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| {{Short description|Information office documenting human rights abuses in the Syrian Civil War}} | |||
| {{POV|date=August 2016}} | |||
| {{Redirect|SOHR}} | |||
| ⚫ | {{Infobox |
||
| {{Use dmy dates|date=November 2017}} | |||
| {{Use British English|date=November 2017}} | |||
| ⚫ | {{Infobox website | ||
| | name = Syrian Observatory for Human Rights (SOHR) | | name = Syrian Observatory for Human Rights (SOHR) | ||
| | native_name = |
| native_name = المرصد السوري لحقوق الإنسان | ||
| | native_name_lang = ar | |||
| ⚫ | | |
||
| | logo = SyrianObservatoryHRlogo.png | |||
| | caption = The logo of the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights. | |||
| | |
| logo_size = 175px | ||
| ⚫ | | caption = The logo of the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights | ||
| | founded_date = {{Start date|2006|5}} | |||
| | |
| type = News reporting | ||
| | |
| founded = {{Start date|2006|5}} | ||
| | |
| founder = Osama Suleiman (a.k.a. Rami Abdulrahman) | ||
| | location = ], ], ], ]<ref name =NYT/><ref name=sueddeutsche/> | |||
| | language = ], ] | |||
| | |
| language = {{blist|Arabic|English}} | ||
| | language_count = 2 | |||
| ⚫ | | owner = Osama Suleiman (Rami Abdulrahman) | ||
| | international = Yes | |||
| ⚫ | | website = {{URL|www.syriahr.com/en |
||
| ⚫ | | owner = Osama Suleiman (a.k.a. Rami Abdulrahman) | ||
| | key_people = Osama Suleiman<ref name=sueddeutsche>{{cite news|url=http://www.sueddeutsche.de/politik/syrische-beobachtungsstelle-fuer-menschenrechte-ominoese-protokollanten-des-todes-1.1522443|title=Syrische Beobachtungsstelle für Menschenrechte: Ominöse Protokollanten des Todes |trans-title=Syrian observatory for human rights: Ominous loggers of death|last=Schaible|first=Jonas|date=2012-11-26|work=]|access-date=2017-12-11|language=de|issn=0174-4917|location=London}}</ref><ref name="NYT" /> | |||
| ⚫ | | website = {{URL|https://www.syriahr.com/en|syriahr.com}} | ||
| }} | }} | ||
| The '''Syrian Observatory for Human Rights''' (also known as '''SOHR'''; {{ |
The '''Syrian Observatory for Human Rights''' (also known as '''SOHR'''; {{langx|ar|المرصد السوري لحقوق الإنسان}}), founded in May 2006, is a ]-]-based information office whose stated aim is to document ] abuses in ]; since 2011 it has focused on the ]. It has been frequently quoted by major news outlets since the beginning of the war about daily numbers of deaths from all sides in the conflict<ref>{{cite news |url= http://www.asianage.com/international/26-civilians-killed-syria-friday-observatory-467 |title= 26 civilians killed in Syria on Friday: Observatory |date= 18 February 2012 |access-date= 11 June 2012 |work= ] |archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20180617165840/http://www.asianage.com/international/26-civilians-killed-syria-friday-observatory-467 |archive-date= 17 June 2018 |url-status=dead}}</ref><ref name=SOHR>{{cite web|url=http://www.syriahr.com/ |title=Syrian Observatory for Human Rights |access-date=12 September 2012}}</ref> and particularly civilians killed in airstrikes in Syria.<ref name=Reuters>{{cite news |author= Abbas, Mohammed |editor=Golovnina, Maria |url= http://uk.reuters.com/article/uk-britain-syria-idUKTRE7B71XG20111208 |title= Coventry – an unlikely home to prominent Syria activist |work= ] |date= 8 December 2011 |access-date= 11 June 2012 |archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20120722035928/http://uk.reuters.com/article/2011/12/08/uk-britain-syria-idUKTRE7B71XG20111208 |archive-date= 22 July 2012 |url-status= dead}}</ref> The SOHR has been described as being "pro-]" and anti-],{{efn|Attributed to multiple sources: <ref name="time20140217">{{cite magazine|title=Report: Almost 6,000 Dead in Syria During Geneva Talks|url=https://world.time.com/2014/02/17/report-almost-6000-dead-in-syria-during-geneva-talks/|magazine=Time|date=17 February 2014}}</ref><ref name="independent20150613">{{cite news|title=Syrian civil war: Jabhat al-Nusra's massacre of Druze villagers shows they're just as nasty as Isis|url=https://www.independent.co.uk/voices/commentators/syrian-civil-war-jabhat-al-nusras-massacre-of-druze-villagers-shows-the-group-is-just-as-nasty-as-10318348.html |archive-url=https://ghostarchive.org/archive/20220526/https://www.independent.co.uk/voices/commentators/syrian-civil-war-jabhat-al-nusras-massacre-of-druze-villagers-shows-the-group-is-just-as-nasty-as-10318348.html |archive-date=26 May 2022 |url-access=subscription |url-status=live|work=Independent|date=13 June 2015}}</ref><ref name="reuters20130409">{{cite news|title=Syrian