Damascus
Syrian police arrested dozens of protesters this week and briefly detained a U.S. diplomat who had been observing their rare demonstration. Political activity is rigidly controlled in Syria, a dictatorship that has been under “emergency rule” by the Baath Party for four decades. Thousands of political dissidents have been imprisoned and tortured. The protest this week was a simple gathering of a few dozen reform advocates, vastly outnumbered by police. When the demonstrators tried to unfurl a paper banner that said “Freedom for Prisoners of Conscience,” they were all arrested—though everyone was released the same day.
Subscribe to The Week
Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.
Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
-
Magazine solutions - July 4, 2025 / July 11, 2025Puzzles and Quizzes Issue - July 4, 2025 / July 11, 2025
-
Magazine printables - July 4, 2025 / July 11, 2025Puzzles and Quizzes Issue - July 4, 2025 / July 11, 2025
-
Controversial GOP plan to sell millions of federal acres hits major roadblockIN THE SPOTLIGHT Republican Sen. Mike Lee says he'll revisit legislation to sell millions of acres of federally held land to create 'freedom zones' of single family homes
