“Regularizations” for Women and Men in Dara’a Province without Real Guarantees

The Syrian security apparatuses are making “regularizations” to the women of Dara’a province in south Syria in conjunction with conducting similar “regularizations” to the young men there. This took place in collaboration with the “civil registry” that was affiliated to the Syrian Interim Government in one area. By conducting these “regularizations” to women, a “Cease of Search Memo” is issued is respect of women who were wanted by security apparatuses due to their humanitarian and social activity and their opposing attitudes during the past years.

STJ’s field researcher in Dara’a stated that the “regularization centers” are across the province. These centers are affiliated to Air Force Intelligence branch, Military Security branch, and State Security branch in accordance to the deployment areas of each of them. The center includes about fifty members. The deployment of the “Russian Military Police” in province continues, as stated by STJ’s field researcher.

Concerning “Regularization Procedures” in general, which are in place up to the time of publication of this report, STJ’s field researcher indicated that the person who desires to make regularization should head to the center and sign three papers that include his/her personal information, commit not to have anti-government activities. However, in return those people have no real guarantees not to be persecuted or arrested in future, especially if he/she was one of the media activists or militaries who defected from the Syrian regular army.

As for the “regularization” for women, including activists, in Dara’a al Balad in the city, one of the male activists based in the province, and who preferred not to reveal his name for security reasons, stated in an interview with STJ on August 16^th 2018 that “ the civil registry center”, which was previously subordinated to the Syrian Interim Government, has worked since August 8^th 2018 on collecting the names of women and women activists who desire to make this “regularization”, and provided these lists to the regularization center that is supervised by the military security branch. The women applied a written request to make the regularization and attached it with a copy of the ID, illustrating that the role of the “civil registry center” is to facilitate the process and procedures of regularization of women only.

The activist indicated that “the process of collecting names and conducting collective regularization” was made only in Dara’a al Balad. As for the rest of province areas, women made individual regularization as they went themselves to the regularization center and provided information about their humanitarian and social activities during the past seven years.

The process of “regularization” for women and men in Dara’a al Balad, it was ended on August 14^th 2018, and based on it, a “Cease of Search Memo” should be issued within two months. People who conducted regularization were given “identification card” to facilitate their movement and passage through the Syrian regular forces checkpoints.

A copy of “Covenant and Commitment Document” that should be signed by those who desire to make “Regularization” with the government of the Syrian regime. Credit: Page of Activist Omar Al Hariri

The Syrian regular government launched many detention and retention campaigns against dozens of young men in Dara’a province, where the latest one in Dael city as twenty-five young men were arrested for unknown reasons[1] following control on the entire province that came after negotiation rounds with the opposition factions where they reached two conceding agreements in July 2018 ; the first one for the northern countryside and Al Lajat area, and the second for the rest province areas, except for Al Yarmouk Basin which was recently controlled with support of  the complementary forces. These negotiations were permeated by agreement breach as the regular forces shelled civilians areas that resulted in death and injury of dozens. STJ published detailed news and reports on these incidents.