opposition group accuses rebel unit of torture|url=https://www.reuters.com/article/us-syria-crisis-torture-idUSBRE9380VI20130409|work=Reuters|date=9 April 2013}}</ref><ref name="bbc20130807">{{cite news|title=Syrian rebels 'killed in army ambush near Damascus'|url=https://www.bbc.com/news/world-middle-east-23600612|work=BBC|date=7 August 2013}}</ref><ref name="aljazeera20151014">{{Cite web|url=http://america.aljazeera.com/articles/2015/10/14/isil-fights-syrian-rebels-near-aleppo-as-army-prepares-assault.html|title=ISIL fights Syrian rebels near Aleppo as army prepares assault|website=america.aljazeera.com}}</ref><ref name="haaretz20140316">{{cite news|url=http://www.haaretz.com/news/middle-east/1.580112|title=Syrian Forces Take Last Rebel Stronghold on Lebanese Border|agency=Reuters|date=16 March 2014|work=Haaretz}}</ref>}} but has reported on war crimes committed by all sides of the conflict. | ||
| ==History and operations== | |||
| The ]-based SOHR is run from his home in ] by Rami Abdulrahman,<ref name =NYT>{{cite news|title=A Very Busy Man Behind the Syrian Civil War’s Casualty Count|url=http://www.nytimes.com/2013/04/10/world/middleeast/the-man-behind-the-casualty-figures-in-syria.html?pagewanted=all&_r=0|publisher=]|date=9 April 2013|accessdate=31 May 2013}}</ref> (sometimes referred to as Rami Abdul Rahman) a Syrian ] Muslim who also owns a clothes shop. After being imprisoned three times in Syria, Abdulrahman fled to the United Kingdom fearing a fourth jail term and has not returned since.<ref name=Reuters/> '']'' in April 2013 described him being on the phone all day every day with contacts in Syria, and checking all information himself.<ref name=NYT/> Born Osama Suleiman, he adopted a pseudonym during his years of activism in Syria, and has used it publicly ever since.<ref name=NYT/> | |||
| The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights is run by "Rami Abdulrahman" (sometimes spelled as Rami Abdul Rahman), from his home in ].<ref name =NYT/> Abdulrahman is a Syrian ] who owns a clothing shop. Born Osama Suleiman, he adopted a pseudonym during his years of activism in Syria and has used it publicly ever since.<ref name =NYT>{{cite news|last=MacFarquhar|first=Neil|title=A Very Busy Man Behind the Syrian Civil War's Casualty Count|url=https://www.nytimes.com/2013/04/10/world/middleeast/the-man-behind-the-casualty-figures-in-syria.html|newspaper=]|date=9 April 2013|access-date=31 May 2013|archive-date=2017-01-14 |archive-url=https://archive.today/20170114031830/http://www.nytimes.com/2013/04/10/world/middleeast/the-man-behind-the-casualty-figures-in-syria.html |url-status=live}}</ref> After being imprisoned three times in Syria, Abdulrahman fled to the ] fearing a fourth jail term and has not returned. He has also established an office in ].<ref name=Reuters/> | |||
| In a December 2011 interview with Reuters, |
In a December 2011 interview with ], Abdulrahman claimed the observatory has a network of more than 200 people and that six of his sources had been killed.<ref name=Reuters/> In 2012, '']'' described the organisation as a one-man-operation with Abdulrahman its only permanent member.<ref name=sueddeutsche/>{{verify source|date=April 2018}} In April 2013, '']'' described him as being on the phone all day everyday with contacts in Syria, relying on four individuals inside the country who collate information from more than 230 activists, while cross-checking all information with sources himself.<ref name=NYT/> | ||
| ==Accuracy and independence== | |||
| == Criticism == | |||
| Neil Sammonds, a British researcher for the London-based ], said, "Generally, the information on the killings of civilians is very good, definitely one of the best, including the details on the conditions in which people were supposedly killed."<ref name =NYT/> | |||
| SOHR has been accused of selective reporting, covering only violent acts of the government forces against the opposition for the first two years of its existence. Although critics concede that its reports have become less partisan, critics interviewed by ], the official press agency of the Roman Catholic Pontifical Institute for Foreign Missions, charge that as of 2013 SOHR "continues to defend ] to avoid losing support among rebel forces".<ref>]: , 17 June 2013, retrieved 8 July 2013</ref> | |||
| The organisation says on its website that "The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights is not associated or linked to any political body."<ref>{{Cite web |date=6 September 2014 |title=About Us • The Syrian Observatory For Human Rights |url=http://www.syriahr.com/en/?page_id=1030}}</ref> | |||
