Syrian Civil War 2011-2012 - Societa italiana di storia militare

26 January On 26 January, Hasan Ali Akleh from Al-Hasakah poured gasoline on himself and set himself on fire, in the same way
Tunisian Mohamed Bouazizi had in Tunis on 17 December 2010. According to eyewitnesses, the action was "a protest against the
Syrian government". [3][4][5]
28 January On 28 January, an evening demonstration was held in Ar-Raqqah, to protest the killing of two soldiers of Kurdish
descent. [5][6] February 2011
2 February On 2 February, a group of 20 people in civilian clothing beat and dispersed 15 people who had been holding a candlelight
vigil at Bab Tuma in Damascus for Egyptian demonstrators, Human Rights Watch reported. [7]
4–16 February On 3 February, a "Day of Rage" was called for in Syria from 4–5 February on social media sites Facebook and
Twitter. Protesters demanded governmental reform. Most protests took place outside of Syria, and were small. [8][9][10][11] The protests
were expected to begin on 4 February, as social media mobilised the Syrian people for rallies demanding freedom, human rights, and
the end to the country's state of emergency. Protests were also scheduled for 5 February in front of the parliament in Damascus, and at
Syrian embassies internationally. [12] Al Jazeera reported increased security for the planned "Days of Rage." [13] The only known action
took place on 5 February, when hundreds of protesters in Al-Hasakah participated in a mass demonstration, calling for Assad's
departure. Syrian authorities arrested dozens, and a demonstration was quickly triggered. [14] Suhair Atassi, who runs the banned Jamal
Atassi Forum, called for political reforms and the reinstatement of civil rights, as well as for an end to the emergency law that has
been in place since 1962. [15] However, no protests occurred on either date. [16][17][18] After the failure of attempts to arrange a "Day of
Rage," Al Jazeera described the country as "a kingdom of silence". It identified the key factors underlying Syrian stability as the
country's strict security measures, the popularity of President Bashar al-Assad, and fear of potential sectarian violence in the aftermath
of a government ouster (akin to neighbouring Iraq). [19]
17 February
Protests in Damascus, Syria, 17 February 2011 on YouTube
On 17 February, a spontaneous demonstration broke out outside Al-Hamidiyah Souq in Damascus, to protest the police beating of a
local shop owner. Several men gathered and blocked a road, while chanting that "The Syrian people will not be humiliated". An
eyewitness estimated that there were more than 1,500 demonstrators. Secret police officers arrived on the scene quickly, along with
several government officials and finally Syria's interior minister, who dispersed the demonstrators, took the shop owner into his car,
and promised an investigation. [7][20][21] A couple of hours later, several videos of the events were posted on YouTube. [22]
22 February On 22 February, about 200 people gathered outside the Libyan embassy in Damascus to protest against the Libyan
regime, and ask that the ambassador resign. Despite the peaceful demonstration, there were nearly twice as many secret and
uniformed police as there were protesters. The demonstrators carried placards reading "Freedom for the people" and "Down with
Gaddafi". The protesters then started chanting "Traitors are those that beat their people", which created nervousness among the
security forces, who immediately asked the people to return to their homes. 14 people were arrested but later released, and several
more were beaten by policemen. Some protesters were punched, kicked and beaten with sticks. All present had their identities
recorded. [7][23][24]
23 February On 23 February, during a routine session of the Syrian Parliament, a member proposed that harsh emergency laws be
reviewed. The issue was not scheduled for discussion, and its introduction came as a surprise. A pro-government official who was at
the session recalled it with anger. The proposal was rapidly quashed, when the speaker put the proposed review to a vote in the
chamber, but none of the other 249 MPs supported it. [25] March 2011
6 March On 6 March, a number of young boys under 15 years of age were arrested in Daraa, for writing on the walls of the city a
slogan of the 2010–11 Arab uprisings that: "the people want to overthrow the regime". [26] It was reported that Libyan Anti-Gaddafi
forces shot down two Syrian war planes in Ra's Lanuf, Libya; this was later denied by Syrian officials. [27][28][29] In Lebanon, four
brothers, all of them Syrian opposition activists, went missing shortly after passing out flyers in front of the Syrian embassy in Beirut,
calling for a demonstration to oppose Syria's government. [30] TIME said that the commitment could still be found among the Syrian
youth, but that what was needed was a starting point. [31] Ribal al-Assad said that it was almost time for Syria to be the next domino. [32]
7 March On 7 March 13 Syrian political prisoners went on a hunger strike to protest against "political detentions and oppression" in
Syria. They demanded an end to political arrests, the removal of injustices, and the restitution of rights that had been removed from
civil and political life. [33][34]
10 March On 10 March, dozens of jailed Kurds in Syria, from the Yakiti Party and from the Democratic Union, started a hunger
strike in solidarity with other activists who had also initiated hunger strikes in a prison near Damascus three days earlier. [35] Human
Rights Watch reacted to the disappearance of Syrian activists in Lebanon four days earlier, indicating that it feared that Lebanon is
"back to doing Syria's dirty job". [36] The Syrian Foreign Ministry stated that Syria was monitoring with high concern "the tragic
developments in the brotherly country of Libya". [37] Syrian newspaper Al-Watan said that the Syrian government welcomed the fall of
Mubarak's regime, and was looking forward to a new leadership that does not "cover for Israeli violations". [38] The Reform Party of
Syria asserted that "al-Assad is sending arms to Gaddafi to kill his people with". [39]
12 March On 12 March, thousands of Syrian Kurds in al-Qamishli and in al-Hasakah protested on the day of Kurdish martyr, which
is an annual event since 2004, when many Syrian kurds died in anti-government demonstrations. [40][41][42] Al Jazeera reported that a
civilian vessel, loaded with weapons and ammunition and 500 SUVs had sailed from the port of Tartus in Syria towards Tripoli in
Libya, in order to supply the Gaddafi forces. The reporter said that the Syrian battalion is fighting alongside Gaddafi against the
Libyan rebels. [43][44] That was also confirmed with an interview with Libyan politician Ibrahim Jibreel. [45]