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{{Short description|Information office documenting human rights abuses in the Syrian Civil War}}
{{redirect|SOHR}} {{Redirect|SOHR}}
⚫ {{Infobox non-profit
⚫ {{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 = {{lang-ar|المرصد السوري لحقوق الإنسان}} | native_name = المرصد السوري لحقوق الإنسان
| native_name_lang = ar
⚫ | image = ]
| logo = SyrianObservatoryHRlogo.png
| caption = The logo of the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights.
| type = ] | logo_size = 175px
⚫ | caption = The logo of the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights
| founded_date = {{Start date|2006|5}}
| founder = Osama Suleiman (Rami Abdulrahman) | type = News reporting
| location = ], ] | founded = {{Start date|2006|5}}
| status = ] | founder = Osama Suleiman (a.k.a. Rami Abdulrahman)
| language = ], ] | location = ], ]
| focus = ] ] | 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'''; {{lang-ar|المرصد السوري لحقوق الإنسان}}), founded in May 2006, is a UK-based information office that has been documenting ] abuses in ]; it has focused since 2011 on the ]. It is frequently quoted by major Western news media, such as Voice of America, Reuters, BBC, CNN and National Public Radio, since the beginning of the uprising about daily numbers of deaths from all sides in the conflict<ref>{{cite web |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 |accessdate= 11 June 2012 |work= ] |archiveurl= http://www.webcitation.org/68LYlMtqM |archivedate= 11 June 2012 |deadurl=yes}}</ref><ref name=SOHR>{{cite web|url=http://www.syriahr.com/ |title=Syrian Observatory for Human Rights |publisher=Syriahr.com|accessdate=12 September 2012}}</ref> and civilians killed in airstrikes in Syria.<ref name=Reuters>{{Cite news |author= Abbas, Mohammed; Golovnina, Maria (editing) |url= http://uk.reuters.com/article/2011/12/08/uk-britain-syria-idUKTRE7B71XG20111208 |title= Coventry – an unlikely home to prominent Syria activist |publisher= ] |date= 8 December 2011 |accessdate= 11 June 2012 |archiveurl= http://www.webcitation.org/68LZFIQ5S |archivedate= 11 June 2012 |deadurl= no}}</ref> SOHR has been described as being "pro-opposition"<ref>{{cite news|title=Report: Almost 6,000 Dead in Syria During Geneva Talks|url=http://world.time.com/2014/02/17/report-almost-6000-dead-in-syria-during-geneva-talks/|agency=TIME Magazine|date=17 February 2014}}</ref><ref>{{cite news|title=Syrian civil war: Jabhat al-Nusra's massacre of Druze villagers shows they're just as nasty as Isis|url=http://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|agency=Independent|date=13 June 2015}}</ref><ref>{{cite news|title=Syrian opposition group accuses rebel unit of torture|url=http://www.reuters.com/article/us-syria-crisis-torture-idUSBRE9380VI20130409|agency=Reuters|date=9 April 2013}}</ref><ref>{{cite news|title=Syrian rebels 'killed in army ambush near Damascus'|url=http://www.bbc.com/news/world-middle-east-23600612|agency=BBC|date=7 August 2013}}</ref> and anti-].<ref></ref><ref></ref>


⚫ 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.
==Organisation==
⚫ The organisation is run by Rami Abdulrahman (sometimes referred to as Rami Abdul Rahman), from his home in ].<ref name =NYT/> He is a Syrian ] Muslim who owns a clothes 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|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?pagewanted=all&_r=0|publisher=]|date=9 April 2013|accessdate=31 May 2013}}</ref> After being imprisoned three times in Syria, Abdulrahman fled to the United Kingdom fearing a fourth jail term and has not returned.<ref name=Reuters/>


==History and operations==
⚫ In a December 2011 interview with Reuters, Abdulrahman said 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 organization as a one-man-operation with a single permanent worker, Rami Abdulrahman.<ref>{{cite web|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|first=Jonas Schaible|last=London|date=1 November 2012|publisher=|accessdate=24 November 2016|via=Sueddeutsche.de}}</ref> In April 2013, the '']'' described him as being on the phone all day every day with contacts in Syria, relying on four men inside the country who collate information from more than 230 activists while cross-checking all information with sources himself.<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.<ref name=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/>
==Praise and criticism==
==Accuracy and independence==
The ], newspapers, and nongovernmental organisations say that SOHR is an accurate source. "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," said Neil Sammonds, a researcher for ].<ref name =NYT/> 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/>


