Regime-controlled areas in 2021 | Nearly 600 people killed in acts of violence, while living conditions deteriorates further forcing over 350,000 Syrians to immigrate

With the many calls by the Syrian regime and its allies upon Syrian refugees to return to their homeland which has become “safe and stable” as they claim, regime-controlled areas experienced several worrying developments, dramatic acts of violence and blatant violations of human rights in 2021, which manifested themselves in escalating displacement and fleeing of civilians these areas and chronic crises.

 

As a human rights organisation, the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights (SOHR) has monitored and tracked all developments in regime-controlled areas in 2021. These developments can be summarised in the following main points:

 

Fatalities

 

In 2021, SOHR has documented the death of 590 people in various acts of violence in regime-controlled areas: of whom 281were civilians, including 27 women and 33 children, and 309 regime soldiers, loyalists and “collaborators” with regime security services. However, the breakdown of civilian fatalities is as follows:

 

·      168 people, including seven women and eight children, were killed in south Syria region in incidents of security disorder.

 

·      50 people, including six women and 14 children, were killed by regime forces.

 

·      47 people, including 13 women and seven children, were killed in murders and indiscriminate gunfire.

 

·      Six people, including one woman and three children, were killed in bombardment and attacks by jihadist groups.

 

·      Ten people, including one child, were killed by unknown gunmen.

 

 

Ongoing repression and more people killed in prisons

 

The Syrian Observatory has documented the arrest of 2,982 people in regime-controlled areas in different periods of time in 2021, mostly arrested for “not joining on time the mandatory military service of the regime,” or for “communicating with foreign entities.” Many of these detainees were released after their relatives had paid money/levies, while nearly 514 remained imprisoned.

 

Here is a descending distribution by region of arrests by regime forces and security services in 2021:

 

·      South Syria region (mostly arrested in Daraa): 667

 

·      Aleppo: 489

 

·      Rif Dimashq: 429

 

·      Damascus: 394

 

·      Deir Ezzor, Al-Hasaka and Al-Raqqah: 328

 

·      Syrian Coastline: 286

 

·      Homs: 197

 

·      Hama: 192

 

SOHR has also documented the death of 55 people, including a woman, under brutal torture in regime prisons and security centres since early 2021.

 

Meanwhile, regime authorities released nearly 350 prisoners from all provinces, mostly from Daraa and Rif Dimashq. Those released had been arrested for different crimes after regime forces and their allies regained control of the two provinces entirely in 2018. However, political detainees remained in regime prisons. These prisoners are distributed regionally as follows:

 

·      Rif Dimashq: 142

 

·      Daraa: 155

 

·      Al-Quneitra: 10

 

·      Rest of Syrian provinces: 43

 

 

Dozens of civilians kidnapped in light of security vacuum

 

Regime-controlled areas experienced an alarming security chaos in 2021, as it was the case across the entire Syrian geography, which manifested mainly in the escalated kidnappings in light of lack of order and control by security services. Moreover, regime forces and their proxy militias were involved in many of these kidnappings.

 

According to SOHR statistics, the number of kidnapped Syrian people in regime-controlled areas in 2021 exceeded 295. Of the total number of those kidnapped in 2021, the Syrian Observatory has documented 164 people by names: 139 men, 11 women over the age of eighteen, and 14 children under the age of eighteen. SOHR was also able to verify the remaining 131 kidnappings, but the victims’ families preferred to keep their identities secret, fearing persecution.

 

2021’s kidnap cases can be distributed regionally in a descending order as follows:

 

·      Al-Quneitra and Al-Suwaidaa: 84 people were kidnapped in the two provinces. They were as follows: five men were kidnapped by regime-backed militiamen, 50 men and three children kidnapped by armed militias and 28 people, including a woman, were kidnapped by unknown gunmen.

 

·      Damascus and Rif Dimashq: 49 people were kidnapped: Eight civilians kidnapped by regime forces, nine men by Iranian-backed militias and 32 people, including five children and six women, kidnapped by unknown individuals.

 

·      Homs: 14 people, including two children and four women, were kidnapped by unidentified gunmen.

 

·      Syrian desert: Nine people, including two children, were kidnapped by unidentified gunmen.

 

·      Daraa: Eight people were kidnapped by unidentified gunmen, despite the Russian-sponsored reconciliation deals in the past months, which aimed to settle the security status of former opposition fighters.

