DAMASCUS // Syrian prisons have become incubators for the armed rebellion to overthrow President Bashar Al Assad and take revenge on security forces, say former detainees, community leaders and activists.
Instead of deterring protesters, jail - often in extremely brutal conditions - hardens their will to topple Syria's autocratic regime, regardless of the cost.
Even if that means civil war.
Widespread violence by security forces, including torture - documented by human-rights groups and the United Nations but denied by the Syrian authorities - has convinced growing numbers within the opposition that armed resistance is the only choice, activists say.
A leading protest organiser, freed in January after six months in custody in Damascus, described appalling conditions in a makeshift detention centre.
Prisoners are humiliated and tortured by guards. Some are sexually abused. The abuses sparked a riot recently. Infested with lice, prisoners wear the clothes they were arrested in throughout their detention, he said.
"I assure you that not one of us, not one, ever said 'Why did I do this?', none of us ever regretted protesting," he said. "People talked about revenge, about the next demonstration they would take part in."
Prisoners whisper among themselves about what they would do if released, he said. Ahead of dreams of political asylum abroad or even a change of clothes, they speak only of the revolt.
"Those who were committed to a peaceful uprising would say, 'When I get out I'll have a coffee and a cigarette then go out to demonstrate'," he said. "But more than half decided to join the Free Syrian Army - a growing group of thousands of defectors from the security forces.
"They say, 'I'll go and visit my family, and then I'll get a rifle and go and fight until the regime has fallen or I'm dead'."
An influential tribal leader from the eastern desert province of Deir Ezzor said many prisoners entered as peaceful protesters but come out as armed rebels.
"The majority of prisoners say when they get out there will be no more peaceful demonstrations, he said the tribal leader, whose son has been repeatedly detained since the uprising began in March.
"They will fight. They have been tortured and humiliated and they will fight."
The Free Syrian Army leadership lives in a refugee camp in Turkey, protected by the Turkish military. They are short of money and arms, but have tens of thousands of members, their leadership told The National.
An advocate of unarmed revolution, the tribal leader said he and other moderates had lost the battle to try to prevent demonstrators using guns.
"The young people are released and they come to me and say, 'You had your peaceful politics and where did it lead us?'," he said.
Anecdotally at least, this has been repeated across the country, especially in areas hit by the heaviest military assaults, among them Homs, Hama, Deraa, Idleb, Deir Ezzor and the outskirts of Damascus.
While the uprising has largely comprised peaceful protests demanding political reforms, there has been a growing armed element with rebel forces increasingly attacking security units and guarding demonstrators.
Syrian officials, who insist this is a foreign-backed terrorist uprising, say 2,000 of their forces have been killed since March. Human rights groups say more than 7,000 civilians and defecting soldiers have been killed.
Another dissident, recently detained for a few days after a raid on his house in Damascus, said widespread abuse by government security units had bred a new generation of radicals.
In the 1980s, he volunteered with Palestinian guerrillas in Lebanon to fight the invading Israelis. Believing their cause just, he was surprised to find other fighters were not all political idealists fighting out of principle, but that some were "criminals and mercenaries".
A similar pattern was now emerging in Syria, he said.
"The regime has pushed moderates and liberals to take up weapons and once you pick up a rifle it is very hard to put it down," he said.
"Liberals are now finding themselves fighting alongside criminals and killers, they are not natural allies, but there is no way back for them," he said.
Muslim clerics allied with the opposition say more and more young protesters are asking approval to take up arms.
"They come and tell me they are going to fight, and they ask if it is permissible under Islam," said an opposition cleric from Damascus - an advocate of unarmed rebellion.
"I can't tell them 'no'. They have the right to self-defence and most of them have been through such bad situations that they will fight anyway, whatever I say.
"I tell them, 'Do what you must do, and God be with you',"
Human-rights groups and activists say more than 75,000 people have been detained since the uprising began.
Tens of thousands remain in jail despite an amnesty issued by Mr Al Assad last month.
State television routinely airs interviews with prisoners upon their release, in which they repent for protesting and promise not to do so again. Activists say this is pure theatre.
"The prisoners are angry and they will come out of jail and they will fight," said an opposition leader based in Damascus.
"There is nothing that can stop them.
"Each killing, every act of abuse by the security forces creates at least one new [rebel] soldier," the opposition leader said. "The regime is building the army that will help destroy it."
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In numbers: PKK’s money network in Europe
Germany: PKK collectors typically bring in $18 million in cash a year – amount has trebled since 2010
Revolutionary tax: Investigators say about $2 million a year raised from ‘tax collection’ around Marseille
Extortion: Gunman convicted in 2023 of demanding $10,000 from Kurdish businessman in Stockholm
Drug trade: PKK income claimed by Turkish anti-drugs force in 2024 to be as high as $500 million a year
Denmark: PKK one of two terrorist groups along with Iranian separatists ASMLA to raise “two-digit million amounts”
Contributions: Hundreds of euros expected from typical Kurdish families and thousands from business owners
TV channel: Kurdish Roj TV accounts frozen and went bankrupt after Denmark fined it more than $1 million over PKK links in 2013
The stats
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Ship class: Meraviglia Class
Delivery date: February 27, 2019
Gross tonnage: 171,598 GT
Passenger capacity: 5,686
Crew members: 1,536
Number of cabins: 2,217
Length: 315.3 metres
Maximum speed: 22.7 knots (42kph)
Mercer, the investment consulting arm of US services company Marsh & McLennan, expects its wealth division to at least double its assets under management (AUM) in the Middle East as wealth in the region continues to grow despite economic headwinds, a company official said.
