Enab Baladi Issue # 104– Sun, Feb. 16, 2014

Ten months ago, an activist in Daraya City sent Enab Baladi photos showing destruction and deliberate sabotage of the house of the fallen hero Ahmad Shihadeh, Enab Baladi’s managing editor, and member of the Local Council of Daraya City (LCDC). Before and after Ahamd’s death, his house used to be the hub meeting place for activists and media workers in the city.

The destruction of Ahmad’s house triggered a heated argument over who is the responsible party for sabotaging and plundering of the house of a prominent activist, especially that regime forces did not reach the area where the house is located.

Enab Baladi endeavoured to investigate the incident and to communicate with activists and people close to Ahmad; the facts were revealed that armed members of the Free Syrian Army broke into the building. Enab Baladi was asked to maintain a blackout of the matter in order to “ward off strife” and avoid provoking divisions and infighting.

Ahmad’s house was only one of dozens of transgressions and violations committed by either civilians or military personnel in the city; several other houses were plundered. Local authorities inside the city tried repeatedly to silence these issues and denied media access to such incidents in an effort to avoid getting involved in an internal infighting that may affect the military advancement and affect the ongoing battle between regime forces and opposition fighters in the city.

A few days ago a group of armed members along with a number of civilians set a dangerous precedent in the revolutionary work as they made a coup attempt against the leading organization in the city, through kidnapping and torturing its prominent leaders, civilians and military. The aim of the attempt was to force the city to surrender and succumb to the truce conditions of regime; the same conditions which have been rejected by the committee assigned by the Local Council of Daraya City to discuss the truce issue.

The attempted coup d’état was put down by Shuhada Al Islam and Al Mikdad Brigades; yet, one of the strongest revolutionary fortresses was attacked by internal forces, after fifteen months of resisting Assad Forces and maintaining its status as one of the exemplary cities in the Syrian Revolution ever since its outbreak.

The attempt –though foiled- triggers a high alert stems from the rearguard, caused by, overlooking, negligence, and too much uncalled for tolerance with people with infamous people who joined the revolution seeking only to serve their personal interests.

It is an absolute necessity to hold the plotters legally responsible for their actions, for unless they are, they city will witness future transgressions that will bring its end.