The Anonymous guide to the Syrian Revolution. #OpSyria

Deaths of Syria: http://syria.herokuapp.com/
___________________________________________________________________________



                        The Anonymous guide to the Syrian Revolution. #OpSyria

"In a time of universal deceit, telling the truth becomes a revolutionary act." - George Orwell

Hello citizens of the world, we are Anonymous.
For three years we have witnessed the slaughter and pain across Syria inflicted by the brutal Assad regime. It has come to our attention that although there is an abundant amount of information available many outside of Syria refuse to see it or acknowledge it's existence. Among the people who knowingly deceive the world with lies are certain entities such as @Anon_Central and the dozen Anons hiding within this shared account and it's edgy "anti-imperialist" following. For this reason we are releasing this guide to help you the ordinary citzen understand the Syrian revolution and what it truly is. You are free to stand against intervention, not the Truth.


How/why the uprising/revolution began



 Influenced by the Arab Spring that swept the Middle East in 2011, anti-regime protests broke out in the southern province of Dar'a in March 2011 after a group of schoolboys who scrawled anti-government graffiti on walls; were jailed without trial for several days and subsequently released with major signs of torture; This sparked Peaceful Protests calling for the repeal of the restrictive Emergency Law allowing arrests without charge, the legalization of political parties, and the removal of corrupt local officials. Since then peaceful demonstrations and unrest have spread to nearly every city in Syria. Eventhough the Assad Regime has responded to unrest with a mix of concessions - including the repeal of the 'Emergency Law' and approving new laws which permit new political parties and liberalizing local and national elections - granted for every act of good will broadcasted by the Assad regime it's brutal mass arrest campaign against activists and use of force (Lethal & Non-Lethal) of peaceful demonstrations overshadowed any and all reform proposed by the regime. Understandably, the regime's response failed to meet opposition demands for President Assad to step down, and the regime's ongoing security operations to quell unrest and widespread armed opposition activity have led to an all out war between government forces and opposition.


Who is the Assad Regime?
Leader: Bashar Al'Assad, ie: Duck, Giraffe, Lion
Brutal 40 year old Dictatorship
Alliances: Iran, Hezbollah, Russia, China


Who are the FSA?
FSA is short for Free Syrian Army
Who are they?: Syrian nationals made up of former SAA defectors and ordinary citizens.
Alliances: US, , West, Qatar, KSA, 3rd party radicals

Who are the radicals involved in this conflict?
Al-Qaeda & branch offs, Hezbollah.


Are all Syrian Rebels Radical Islamist/Jihadist?

No, The Syrian conflict began as a secular revolt against autocracy. Yet as the conflict protracts, a radical Islamist dynamic has emerged within the opposition. There is a significant jihadist presence inside Syria, and this presence within the opposition galvanizes Assad’s support base. Assad has used the threat of jihadists within the opposition to build support for the regime; It has also served to discourage middle and upper class Sunnis from joining the opposition. Externally, Russian and Iranian leadership have consistently pointed to the presence of radical Islamist as a critical rationale for their support of the Assad regime. While U.S. and E.U. leadership have pointed to the presence of radical islamists as a critical rationale for not arming the opposition. Compared to uprisings in Libya, Egypt and Tunisia, the opposition in Syria faces a much greater threat of jihadist infiltration. Many jihadi elements now operating in Syria are already familiar with the terrain, having been sponsored and allowed to roam within Syria by the Assad regime for over 30 years. Most notable was this alliance during the Iraq / American war; where it was reported many insurgents & arms were surfacing from towns along the Syria/Iraq border. These same jihadi extremists turned against their former regime allies in 2011 and are now cooperating with local jihadists. Note: Moderate political Islam is not incompatible with democracy. However, ultraconservative Sunni Islamists, known as Salafists, envision a new world order modeled on early Islam that poses a significant threat to both democracy and the notion of statehood. Salafi-jihadists are those who commit to violent means to bring about the Salafi vision regardless of what the rest of the opposition may have in mind.

What about foreigners fighting in Syria, Is Al-Qaeda assisting the opposition forces?
Yes to some extent media both western and pro regime tend to exaggerate reports of their influence and/or presence, small al-Qaeda affiliated networks are operating in the country, including elements of al-Qaeda in Iraq, Abdullah Azzam Brigades, Fatah al-Islam, ISIS, Al-Nustra, and Jordanian Salafi-jihadists.

Function: Special forces, operational support, trainers and bomb makers,
Purpose: Attempting to capitalize on the instability in Syria and expand their influence in the region.

What is the main goal of the revolution?
To liberate Syria from the Assad regime and establish a peaceful democratic state.

UNDERSTANDING SYRIA’S OPPOSITION (via http://beta.syriadeeply.org/the-rebels/ ):

A Fragmented Set of Would-be Leaders
As the revolution morphed from peaceful protests into civil war, it was hard to identify a strong, credible alternative to President Bashar al Assad. That’s been a major obstacle to ending the fight, through any negotiated or enforced transition to a democratic Syria.
More than 20 months into Syria’s uprising a unified opposition coalition has begun to emerge. A National Coalition of opposition leaders took shape at a November meeting in Doha and took Cairo as its base. This latest grouping of Assad opponents has gained recognition from key European countries and regional powers, in hopes they can capably manage an end to the fight and a political transition.
Why did it take so long for a strong opposition to coalesce? The voices opposed to Assad have fractures and frictions among themselves – political and military groups with conflicting values and visions for a future Syria.
The holdup was also a function of Syria’s peculiar politics. Over more than four decades of Assad family rule, political life in Syria has been severely restricted. Opponents of the regime were regularly harassed, jailed, killed or forced into exile. Over time, that weakened the few political parties that dared to challenge the Assad regime.