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>
SOHR has been accused of selective reporting, with ] saying that they covered only violent acts of the government forces against the opposition for the first two years of its existence.<ref>{{cite news |author=<!--Staff writer(s); no by-line.--> |title=Massacres by Islamic extremists bolster Bashar al-Assad |url=http://www.asianews.it/news-en/Massacres-by-Islamic-extremists-bolster-Bashar-al-Assad-28219.html |newspaper=] |location= |date=17 June 2013 |access-date=8 July 2013}}</ref> SOHR has also been accused of reporting militant anti-government fighters among dead civilians,<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.mepc.org/journal/middle-east-policy-archives/syria-contextualized-numbers-game|title=Syria Contextualized: The Numbers Game - Middle East Policy Council|publisher=|accessdate=24 November 2016}}</ref> and has been described as being "pro-opposition"<ref>{{cite news|title=Report: Almost 6,000 Dead in Syria During Geneva Talks|url=http://world.time.com/2014/02/17/report-almost-6000-dead-in-syria-during-geneva-talks/|agency=TIME Magazine|date=17 February 2014}}</ref><ref>{{cite news|title=Syrian civil war: Jabhat al-Nusra's massacre of Druze villagers shows they're just as nasty as Isis|url=http://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|agency=Independent|date=13 June 2015}}</ref><ref>{{cite news|title=Syrian opposition group accuses rebel unit of torture|url=http://www.reuters.com/article/us-syria-crisis-torture-idUSBRE9380VI20130409|agency=Reuters|date=9 April 2013}}</ref><ref>{{cite news|title=Syrian rebels 'killed in army ambush near Damascus'|url=http://www.bbc.com/news/world-middle-east-23600612|agency=BBC|date=7 August 2013}}</ref> and anti-].<ref></ref><ref></ref> It has been criticised for refusing to share its raw data or methodology.<ref>https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/worldviews/wp/2014/12/03/200000-dead-why-syrias-rising-death-toll-is-so-divisive/?utm_term=.0ecd5bd8d3f7</ref> In October 2015, Russian Foreign Ministry spokesperson ] questioned the reliability of the organization saying that it is based in London and has no ground access to Syria.<ref>. ]. Published 23 October 2015. Retrieved 31 March 2017.</ref> In March 2017, ] spokesman Sebastian Fischer criticized the credibility of the organization and called its findings "unsubstantial" after SOHR reported that a ] airstrike carried out on intelligence from ] caused civilian casualties. He went on to say that it is crucial to "take into account that those, who give specific information over to them , have their own interests consisting of this information being presented to the public in a particular way."<ref>. ]. Published 31 March 2017. Retrieved 21 March 2017.</ref>


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>
==Funding==

⚫ {{Expand section|date=April 2017}}
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}} {{Reflist|2}}


==External links== ==External links==
* – website *{{Official website|http://www.syriahr.com/en/}}

{{Authority control}}


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Latest revision as of 18:58, 28 December 2024

Information office documenting human rights abuses in the Syrian Civil War "SOHR" redirects here. For other uses, see SOHR (disambiguation).

Syrian Observatory for Human Rights (SOHR)
Native nameالمرصد السوري لحقوق الإنسان
Type of siteNews reporting
Available in2 languages
List of languages
  • Arabic
  • English
FoundedMay 2006 (2006-05)
HeadquartersCoventry, United Kingdom
OwnerOsama Suleiman (a.k.a. Rami Abdulrahman)
Founder(s)Osama Suleiman (a.k.a. Rami Abdulrahman)
Key peopleOsama Suleiman
URLsyriahr.com

The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights (also known as SOHR; Arabic: المرصد السوري لحقوق الإنسان), founded in May 2006, is a United Kingdom-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.

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

  1. Attributed to multiple sources:

References

  1. ^ 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.
  2. ^ 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.
  3. "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.
  4. "Syrian Observatory for Human Rights". Retrieved 12 September 2012.
  5. ^ 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.
  6. ^ "Report: Almost 6,000 Dead in Syria During Geneva Talks". Time. 17 February 2014.
  7. ^ "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.
  8. ^ "Syrian opposition group accuses rebel unit of torture". Reuters. 9 April 2013.
  9. ^ "Syrian rebels 'killed in army ambush near Damascus'". BBC. 7 August 2013.
  10. ^ "ISIL fights Syrian rebels near Aleppo as army prepares assault". america.aljazeera.com.
  11. ^ "Syrian Forces Take Last Rebel Stronghold on Lebanese Border". Haaretz. Reuters. 16 March 2014.
  12. "About Us • The Syrian Observatory For Human Rights". 6 September 2014.
  13. Adam Taylor: "200,000 dead? Why Syria’s rising death toll is so divisive" 3 December 2014, washingtonpost.com Accessed 20 February 2018
  14. AsiaNews: Massacres by Islamic extremists bolster Bashar al-Assad, 17 June 2013, retrieved 8 July 2013
  15. Syria Contextualized. By Musa al-Gharbi Middle East Policy Council Spring 2013, Volume XX, Number 1
  16. Whitlock, Craig (18 April 2011). "U.S. secretly backed Syrian opposition groups, cables released by WikiLeaks show". The Washington Post. Retrieved 18 July 2014.
  17. Morrison, Sarah (19 April 2011). "UK-based Syrian TV station denies secret funding from US government". The Independent. London.
  18. The Syrian Observatory - Funded By The Foreign Office, 4 June 2018, Medialens

External links

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