« Des journalistes citoyens syriens risquent leur vie, la ville de Homs confrontée à la famine » : différence entre les versions

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{{date|February 23, 2012}}

[[File:Homs-2012-02-09-report 180x144.ogv|right|250px|thumb|Video showing rocket strike near the camera. {{image credit|Baba-Omer via {{w|Bambuser}}}}]]

Syrian forces have been shelling the Baba Amr district of {{w|Homs}}, {{w|Syria}} for almost a month. Civilians and journalists are amongst the dead, and ''{{w|Wikinews}}'' spoke to a man who is a citizen journalist attracting attention both from the world's media, and from the {{w|Syrian Armed Forces}}.

 

Syrian forces began a ground assault in Homs on February 4, using soldiers and bombarding the city with tanks and {{w|artillery}}<!-- NPR February 9--> The bombardment continues to this day. Soldiers frequently clash with anti-government protesters and 'freedom fighters' with the {{w|Free Syrian Army}} in violent and often deadly outbursts. In the Baba Amr district of the city, "Omar," (for safety and security reasons we are only using his first name) a citizen journalist with the Homs Media Center, created an account on {{w|Bambuser}}, a website where users can stream live footage from their webcams or mobile phones. He then set up a camera in front of a window inside his home and began broadcasting the footage live on the {{w|internet}}. The violent and often deadly events that follow may have been indirectly caused by this action. The journalists discussed in this article put their lives on the line in order to show and tell the world a record of their events. In some cases they died while doing so, but their deaths may not have been a result of accidents. Evidence suggests that they may have been intentionally targeted by Syrian forces.

 

Omar would usually begin his broadcast on a daily basis just before sunrise. At 5:18 a.m. ({{w|Eastern European Time|EET}}) in Homs on Thursday, February 9, Omar started what was turning into a daily live broadcast. The sky was still dark with only a few lights flickering around the area. Sporadic gun and rocket fire between Syrian forces and the {{w|Free Syrian Army}} could occasionally be heard. By sunrise, much of the gun battles have stopped and much of the city would be silent except for the occasional rooster singing to the morning sun. As daylight broke, tanks inside the city and artillery on the outskirts would began shelling buildings and other targets every few minutes. Throughout the morning, rocket fire and tank shelling could be heard getting closer and closer to Omar's position.

 

[[File:Rocket Launcher Deployed near Homs.jpg|left|275px|thumb|Rocket launcher deployed towards Homs on February 5. {{image credit|{{w|United States Department of State|U.S. Department of State}}}}]]

At two hours and 23 minutes into the live broadcast, at approximately 7:40 a.m., a rocket is fired from what sounds like not more than several meters away. The camera's microphone records the audio of the brief, but distinct 'whistle' of the rocket as it sails through the air. It strikes feet away from the camera's position, causing it to wobble, shake and nearly tip over. Smoke covers the camera's view and debris falls onto it while the sounds of other materials can be heard collapsing close by. The camera continued to film, apparently unscathed. Omar's house wasn't so lucky, suffering a direct hit from a rocket. Off the camera's view, people inside the house began to scream. Just under two minutes later at about 7:42 a.m., a second rocket strikes the house just above and behind the camera's position, again causing it to shake. The sun casts the rising smoke's shadow on the house next door as debris hits the camera. More screams can be heard as materials collapse around them. The frantic footsteps of those inside now make up most of the live broadcast's audio. Some began to pray while others pulled a car around and carried out the injured or dead. Two minutes later another rocket is fired and the screams grow for a moment as residents warn each other of another possible incoming strike. An explosion is heard and smoke could be seen rising in the center right side of the video after the rocket struck a nearby building.

 

A few minutes later at about 7:48 a.m., in the lower right corner of the video, two men can be seen coming out onto their balcony looking in the direction of the house that was just hit. They talk amongst themselves, looking and pointing in the direction of Omar's house as what sounds like gunfire can be heard around the area. At about 7:50 a.m. they go back inside the building and out of sight. Three minutes later a rocket is fired, striking that same house, in the same exact spot where the two men were just standing. It is not known if they were killed or injured in the attack, but according to Omar the attacks around his home left 5 people dead, three women and two men. Omar was uninjured.

 

[[File:Omar house missile Feb 16.jpg|right|250px|thumb|Rocket that struck the side of Omar's house on February 15. {{image credit|Omar}}]]