| Charlie Skeltom, in a 2012 opinion piece in '']'',<ref name="theguardian.com">, '']'', 12 July 2012</ref> questioned the wisdom of those who quote a source that amounts to nothing more than a lone clothes seller, living in ], posing as an organisation with a "grandiose" name. | |||
| SOHR has been described as being "pro-opposition"<ref name="time20140217" /><ref name="independent20150613" /><ref name="reuters20130409" /><ref name="bbc20130807" /> or anti-]<ref name="aljazeera20151014" /><ref name="haaretz20140316" /> and has been criticised for refusing to share its data or methodology.<ref>, washingtonpost.com Accessed 20 February 2018</ref> It has been also criticised for selective reporting, covering only violent acts of the government forces against the opposition for the first two years of its existence<ref>]: , 17 June 2013, retrieved 8 July 2013</ref> and reporting anti-government fighter deaths as civilians deaths.<ref></ref> | |||
| During a press conference in Moscow on October 22, 2015 Russian Foreign Ministry spokeswoman ], dismissed the SOHR as lacking ] and described director Rami Abdel Rahman as a British national "with neither a journalism degree nor a legal education... not even a secondary education" and no more reliable than "a waiter in a pizzeria."<ref>, msn.com, October 22, 2015</ref> | |||
| Classified U.S. diplomatic cables, provided by the anti-secrecy Web site ], showed that the U.S. State Department has funneled $6 million to ], an anti-Assad satellite TV channel operated by people affiliated with SOHR, between 2006 and 2011 to operate the satellite channel and finance activities inside Syria, '']'' reported in 2011.<ref>{{cite news |last=Whitlock |first=Craig |date=18 April 2011 |title=U.S. secretly backed Syrian opposition groups, cables released by WikiLeaks show |url=http://www.washingtonpost.com/world/us-secretly-backed-syrian-opposition-groups-cables-released-by-wikileaks-show/2011/04/14/AF1p9hwD_story.html |accessdate=18 July 2014 |work=The Washington Post}}</ref><ref>{{cite news |last=Morrison |first=Sarah |date=19 April 2011 |title=UK-based Syrian TV station denies secret funding from US government |url=http://www.independent.co.uk/news/uk/home-news/ukbased-syrian-tv-station-denies-secret-funding-from-us-government-2269730.html |work=The Independent |location=London}}</ref> In 2013, the '']'' reported that Rami Abdulrahman had received small subsidies from the ] and one European country.<ref name="NYT" /> '']'' said that journalist ] confirmed "in communication with the Foreign Office" that "the UK funded a project worth £194,769.60 to provide the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights with communications equipment and cameras."<ref>, 4 June 2018, Medialens</ref> | |||
| ==See also== | ==See also== | ||
| *] | |||
| *] | |||
| *] | |||
| *] | |||
| ==Notes== | |||
| {{Notelist}} | |||
| ==References== | ==References== | ||
| {{ |
{{Reflist|2}} | ||
| ==External links== | ==External links== | ||
| * |
*{{Official website|http://www.syriahr.com/en/}} | ||
| * Support Kurds in Syria (SKS) (supportkurds.org) (10 December 2011). Source: Mohammed Abbas, Reuters (8 December 2011) with a SKS comment. Retrieved 6 May 2013. | |||
| {{Authority control}} | |||
| ] | ] | ||
| ] | ] | ||
| ] | ] | ||
| ] | ] | ||
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Latest revision as of 12:36, 26 December 2024
Information office documenting human rights abuses in the Syrian Civil War "SOHR" redirects here. For other uses, see SOHR (disambiguation).
 | |
| Native name | المرصد السوري لحقوق الإنسان |
|---|---|
| Type of site | News reporting |
| Available in | 2 languages |
List of languages
| |
| Founded | May 2006 (2006-05) |
| Headquarters | Coventry, United Kingdom, Greater Paris, France |
| Owner | Osama Suleiman (a.k.a. Rami Abdulrahman) |
| Founder(s) | Osama Suleiman (a.k.a. Rami Abdulrahman) |
| Key people | Osama Suleiman |
| URL | syriahr.com |
The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights (also known as SOHR; Arabic: المرصد السوري لحقوق الإنسان), founded in May 2006, is a United Kingdom-France-based information office whose stated aim is to document human rights abuses in Syria; since 2011 it has focused on the Syrian Civil War. It has been frequently quoted by major news outlets since the beginning of the war about daily numbers of deaths from all sides in the conflict and particularly civilians killed in airstrikes in Syria. The SOHR has been described as being "pro-opposition" and anti-Assad, but has reported on war crimes committed by all sides of the conflict.
