Since mid May more than 6,000 Syrians have been compelled to flee from their homes and seek refuge in north Lebanon. Many of them gave a detailed account of what they had witnessed and what they had been exposed to in the city of Talkalakh in the governorate of Homs, Syria and elsewhere. While the identity of those interviewed cannot be disclosed for security reasons, those interviewed by Alkarama recounted their experiences from the beginning of demonstrations in Syria. They spoke about arrests by the army, the security services and by members of Al-Shabeehah– irregular armed forces. Those interviewed also described attacks by the authorities, which are accompanied by arrests, vandalism and killings. The current situation is also affecting access to health care, as those injured placed in hospitals are being exposed to ill-treatment and abuse.

Start of the uprising in Talkalakh

  On 1 June 2011 Mr. M.D. spoke about the early stages of the protests: "The revolution started in Deraa on 15 March 2011. It was after the siege of Deraa, when on 25 March 2011 a first semi-spontaneous demonstration in solidarity with those killed in Deraa was launched from several mosques in the city of Talkalakh. Approximately 1,000 people participated in the demonstration." Concerning the causes of the uprising Mr. M.D. added that "the injustice and oppression for more than half a century by the Syrian regime had accumulated in the Syrian street and led to all kinds of suppression. One example is agrarian reform: during the reform, property was first seized and then redistributed based on your religious grouping. In the 70s, former president Hafez Al-Assad gained power, and he was responsible in the 80s for the massacre of Hama, as well as for thousands of arrests over the years, which were formally made possible by the emergency laws."

Mr. O.G. said that the Syrian uprising began "as the people demanded the release of prisoners and wanted to obtain information about the more than 500 people who are still disappeared. The authorities released about 40 people, but started arresting prominent figures in the city, such as lawyers, doctors and engineers, stealing their property and raiding their homes. At the same time the Syrian media distorted the truth and started calling them terrorists."

Mr. M.K. reported that "about 180 men suspected of smuggling are being held incommunicado, with most of them having been arrested in past years. This was the reason why people in Talkalakh initially took to the streets at the beginning of March. It was only after 19 April 2011 that people started demanding the fall of the regime, which was approximately three weeks after the first demonstrations had started."

Detention centers being used

Most violations committed in Talkakh

Alkarama listened to witnesses who confirmed the detention of dozens of people in Talkalakh and executed them secretly. The corpses show that the killings were carried out in extremely savage ways. Mr. A.J gave the names of many victims: " Mohammad Al Jabori  18 years old , Mohammad Majed Akari 40 years old, Montaser Akari 37 years, Ahmad Sandil 18 years, Mohammad Adarzi 22 years old, Mohamed Ali Akromi 43 years old , Khaled Akromi 50 years old, Ismail Da Douch 30 years old and Suleiman Da Douch 17 old" .

Hospitals under attack

The population of Talkakh suffers from problems of access to health care, like in many of the cities where demonstrations have taken place. Witnesses told Alkarama that the Shabeehah and pro-government militia exploited national hospitals in Talkakh and have transformed them into centres used for executions and detentions.

Present situation

Mr. M.D says that "Now in Talkakh, people won't leave their homes". He confirmed that they are under the blockade and are isolated from the rest of the world. They are too scared to flee as they fear being killed. The people who have decided to resist in Talkakh refuse to leave their homes because if they do, they will not come back. They risk their lives and no one knows how things are for them. About 95% of the population of Talkakh left and the bakery doesn't exist in the city because it was shelled. Local people bring bread and flower from many neighboring regions and even the vegetables market is closed". He adds "even water reservoirs are targeted by shelling from Shabeehah militia so as to empty its  water. These types of acts are done to oppress the local population of Talkakh. In addition, , communications and electricity are switched off" .