The attack by the Free Syrian Army (FSA) on an air force intelligence base in the suburbs of the capital Damascus on November 16 has raised the profile of the band of army deserters, who are seeking to end President Bashar al-Assad’s long rule. 　　Depending on whom you believe, the... More

　　President Assad reaffirms his father's legacy by quelling dissent with brute force. 　　As the fists and boots and sticks pummeled his body and bloodied his face, the college student screamed out what he thought his interrogators wanted to hear: The name of Syria's president, Bashar al-Assad. 　　It worked. The secret... More

　　The May 15 Nakba protests took a toll on one family in particular, losing a son who made the ultimate sacrifice. 　　Seventeen-year-old Mohammed al-Saleh grew up in Burj al-Shemali refugee camp in south Lebanon, caring little about politics and more about sport. However, when it came to Palestine, Mohamed's 16-year-old... More

　　Syrian protesters have been denied access to public spaces, such as the squares that have become famous in Yemen and Egypt. This has led to mosques playing an even greater role than they already would have. 　　With the number of dead from the uprising reaching possibly five thousand, funerals have... More

　　Fawaz al-Haraki had only minutes to live. 　　As the shots rang out, Abu Haidar and the other protesters ran for cover, grimly familiar with what to do when the mukhabberat (secret police) attacked. 　　But Fawaz fell, the blood soaking his trousers where the bullet from a Syrian secret policeman had... More

　　Defectors of Syria’s security forces have described receiving orders from their superiors to fire live rounds at protesters to disperse them, according to Human Rights Watch. 　　The New York-based rights body released a statement on Saturday detailing interviews with eight soldiers and four members of secret security agencies it said... More

　　The Bureau of Investigative Journalism (TBIJ) last month began to publish their findings in a study of the U.S. drone war in Pakistan. The study found that much higher rates of civilian casualties had resulted from the U.S. drone war than had been admitted by the government or than had... More

　　Benghazi internal security headquarters, November 3, 1990. A fax arrives at 10:30 in the morning, addressed to the director from the head office in Tripoli. 　　"We received information about some of the suspicious people," it begins. A list of names and paragraphs of information follow. 　　One man is singled out... More

　　Amnesty International says it has documented the cases of 88 people who have died in Syrian prisons since anti-government protests began in the country. 　　Citing footage of victims before burial provided by families and activists, the UK-based rights group said there was evidence of torture and abuse. 　　Injuries identified by... More

　　Anwar Haraga was 26 when men from Libya's Internal Security agency came to his door in Tripoli one night. 　　It was 1989. Haraga was newly married and had just returned from five years of study in England. He was heading toward a promising career in computer engineering. 　　But Haraga had... More

　　Libyans in Tripoli's seaside Martyrs Square have marked the first post-Muammar Gaddafi celebration of Eid al-Fitr, coming out in huge numbers to revel in newly gained independence. 　　At dawn, thousands of men and about 200 women gathered on huge green carpets to make the special dawn prayer, intoning praise for... More

　　Two weeks ago, an announcement appeared on a French website, calling for "militants with military experience" to participate in a solidarity trip to Israel between September 19 and 25. "The aim of this expedition is to lend a hand to our brothers facing aggression from the Palestinian occupiers, and to... More

　　As darkness fell across it, Deraa was a city under siege. 　　Tanks and troops control all roads in and out. Inside the city, shops are shuttered and nobody dare walk the once bustling market streets, today transformed into the kill zone of rooftop snipers. 　　Trapped and terrified inside their homes,... More

　　The conflict in Libya will continue to take its toll on communities long after the war has ended as long as hidden bombs remain scattered across public areas. 　　Fifteen-year-old Misrata resident Mohammed lost most of his left hand and sustained shrapnel injuries to his abdomen in April after an unexploded... More

　　Since the partition of India and Pakistan, Kashmir's voice has been largely ignored. 　　It's a question as old as you want it to be, but one that it is alive today, six decades after the decolonization of the Indian subcontinent left Kashmir divided between India and Pakistan, clearly suggesting that... More

　　Forces loyal to the embattled Yemeni president killed 20 protesters as they dispersed a sit-in in Taez, an organizer said on Monday. 　　Security service agents backed by army and Republican Guard troops stormed the protest against President Ali Abdullah Saleh in Freedom Square in the centre of Yemen's second-largest city... More

　　While outsiders debate when or if the Syrian opposition will turn to arms, on the ground it is clear that elements of the opposition have used armed resistance against the security forces from early in the uprising in response to the regime's harsh crackdown. 　　Over a period of seven weeks,... More

　　Israeli human rights group B’Tselem has issued a new report detailing the government’s dramatic escalation in the number of Palestinian home demolitions in the Jordan Valley, part of the eastern West Bank. 　　According to the report, the Israeli government has demolished 103 homes there so far this year, after 86... More

　　On May 31, 2011, UNICEF Communication Specialist Rebecca Fordham boarded the relief boat carrying two boys injured from explosive remnants of the war in Libya. She also participated in workshops to raise awareness and protect children from these horrific weapons of war in the conflict-affected eastern Libya. This is her... More

　　One thousand and twenty-seven Palestinians for one Israeli - this is the deal made between Hamas and Israel last week. 　　The agreement has been dubbed "the Shalit swap deal" - named after Gilad Shalit, the 25-year-old Israeli soldier who has been held in the Gaza Strip for more than five... More