 

·      Syrian coastline: Six people, including two children, were kidnapped by unidentified gunmen.

 

·      Aleppo: A man was kidnapped by regime forces.

 

·      Hama: A man was kidnapped by unidentified gunmen.

 

 

Chronic crises

 

In 2021, residents in regime-controlled areas continued to struggle with scores of stifling crises which made life difficult for ordinary people in terms of securing basic essentials in light of the escalating inflation and prohibitively high prices, as well as in terms of the frequent electricity blackouts with rationing hours lasting for ten consecutive hours. Shockingly, power would be available only for a short periods of 30 to 60 minutes at a time. Moreover, SOHR activists reported noticeable escalation of congestion in front of petrol stations in regime-controlled areas, along with long lines of residents awaiting in front of bread bakeries.

 

Also, many residents turned to alternative means of transportation in light of the current poor transportation services. Accordingly, people in regime-held areas, particularly in Damascus, resorted to use small pickup trucks used for transporting vegetables and better known as “Suzuki” to travel between cities and villages with many people not relying on public transports because of the lack of minibuses and high fees of private taxies, as the owners of these vehicles were forced to buy fuel from black markets at higher prices than in gas stations.

 

On the other hand, the prices of food and essential products witnessed alarming increases by a daily and weekly averages of 1.5 % and 10.5% respectively. Prices of essential products were also affected by additional levies imposed by regime security services in different areas controlled by the Syrian regime.

 

 

New wave of immigration

 

Syria’s protracted war, raging for over a decade now, has posed tremendous challenges to young Syrian men who preferred to leave their homeland and search for a better future in another country.

 

The mass immigration of young men from all Syrian areas, especially regime-controlled areas, topped the events in 2021, as thousands of young men decided to flee the deteriorating living conditions, economic hardship, repression by security services and military battles throughout Syria.

 

There was growing demand by Syrian people for issuance of passports and visas in governmental directorates in 2021 so that they could travel to various countries, especially to Egypt where the Egyptian authorities facilitated the procedures of the entry of Syrian people. While displacement from regime-controlled areas to north Syria region became noticeable, despite the large sums of money needed to be paid to smugglers, as Syrians sought to flee to areas under the control of opposition factions in north-west Syria region, then to Turkey and other European countries. It is worth noting that attempts by civilians, young men in particular, to smuggle themselves from Syria into Turkish territory occurred daily in 2021. Meanwhile, young people faced many obstacles hindering their immigration, as people who were not able to travel legally by air or by land, found themselves were forced to risk their safety and lives by heading to north Syria with the help of smugglers who took large sums of money which at times exceeded 3,000 USD per person. After that, people who manage to reach north Syria had to take a new risk by attempting to smuggle themselves again into Turkey and then to European countries. However, such dangerous trips would cost 12,000 EURO per person.

 

 

Rampant narcotics business across Syria and new reconciliation deals in Daraa

 

With volatile security in regime-held areas, dugs have become readily available and are sold in public in all Syrian provinces, which blatantly violates all international charters.

 

Drugs are distributed by dealers collaborating with regime officers and have strong ties with the Lebanese Hezbollah, which also turned Syria into a centre for exporting narcotics, especially hashish and illicit pills, to other countries around the world. In Syria, drugs are everywhere now in areas controlled by the Syrian regime, particularly in Al-Quneitra, Al-Suwaidaa, Daraa, Damascus and Rif Dimashq.

 

Another key development in south Syria in 2021 was the Russian-sponsored reconciliation deals in Daraa following the alarming security chaos and military escalation during which tens of people were killed and injured. It is worth noting that these deals, which covered nearly 55 cities, towns, villages and areas in Daraa Al-Balad, the western, middle, northern and eastern countryside of Daraa, were accomplished in late October, after nearly 6,200 individuals accepted “reconciliation” with regime security service. These people included local gunmen, security suspects, regime army defectors and young men who evaded mandatory conscription.

 

Moreover, nearly 950 personal pieces of weapons were handed over to the security services. Meanwhile, regime forces opened a centre in Daraa Al-Balad police station for receiving applications by individuals who wanted to strike a reconciliation deal with the Syrian regime later.

