell his family on 3 October that he had been told to collecthis belongings as he would be transferred, but was not told where he would be taken. His family fear that he has been moved to the al-Qaboun Branch of the Military Police to be brought before a Military Field Court again. Torture and other ill-treatment are rife in these facilities and proceedings before Military Field Courts are grossly unfair.

Following the uprising in Syria and the vicious civil war, which steeped the entire country into bloodshed, Kurds have established their own political entity in the north and northeastern parts of the country to protect people and civilian lives amid imbroglio and the insecure condition of the region. Although spared much of the fighting in other parts of Syria, civilians in the three predominantly Kurdish areas have been victims of ongoing human rights and humanitarian law violations. The Kurdish autonomous region of three cantons, including Afrin, Ain al-Arab (Kobani) and Jazira, was brutally targeted and attacked from the onset by fanatic Islamist armed groups in the area. The constant attacks led tens of thousands of Kurdish families to flee their home and seek refuge in Turkey and the Kurdish region in Iraq.

**************

KURDISH:
دەستپێک: لە سەرەتای دامەزرانی دەوڵەتی سوریاوە تا ئەمڕۆ نەتەوەی کورد لەو وڵاتە بووەتە قوربانی دەستی سیاسەتی رەگەزپەرستانە و نامرۆیی حکومەتە یک لە دوای یەکەکانی ئەو وڵاتە. بۆ دژایەتی کردنی کورد دەسەڵاتداران لە سوریا هەر لەسەرتاوە سیاسەتی پاکتاوی رگەزی، رگەزپەرەستی و سوکایەتیان لەگەڵ نەتەوەی کورد گرتەبەر. لە ژێر دەسەڵاتی رژێمی بەعس ئەم سیاسەتە دژە مرۆییانەی دەوڵەتی ناوەندی بۆ سەرکوت و بێ بەش کردنی نەتەوەی کورد لە مافە ڕەواکانی گەیشتە لوتکەی سەرەڕۆیی و نادادپەرەوری. کۆچی زۆرەمڵێی خەڵکی کورد، هەڵوەشاندنەوەی مافی شارومەندی، قەدەغەکردنی بەکارهێنانی زمانی کوردی و هەر چەشنە چاپ و بڵاکراویەک بەم زمانە ، دەستگیری کردنی و کوشتنی چالاکانی سیاسی و مەدەنی و خەڵکی سڤیل، دادگایی نا دادپەروەرانەو و ئەشکنجەی زیندانیانی کورد، قەدەغە کردنی مافی هاتووچۆ بۆ دەرەوی وڵات، قەدەغە کردنی مافی خاوەندارێتی و کڕین و فرۆشتی مڵک، قەدەغە کردنی خۆپیشاندان وهەرچەشنە چالاکی و بۆنەیەکی کلتوری و نەتەوەیی و دەیان پێشێلکاری دیکە لە ریزی سیاسەتەکانی رژێمی بەعس و رژێمەکانی دیکە بوون لە دژی نەتەوەی کورد لە رۆژئاوا بە درێژای چەندین دەیەی رابردوو.

دوابەدوای دەستپێکی شۆرش لە سوریە و سەرهەڵدانی شەڕی ناخۆیی کە سەرتاسەر وڵاتی وێران و لە خوێن گەوزاندوە، کوردانی رۆژائاوا بۆ پاراستنی ژیان و ماڵی هاوڵاتیان سیستەمی سیاسی خۆیان لە ناوچە کوردنشینەکان دامەزراند کە تا رادەیەکی بەرچاو توانیان گیان و ماڵی هاوڵاتیان لە شەڕ و وێرانیانە بپارێزن کە لە سوریا دا لە ئارادایە. سەرەڕای ئەم هەوڵانە، کوردانی رۆژئاوا زیاتر لە هەمووان بونەتە قوربانی دەستی ئەو پێشێلکاریە بەربڵاوانەی مافی مرۆڤ کە لە سوریایدا لە ئارادان. خەڵکی رۆژئاوا زیاتر بونەتە قوربانی دەستی هێزە چەکدارە سەلەفی و ئیسلامیەکانی وەک دەوڵەتی ئیسلامی شام و عێراق (داعش) وبەرەی نوسرە. هەر لە سەرەتای دامەزراندنی سێ کانتونی عەفرین، جەزیرە و کوبانی ئەم ناوچانە کەوتنە بەر هێرشی دڕندانەی چەکدارانی داعش کە لە ئەنجامدا هەزاران بنەماڵ کورد ئاوارەی وڵاتانی دەوروبەر و تورکیا و عێراق و هەرێمی کوردستان بوون.

