Resurrecting the Wall of Fear: The Human Rights Situation in Syria
On February 29, USIP held a panel discussion on "The Human Rights Situation in Syria." Participants included Radwan Ziadeh, Mona Yacoubian, and Joe Stork, deputy director for the Middle East and North Africa, Human Rights Watch. Vice President Steven Heydemann facilitated.
Ziadeh discussed the immediate human rights situation in Syria, including the recent detentions of a number of activists. Stork highlighted the challenges of documenting human rights abuses in that country. Yacoubian elaborated on the possible reasons behind Syria’s recent actions, including increased international isolation, and options for U.S. policy moving ahead.
Reflecting on the event, Ziadeh commented, "The human rights situation in Syria is unfortunately getting worse. A large number of human rights defenders and activists are still in prison and they face a terrible situation...Now we have more than 20 human rights defenders in prison, among them Riad Al-Saif, former member of parliament, Akram Al-Buni, a founder of the committee for civil society in Syria and Ali Al-Abdullah, a journalist and HR activist, among others."
Archived Audio
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1:25:06 - 15.6MB
Speakers
- Radwan Ziadeh
Director, Damascus Center for Human Rights Studies and Senior Fellow, U.S. Institute of Peace - Joe Stork
Deputy Director for the Middle East and North Africa, Human Rights Watch - Mona Yacoubian
Special Advisor, Muslim World Initiative, U.S. Institute of Peace - Steven Heydemann
Vice President of Grants and Fellowships, U.S. Institute of Peace
