Syrians being harassed by Popular Committees
8 Nov 2013 5:00 AM IST
When the crime was reported, police refused to investigate - a sign, say residents, of the impunity of President Bashar al-Assad’s security forces and allied militias blamed for a wave of abductions, theft and property seizures.
Echoing complaints from rebel-held territory, where shadowy armed groups abuse and exploit civilians on the other side of the frontline, Syrians in the capital say the problem there has been exacerbated by the expansion of militias known as Popular Committees, which form part of Assad’s response to the uprising now in its third year.
On joining a local committee, the new member gets a monthly stipend, a Kalashnikov rifle and a mandate to join vigilante operations throughout the neighbourhood.
However, with so many armed men now patrolling turf and with little oversight, many in Damascus say the government is sanctioning little more than a network of robbers.
The thieves in Rukn al-Din, a middle class area nestled under the army-controlled hills that hem the north of the city, struck at prayer time - a moment in the day when they knew many residents would be at the local mosque. They said they were from State Security - not an organisation Syrians say no to - and said they were doing a routine neighbourhood check.
‘They clearly knew there would be only an elderly woman at home at that hour,’ said a man who is close to the family and was present at the home after the robbery.
‘They told her to bring all the home’s valuables and place them on the kitchen table - so as to ensure her belongings were safe while the men freely inspected her home’.
She did as they asked, bringing out jewellery belonging to herself and her daughters, and all the family cash - a sizeable sum in times when civil war has left people wary of banks.
‘She was still making them tea when they made off with everything. By the time we got back, they had completely disappeared,’ said the family friend. The family tried to file a police report, but the precinct chief refused to follow it up.
‘When we told him the perpetrators identified themselves as State Security, he went pale in the face and threw his arms in the air. He said he could not get involved, that he was not going to mess with state security,’ the man said. ‘Basically, we’re all fair game. No one looks out for us.’
The identities of those involved are withheld for their safety. Restrictions on media reporting in Syria prevent journalists from approaching officials for comment on cases.
‘WILD, WILD WEST’
One Damascus lawyer, who routinely deals with missing persons and accusations against state employees, described life in many government-controlled areas as the ‘Wild, Wild West’. ‘In my district, Popular Committee guys receive a 15,000 pound monthly stipend from the government,’ she said, referring to an area in the south of the city. ‘But they get a gun and a carte blanche to bully and rob the rest of us.’ She echoes a common resentment toward the Popular Committees.
Echoing complaints from rebel-held territory, where shadowy armed groups abuse and exploit civilians on the other side of the frontline, Syrians in the capital say the problem there has been exacerbated by the expansion of militias known as Popular Committees, which form part of Assad’s response to the uprising now in its third year.
On joining a local committee, the new member gets a monthly stipend, a Kalashnikov rifle and a mandate to join vigilante operations throughout the neighbourhood.
However, with so many armed men now patrolling turf and with little oversight, many in Damascus say the government is sanctioning little more than a network of robbers.
The thieves in Rukn al-Din, a middle class area nestled under the army-controlled hills that hem the north of the city, struck at prayer time - a moment in the day when they knew many residents would be at the local mosque. They said they were from State Security - not an organisation Syrians say no to - and said they were doing a routine neighbourhood check.
‘They clearly knew there would be only an elderly woman at home at that hour,’ said a man who is close to the family and was present at the home after the robbery.
‘They told her to bring all the home’s valuables and place them on the kitchen table - so as to ensure her belongings were safe while the men freely inspected her home’.
She did as they asked, bringing out jewellery belonging to herself and her daughters, and all the family cash - a sizeable sum in times when civil war has left people wary of banks.
‘She was still making them tea when they made off with everything. By the time we got back, they had completely disappeared,’ said the family friend. The family tried to file a police report, but the precinct chief refused to follow it up.
‘When we told him the perpetrators identified themselves as State Security, he went pale in the face and threw his arms in the air. He said he could not get involved, that he was not going to mess with state security,’ the man said. ‘Basically, we’re all fair game. No one looks out for us.’
The identities of those involved are withheld for their safety. Restrictions on media reporting in Syria prevent journalists from approaching officials for comment on cases.
‘WILD, WILD WEST’
One Damascus lawyer, who routinely deals with missing persons and accusations against state employees, described life in many government-controlled areas as the ‘Wild, Wild West’. ‘In my district, Popular Committee guys receive a 15,000 pound monthly stipend from the government,’ she said, referring to an area in the south of the city. ‘But they get a gun and a carte blanche to bully and rob the rest of us.’ She echoes a common resentment toward the Popular Committees.
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