Mercer Wealth, which globally has $160 billion in AUM, plans to boost its AUM in the region to $2-$3bn in the next 2-3 years from the present $1bn, said Yasir AbuShaban, a Dubai-based principal with Mercer Wealth.
“Within the next two to three years, we are looking at reaching $2 to $3 billion as a conservative estimate and we do see an opportunity to do so,” said Mr AbuShaban.
Mercer does not directly make investments, but allocates clients’ money they have discretion to, to professional asset managers. They also provide advice to clients.
“We have buying power. We can negotiate on their (client’s) behalf with asset managers to provide them lower fees than they otherwise would have to get on their own,” he added.
Mercer Wealth’s clients include sovereign wealth funds, family offices, and insurance companies among others.
From its office in Dubai, Mercer also looks after Africa, India and Turkey, where they also see opportunity for growth.
Wealth creation in Middle East and Africa (MEA) grew 8.5 per cent to $8.1 trillion last year from $7.5tn in 2015, higher than last year’s global average of 6 per cent and the second-highest growth in a region after Asia-Pacific which grew 9.9 per cent, according to consultancy Boston Consulting Group (BCG). In the region, where wealth grew just 1.9 per cent in 2015 compared with 2014, a pickup in oil prices has helped in wealth generation.
BCG is forecasting MEA wealth will rise to $12tn by 2021, growing at an annual average of 8 per cent.
Drivers of wealth generation in the region will be split evenly between new wealth creation and growth of performance of existing assets, according to BCG.
Another general trend in the region is clients’ looking for a comprehensive approach to investing, according to Mr AbuShaban.
“Institutional investors or some of the families are seeing a slowdown in the available capital they have to invest and in that sense they are looking at optimizing the way they manage their portfolios and making sure they are not investing haphazardly and different parts of their investment are working together,” said Mr AbuShaban.
Some clients also have a higher appetite for risk, given the low interest-rate environment that does not provide enough yield for some institutional investors. These clients are keen to invest in illiquid assets, such as private equity and infrastructure.
“What we have seen is a desire for higher returns in what has been a low-return environment specifically in various fixed income or bonds,” he said.
“In this environment, we have seen a de facto increase in the risk that clients are taking in things like illiquid investments, private equity investments, infrastructure and private debt, those kind of investments were higher illiquidity results in incrementally higher returns.”
The Abu Dhabi Investment Authority, one of the largest sovereign wealth funds, said in its 2016 report that has gradually increased its exposure in direct private equity and private credit transactions, mainly in Asian markets and especially in China and India. The authority’s private equity department focused on structured equities owing to “their defensive characteristics.”
Scoreline:
Barcelona 2
Suarez 85', Messi 86'
Atletico Madrid 0
Red card: Diego Costa 28' (Atletico)
Why does a queen bee feast only on royal jelly?
Some facts about bees:
The queen bee eats only royal jelly, an extraordinary food created by worker bees so she lives much longer
The life cycle of a worker bee is from 40-60 days
A queen bee lives for 3-5 years
This allows her to lay millions of eggs and allows the continuity of the bee colony
About 20,000 honey bees and one queen populate each hive
Honey is packed with vital vitamins, minerals, enzymes, water and anti-oxidants.
Apart from honey, five other products are royal jelly, the special food bees feed their queen
Pollen is their protein source, a super food that is nutritious, rich in amino acids
Beewax is used to construct the combs. Due to its anti-fungal, anti-bacterial elements, it is used in skin treatments
Propolis, a resin-like material produced by bees is used to make hives. It has natural antibiotic qualities so works to sterilize hive, protects from disease, keeps their home free from germs. Also used to treat sores, infection, warts
Bee venom is used by bees to protect themselves. Has anti-inflammatory properties, sometimes used to relieve conditions such as rheumatoid arthritis, nerve and muscle pain
Honey, royal jelly, pollen have health enhancing qualities
The other three products are used for therapeutic purposes
Is beekeeping dangerous?
As long as you deal with bees gently, you will be safe, says Mohammed Al Najeh, who has worked with bees since he was a boy.
“The biggest mistake people make is they panic when they see a bee. They are small but smart creatures. If you move your hand quickly to hit the bees, this is an aggressive action and bees will defend themselves. They can sense the adrenalin in our body. But if we are calm, they are move away.”
Indika
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A MINECRAFT MOVIE
Director: Jared Hess
Starring: Jack Black, Jennifer Coolidge, Jason Momoa
Rating: 3/5
The specs
Engine: Four electric motors, one at each wheel
Power: 579hp
Torque: 859Nm
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The Saga Continues
Wu-Tang Clan
(36 Chambers / Entertainment One)
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Roger Federer's 2018 record
Australian Open Champion
Rotterdam Champion
Indian Wells Runner-up
Miami Second round
Stuttgart Champion
Halle Runner-up
Wimbledon Quarter-finals
Cincinnati Runner-up
US Open Fourth round
Shanghai Semi-finals
Basel Champion
Paris Masters Semi-finals
What is type-1 diabetes
Type 1 diabetes is a genetic and unavoidable condition, rather than the lifestyle-related type 2 diabetes.
It occurs mostly in people under 40 and a result of the pancreas failing to produce enough insulin to regulate blood sugars.
Too much or too little blood sugar can result in an attack where sufferers lose consciousness in serious cases.
Being overweight or obese increases the chances of developing the more common type 2 diabetes.
Mina Cup winners
Under 12 – Minerva Academy
Under 14 – Unam Pumas
Under 16 – Fursan Hispania
Under 18 – Madenat