History and operations
The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights is run by "Rami Abdulrahman" (sometimes spelled as Rami Abdul Rahman), from his home in Coventry. Abdulrahman is a Syrian Sunni who owns a clothing shop. Born Osama Suleiman, he adopted a pseudonym during his years of activism in Syria and has used it publicly ever since. After being imprisoned three times in Syria, Abdulrahman fled to the United Kingdom fearing a fourth jail term and has not returned. He has also established an office in France.
In a December 2011 interview with Reuters, Abdulrahman claimed the observatory has a network of more than 200 people and that six of his sources had been killed. In 2012, Süddeutsche Zeitung described the organisation as a one-man-operation with Abdulrahman its only permanent member. In April 2013, The New York Times described him as being on the phone all day everyday with contacts in Syria, relying on four individuals inside the country who collate information from more than 230 activists, while cross-checking all information with sources himself.
Accuracy and independence
Neil Sammonds, a British researcher for the London-based Amnesty International, said, "Generally, the information on the killings of civilians is very good, definitely one of the best, including the details on the conditions in which people were supposedly killed."
The organisation says on its website that "The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights is not associated or linked to any political body."
SOHR has been described as being "pro-opposition" or anti-Assad and has been criticised for refusing to share its data or methodology. It has been also criticised for selective reporting, covering only violent acts of the government forces against the opposition for the first two years of its existence and reporting anti-government fighter deaths as civilians deaths.
Classified U.S. diplomatic cables, provided by the anti-secrecy Web site WikiLeaks, showed that the U.S. State Department has funneled $6 million to Barada TV, an anti-Assad satellite TV channel operated by people affiliated with SOHR, between 2006 and 2011 to operate the satellite channel and finance activities inside Syria, The Washington Post reported in 2011. In 2013, the New York Times reported that Rami Abdulrahman had received small subsidies from the European Union and one European country. Medialens said that journalist Ian Sinclair confirmed "in communication with the Foreign Office" that "the UK funded a project worth £194,769.60 to provide the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights with communications equipment and cameras."
See also
Notes
- Attributed to multiple sources:
References
- ^ MacFarquhar, Neil (9 April 2013). "A Very Busy Man Behind the Syrian Civil War's Casualty Count". The New York Times. Archived from the original on 14 January 2017. Retrieved 31 May 2013.
- ^ Schaible, Jonas (26 November 2012). "Syrische Beobachtungsstelle für Menschenrechte: Ominöse Protokollanten des Todes" [Syrian observatory for human rights: Ominous loggers of death]. Süddeutsche Zeitung (in German). London. ISSN 0174-4917. Retrieved 11 December 2017.
- "26 civilians killed in Syria on Friday: Observatory". The Asian Age. 18 February 2012. Archived from the original on 17 June 2018. Retrieved 11 June 2012.
- "Syrian Observatory for Human Rights". Retrieved 12 September 2012.
- ^ Abbas, Mohammed (8 December 2011). Golovnina, Maria (ed.). "Coventry – an unlikely home to prominent Syria activist". Reuters. Archived from the original on 22 July 2012. Retrieved 11 June 2012.
- ^ "Report: Almost 6,000 Dead in Syria During Geneva Talks". Time. 17 February 2014.
- ^ "Syrian civil war: Jabhat al-Nusra's massacre of Druze villagers shows they're just as nasty as Isis". Independent. 13 June 2015. Archived from the original on 26 May 2022.
- ^ "Syrian opposition group accuses rebel unit of torture". Reuters. 9 April 2013.
- ^ "Syrian rebels 'killed in army ambush near Damascus'". BBC. 7 August 2013.
- ^ "ISIL fights Syrian rebels near Aleppo as army prepares assault". america.aljazeera.com.
- ^ "Syrian Forces Take Last Rebel Stronghold on Lebanese Border". Haaretz. Reuters. 16 March 2014.
- "About Us • The Syrian Observatory For Human Rights". 6 September 2014.
- Adam Taylor: "200,000 dead? Why Syria’s rising death toll is so divisive" 3 December 2014, washingtonpost.com Accessed 20 February 2018
- AsiaNews: Massacres by Islamic extremists bolster Bashar al-Assad, 17 June 2013, retrieved 8 July 2013
- Syria Contextualized. By Musa al-Gharbi Middle East Policy Council Spring 2013, Volume XX, Number 1
- Whitlock, Craig (18 April 2011). "U.S. secretly backed Syrian opposition groups, cables released by WikiLeaks show". The Washington Post. Retrieved 18 July 2014.
- Morrison, Sarah (19 April 2011). "UK-based Syrian TV station denies secret funding from US government". The Independent. London.
- The Syrian Observatory - Funded By The Foreign Office, 4 June 2018, Medialens