Revolution from the Ground Up
After the people in Daraa took to the streets in March 2011 they quickly formed grassroots committees to guide the demonstrations and handle the humanitarian needs of the injured and displaced. The process was replicated across the country, creating a diverse network of local groups leading the opposition against President Bashar Al Assad.
That left the revolution without a clear or coordinated representative as protests continued to bubble up from the ground. They were Syrians raising their voices, many of them for the first time, and they operated without a single leader or central command.

No Influential Leader Means Power to the Armed Militants
As of now, no single group represents the Syrian revolution with enough influence on the ground to negotiate and enforce a ceasefire. Western countries hope the Syrian National Coalition can amass enough clout to set up an effective transitional government, but for now what exist is a panorama of players, each with some influence over the situation.
The opposition itself is divided into political groups and military forces, each with a different set of demands and a unique vision for what should happen next. In theory, they’ll need to work together in order to forge a future free Syria.
But as the war drags on analysts say that it’s the brigades fighting the Assad regime who gain greater influence. Among those brigades, it’s extremist militant groups like Jabhat al Nusra who've emerged as the most powerful – they have better weapons, wealth, and organizational infrastructure than more moderate Muslim fighters. That’s why analysts fear Syria’s war is radicalizing the country; jihadi groups represent a minority view in Syria, but they’re gaining more power through the fight.

International response to Syria
In favor of the Regime: Russia & China are selling weapons and vehicles to the regime, Iran is providing intelligence and troops. And Hezbollah is providing more men for the Assad regimes military.
What will these nations gain/benefit/profit?
          regional dominance over Syria's Gas Pipes and a buffer zone between Israel and Iran.

In favor of the Opposition: US, France, Germany, all are providing some intelligence and very limited arms; Qatar, KSA are sponsoring certain rebel factions.
What will these nations gain/benefit/profit?
          regional dominance over Syria's Gas Pipes and a gateway to Iran.




Syrian Tragedy

Syrian revolution death statistics and database (link): http://syrianshuhada.com/?lang=en

Documenting sexual violence in Syria (link): https://womenundersiegesyria.crowdmap.com/main

How many civilians have died so far?
Children..7646
Women...7933 martyrs 44% died from bomb attacks, 14% sniper, 3% beaten/stabbed
Men..71706

Regime Deaths: Unavailable


Rebel Deaths: Unavailable





Journos
Missing: Austin Tice, Marie Colvin, James Foley, Anthony Shadid
Dead:(unavailable, but it's many)

Weapons Found/Used in the Conflict-
http://brown-moses.blogspot.com/2012/10/npr-interview-variety-of-weapons.html

The DIY Weapons Of The Syrian Opposition- http://brown-moses.blogspot.co.uk/2012/09/the-diy-weapons-of-syrian-opposition.html


>Extra Reading<

 So, before March 15, 2011? going back how long? Here's a starter, from 2003: The "Daraya Youth" group, consisting then of 25 men and 25 women studying nonviolence and civic work weekly, initiated a litter clean-up campaign in Daraya, and an anti-bribery campaign, and tried to open a public library. The library, Subul al-Salam (Paths of Peace) was shut down by mukhabarat after 4 days. When they all marched silently (without holding up pics of bashar) against the US invasion of Iraq in March 2003, they were hunted down and arbitrarily arrested for this display of freedom of opinion and assembly. Eighteen of the men were arbitrarily (without due process) arrested on May 3, 2003, including now-rev luminaries Yahya Shurbaji, Mohammad Said Kholani, and Osama Nassar; many of the women were taken in for interrogation and humiliation and then released.
(Read all about it here:http://mashallahnews.com/?p=5938)
In 2005, 250 signatories signed the historical Damascus Declaration, calling for "gradual nonviolent democratic reform in Syria," a first historical unification of most major opposition groups and independent dissidents. After the DD formed its Executive Council in Dec 2007, throughout 2008, its exec officers who were inside Syria (twelve of them, i believe) were hunted down and arrested. Artist Talal Abo Dan, for example, had his whole studio demolished, his paintings destroyed or confiscated. There's the Syrian Media Center for Freedom of Expression; they've always been harassed.There's the Committee for the Defense of Democratic Freedoms, which was a student group that formed in 2001 and had spread to four universities, harassed and persecuted.
But those last two i don't have all the details off the top of my head. Tamer Awwam, the citizen journo who died a few months ago, told me he had been a student-founder of the Committee for the Defense of Democratic Freedoms (I hope I'm getting the name right; it's in my notes somewhere. You need to do your own research and doublecheck on all of this, because i'm going from memory for most of it). I wouldn't put it past Tamer (allah yerhamo nonetheless, but he was kind of a jerk) to give himself more credit than due, but then again it might be right that he was a founder, not just a member.
Jiwan Ayo was in it too. I did a lot of series of tweets on "Roots of the Revolution" or "Seeds of the Revolution" wayyyyy back during the first year. First months, even. I don't suppose one could find those. I put in a lot of things thinking I was making a record, things i don't know that i put in notes anywhere else, only to realize later that Twitter doesnt save past a certain date! Can somebody organize this information and out it in the notes? Activities met with violence pre-uprising illustrate the long history of fascism at the hands of the Assad clan.