Word: assads
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...individuals implicated by the U.N. is Assef Shawkat, who is responsible for military security and is also the brother-in-law to Syrian President Bashar al Assad...
...recent months the President's ability to control events has slipped. Some government insiders criticize Assad for allowing the country to be drawn into a diplomatic row with the U.S. and failing to stop the popular protests against Syria in Lebanon this spring, which forced the withdrawal of Syrian troops. Syrian dissidents are more determined than ever to speak out. Days before the Mehlis report was released, members of 14 opposition parties and rights groups signed the Damascus Declaration, calling for a democratic constitution that would push Assad's regime out of power. The secret police broke up a press...
...investigators, had committed suicide at his desk. But Mehlis' 54-page report, released nine days after Kenaan's death, made only brief mention of the dead man--fueling speculation that Kenaan was coerced to take his own life or was murdered, either to eliminate a potential Alawite challenger to Assad's rule or to prevent him from further assisting the U.N. inquiry...
...many Syrians who have grown impatient with the thuggish tactics of the Assad regime, the U.N. investigation into Hariri's death is likely to stoke more outrage. The report not only provides a rare glimpse into the workings of Syria's police state; if its findings are true, it also makes a devastating case that Assad family members were complicit in state-sponsored murder. The report, quoting an unidentified Syrian witness "who claims to have worked for the Syrian intelligence services in Lebanon," says that senior Syrian and Lebanese security chiefs first decided to kill Hariri last September. A month...
...Assad is facing an excruciating dilemma. Calming the furor over the regime's suspected involvement in Hariri's death may ultimately require him to turn over his brother and brother-in-law for questioning, a move that could trigger a revolt by their loyalists. For that reason, many Syrians believe that Assad is unlikely to provide investigators with the level of cooperation they demand. But further evidence of Syrian obstruction could give the West the pretext it needs for sanctions that could cripple the regime. It's no surprise that Assad has kept a low profile since the release...