************
FARSI:

مقدمە: از تاسیس دولت سوریە تاکنون دول مرکزی این کشور بەصورت سیستماتیک حقوق بنیادین و اساسی کوردهای ساکن این کشور را نقض کردە ودر سیاستهایشان متوسل بە هرگونە اقدام ضد بشری و نژادپرستانە و تبعیض آمیزی علیە کوردها شدەاند. در طول دوران حکمرانی حکومت بعث مقامات این کشور بە سیاستهای ضد انسانی و سرکوب سازمان یافتە علیە کوردها ادامە دادە و آنها را از هرگونە حقوق سیاسی و فرهنگی محروم کردند. لغو حق شهروندی و تابعیت سیاسی، ممنوعیت حق استفادە از زبان کوردی وهرگونە نشر و چاپی بە این زبان، بازداشت غیر قانونی وخودسرانە فعالین اجتماعی و سیاسی، آزار و آذیت و بد رفتاری با زندانیان، برپایی دادگاهای فرمایشی و نا عادلانە، لغو و محدود کردن حق مالکیت، عدم اجازە خروج از کشور، ممنوعیت برپایی هرگونە تجمع و جشن و مراسمات فرهنگی و ملی از جملەی سیاستهای اصلی اعمال شدە دولت سوریە علیە کوردهای آن کشور بودە است.
بە دنبال انقلاب سوریە و آغاز جنگ داخلی کە تابحال منجر بە کشتە شدن صدها هزار نفر شدە، کوردها توانستند مناطق کوردنشین را تحت کنترل خود در آوردند و جهت حفاظت از جان و مال شهروندان سیستم سیاسی مستقل خود را در این مناطق مستقر کردند. با اینکە استقرار این سیستم سیاسی در منا‌طق شمال و شمال شرق سوریە بە صورت قابل ملاحظەای مردم کورد و دیگر ساکنان این مناطق را از آتش جنگ ویرانگر دیگر مناطق سوریە دور نگەداشت ولی ساکنان این مناطق قربانیان اصلی نقض حقوق بشر و آماج اصلی حملات غیر انسانی گروهای تندرو اسلامی منطقە شدند. ازهمان آغاز تاسیس سە کانتون جزیرە، عفرین و کوبانی مورد حملەی وحشیانەی‌ نیروهای دولت اسلامی شام و عراق (داعش) و جبهە النصرە قرار گرفت. بە دلیل حملات پی در پی داعش بە شهر و روستاهای کوردنشین و نا امنی منط‌قە تا بەحال هزاران خانوادە کورد مجبور بە ترک محل زندگی خود و فرار بە ترکیە و اقلیم کردستان عراق شدەاند.

With an extensive oeuvre that has been decades in the making, his subject matter has ranged from highly political social satire to meditative still-lives. As such his work has been influential to a number of young and emerging artists in the Arab world.

On July 19, 2013, the Syrian regime forces arrested Yousef Ebdalki after he signed a declaration calling for the departure of President Bashar al-Assad. In particular, the petition, which he signed mere hours before being arrested, offered “support to the forces of the revolution who advocate the establishment of a pluralistic democracy” and expressed “desire for a peaceful solution to stop the bloodshed and to preserve national unity and territorial integrity which involves the departure of Bashar al-Assad and pillars of his regime.”

He had been arrested once before by the regime, in 1978.

Salah Barakat, a friend of Abdelke’s, wrote: “This is somebody who believes so much in Syria that he refused any other nationality, and the first minute he was able to come back he came back. This is nationalism, this is belief in his own culture, and we wanted to stand by him.”

According to his wife, “[He] was keen to stay in Damascus in recent years, despite the difficulties of daily life and the dangers of surviving under a regime with an unlimited capacity for violence.”

We are concerned about the welfare and safety of these women, particularly after learning that the prison administrators are trying to force them to end their hunger strike. Since the authorities usually disregard international human rights law when dealing with detainees, the women’s families are anxious about their situation and the possible mistreatment they may receive from the authorities. In addition, the families are unable to visit the detainees because of the worsening security situation on the road to ‘Adra prison.

We, Syrian citizens from across the social and political spectrum, hold the Syrian authorities responsible for the lives and welfare of detainees in Adra prison as well as in all detention facilities run by the various security branches in Syria.

We call on you to put pressure on the Syrian authorities to immediately release these women detainees, some of whom require urgent medical attention.

You can add your signature to letter through this petition.

Sign and share widely! Thanks!

We are asking the politician’s to take moral, legal and ethical responsibility to ‘save All Mandaean’ refugees in Syria and Jordan. Almost all Mandaean refugees fled Iraq forever. Our aspiration is to resettle these refugees in Australia, New Zealand, America and all other western nations as a persecuted group in order to save the Mandaean future culture, traditions, and faith of the Mandaean community.

Without the help of our Politicians and governments, the Mandaean community, who are particularly without a country, and protection, are left to defend for themselves, and are headed towards total extinction.

Mandaeans are considered the smallest and most vulnerable ethno-religious minority in Iraq and Iran. We number fewer than 70,000 people in the world, scattered around the globe as a result of Western intervention in Iraq and religious persecution in Iran. We follow the teachings of John the Baptist and practice baptism in flowing water as our central ritual.

Our teachings expressly forbid us from carrying weapons, even for self-defense. Instead, the Ginza Raba (Great Treasure), the chief Mandaean holy book, teaches us to oppose injustice bravely with words and knowledge, not iron. We therefore live our lives solely by peaceful means…

You can add your signature to letter through this petition.

Sign and share widely! Thanks!