 

Under this agreement, regime forces entered the following cities, towns and villages:

 

·      West Daraa countryside: Daraa Al-Balad, Tafas, Tel Shehab, Al-Ajami, Nahj, Al-Yadoudah, Al-Muzayrib, MasakinJileen, Zayzoun, Tasil, Jilin, Jamleh, Al-Shajarah, Ma’ariyah, Abdeen, Koya, Beit Aarah, Naf’aa, Al-Shabraq, Al-Meseritiyyah, Ain Zekr, Sahem Al-Golan and areas in Yarmouk Basin.

 

·      Middle Daraa countryside: Da’el.

 

·      North Daraa countryside: Inkhil, Nawa, Jasim, Al-Sanamayn, Sheikh Maskeen, Izraa, Al-Hara and Nimr.

 

·      East Daraa countryside: Nasib, Nahteh, Um Al-Mayazen, Al-Na’emah, Al-Misfrah, Al-Taybah, Sayda, Al-Karak Al-Sharqi, Al-Harrak, Al-Sahwa, Al-Ghariyyah Al-Sharqiyyah, Al-Ghariyyah Al-Gharbiyyah, KherbetGhazalah, Namir, Al-Musaqiyyat, Al-Jizah, Alma and al-Surah.

 

·      Areas in Al-Lajat in north-eastern countryside of Daraa.

 

 

Elections show

 

After his troops, tanks, aircraft, shells and rockets killed and displaced tens of thousands of Syrians and destroyed their houses, Bashar Al-Assad ironically ran in the presidential elections which was held in May 2021, in which he won a fourth presidential term. In a new “farcical show”, regime media circulated video footage filmed in Douma, showing Al-Assad casting his. At the time, SOHR activists reported that members of the ruling “Arab Socialist Baath Party” in Syria escorted by members of the intelligence service had forced civilians in Douma city in Rif Dimashq to propagandise and fund the presidential election campaign for “Bashar Al-Assad”. According to SOHR sources. Al-Baath party’s members had forced civilians and merchants to hang posters of Bashar Al-Assad and donate sums of money to the elections campaign.

 

Furthermore, SOHR sources monitored an incident where an official from Al-Baath party threatened to report to the security services the family of a person who refused to hang Al-Assad’s poster in his shop because he did not have an empty space, as the man’s family had opposed the Syrian regime.

 

The sources added that marches supporting the Syrian regime that appeared on the media were done not by real people but by “stuntmen” who were travelling in cars with registration plates issued by Homs governorate, where these cars headed also to other cities and towns to cover the marches. However, a few numbers of residents of Douma had joined the marches for fear of oppression by the Syrian regime.

 

To increase interaction and spur young men to participate in the marches and the celebrations, Al-Baath party’s members hired singers from Lebanon to perform in parties in return for large fees, as well as hiring “unveiled” young ladies, which contravened the customs and traditions of the city’s conservative people.

 

On the eve of the presidential elections, Douma city witnessed deployment of security services in the city’s streets, amid high state of alertness at the checkpoints deployed in the city. Meanwhile, snipers were deployed in the streets of Al-Qawitly, Al-Kournish, and Gamal Abdel-Naser.

 

Despite the high and strict security measures, some young men managed to leave anti-regime and anti-Al-Assad graffiti on some walls, before security forces removed and distorted the writings.

 

Douma city witnessed low turnout during the elections, despite threats by Al-Baath party and the security agents to arrest the people who did not participated in the elections, while the people refused to leave their houses until late hours. On Tuesday morning at 6:30 am, electricity was available for five minutes when TV and radio announced the start of the elections.

 

Reliable SOHR sources also monitored voting fraud, as the sources confirmed that most of the voters were forced by Al-Baath party and security services to cast their votes in specific centres in order to be make sure that they had complied and participated. Moreover, a large number of voters did not use the ‘indelible’ security ink, while some managed to vote more than once.

 

The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights (SOHR) has been all along warning against the repercussions of the crippling chronic crises and security chaos in regime-controlled areas and elsewhere in Syria, with only the Syrian regime to blame for the disastrous situation Syria is in right now. We, at the Syrian Observatory, call upon all international actors not to abandon their responsibility and obligations towards the people of Syria and urge them to find a lasting solution to the tragedy of millions of Syrians and bring Al-Assad, his affiliates and all those responsible for violations and those who aided and abetted the killing of Syrian people to justice.

 

The Syrian Observatory would like to point out that all information and figures mentioned in this report have been documented and updated until the date of publication.