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This week marks two years since thousands of civilians and rebel fighters were displaced from Syria’s Eastern Ghouta. A writer based there at the time profiles one fighter, and how he chose between leaving his hometown and staying under Assad’s ruthless rule.
Despite the presence of Hezbollah, over 100,000 Syrian refugees live in south Lebanon, often for economic reasons. While outwardly they may appear to have adapted to the environment, inwardly most live in great private fear, estranged not just from their homeland but themselves.
For Syrian political prisoners and their families, life is a perennial wait for an amnesty that in many cases never comes, writes the daughter of a political prisoner who would later be incarcerated herself in turn.
A displaced resident of Homs’ al-Wa’r district describes her journey on foot from the regime-held city center into the besieged neighborhood during a 2016 ceasefire.