Despite the losses of the February 9 attack, Omar kept his camera rolling whenever he was awake, but that was all about to change. It was a relatively quiet morning on February 15, but as as the sunrise gave way to daytime, rockets begun to hit targets inside the city for an 11th day in a row. At about 8:00 a.m. local time, a plume of black smoke appeared on the left side of Omar's live broadcast. The amount was small at first, but quickly began to grow.<!--February 15 http://bambuser.com/v/2368801 (will take a bit to load all the way as it's a 4 hour video)--> Minutes later Omar enters the room and moves the camera towards the event. Two very large plumes of thick black smoke could now be seen rising from a distance. He later reports that the smoke was from an oil pipeline that Syrian military aircraft had allegedly bombed. <!-- February 15 https://twitter.com/#!/OmarShakir91/status/169671776211709952 --> According to a {{w|United States Department of State}} satellite photo taken after the alleged bombing, the pipeline is seen bordering a densely populated area of the city which lies to the east and farmland which lies to the west. Smoke could be seen rising and covering nearly all of the populated area in range of the photo. Only a small section of the city can be seen near the lower and top left corners. <!--See photo: http://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Fire_in_the_Vicinity_of_an_Oil_Pipeline_in_Homs,_Syria.jpg --> After repositioning the camera, Omar decided to go out and perform some field work. It might have been a good thing for him to have done so. Omar stated on his {{w|Twitter}} stream that "after we left the house" a rocket made a direct hit on it, leaving a hole in one of the sides. <!-- Photo/ status of hole in house https://twitter.com/#!/OmarShakir91/status/169884369249517569 --> There were no injuries in the attack as no one was home at the time. With sunset closing in and the fire still burning strong, Omar turned off his camera, but not just for the night, indefinitely. Omar now believes he is in too much danger to further broadcast tweeting, "[I] really am confused[. I] am worried to turn the live camera on. It's become very dangerous." <!-- February 16 https://twitter.com/#!/OmarShakir91/status/170025746801229824 -->Omar has since left his home. <!--Skype conversation-->

 

As crucial as some of the live footage may be at getting pictures of the bloodshed inside Syria out of the country, for now, much of it hosted on Bambuser has stopped coming out of many cities. On February 17, the Syrian government blocked access to the Bambuser website and its mobile phone application. Despite the government's actions, some small instances of live footage has made its way out of Syria in the past few days, mostly from mobile phones. <!-- http://bambuser.com/broadcasts and click the 'Middle East' tab for archived footage of most recent live feeds from Syria etc.--> Bambuser speculates the government's action may have been a result of Omar's live footage of the oil pipeline explosion on February 15, being broadcast live on the internet. That footage was the rebroadcast live on several major news networks including CNN, {{w|BBC News}}, {{w|Al Jazeera}} and {{w|Sky News}}. "We believe this footage was the trigger for the Syrian government to block access to bambuser.com and disable the possibility to broadcast live video with mobile phones on Syrian 3G," said Bambuser in a statement on their website. Bambuser has been blocked before in other countries. It's access was blocked in {{w|Egypt}} in January 2011 during their revolution. It was blocked in {{w|Bahrain}} six months ago and remains blocked to this day. "Not only have we helped them get their message out, but they also say it means much in terms of morale for everyone in this situation. They [The Syrian people] know the world is watching, sharing and it gives them hope. No matter where in the world there is unrest, we at Bambuser always do our best to support and help observers," added Bambuser. <!-- Bambuser Feb. 17 http://blog.bambuser.com/2012/02/live-video-streaming-service-bambuser.html -->

 

[[File:2012-02-18 Damascus Funeral -192x144px-.ogv|left|250px|thumb|Video compilation of funeral turned protest in the Mezzeh district of Damascus. {{image credit|Unknown Authors}}]]

It hasn't become dangerous for just Omar. On February 18, a funeral for three men shot and killed by Syrian forces during an anti-government protest just one day before, was being held in the central {{w|Mezzeh}} district of {{w|Damascus}}. More than 15,000 people including women and children, filled the streets to pay their respects. After a prayer in which mourners went completely silent, the procession then turned into a massive protest. As protesters marched down the streets, the sky darkened and snow started to fall which. It appeared to invigorate the protesters and their chants grew louder. Shortly after, Syrian forces surrounded the front of the march and opened fire using live ammunition and tear gas. The panic caused people to quickly scatter, turning the apparently peaceful march into a stampede. At least one person was shot and killed. Dozens of others were injured. It was the first time Syrian forces opened fire on protesters in central Mezzeh.<!-- See video: http://en.wikinews.org/wiki/File:2012-02-18_Damascus_Funeral_-192x144px-.ogv and The Telegraph February 19; ABC News Feb. 18-->

 

Those people are just a small fraction of those who have been killed or injured since the uprisings began. It is estimated that anywhere from 5,000 to 8,000 people have been killed since January of last year. <!--Arabstoday January 24, 2011--> As a result, on February 20, the {{w|International Red Cross and Red Crescent Movement}} announced it was attempting to negotiate a cease fire between the Syrian government and the Free Syrian Army in order "to facilitate swift Syrian Arab Red Crescent and ICRC access to the people in need." The organization wants troops to halt their attacks in cities that have seen the most fighting in order to deliver care packages. Bijan Farnoudi, a spokesman for the Red Cross said that discussions include "several possibilities" in which the packages can be delivered. Though the organization has been delivering food and supplies to as many cities and citizens as possible, heavy fighting in areas such as the Baba Amr district of Homs, has made it increasingly difficult for aide to be delivered. Even while the Red Cross works to negotiate a cease fire, reports out of Homs on February 20 say Syrian forces are amassing troops and tanks outside the city in preparation for an all out ground invasion. According to Omar, the "bombings" continued, but on February 24, the Red Cross announced that it was allowed to begin evacuating injured women and children from the city.<!--BBC News February 20; Associated Press February 20 The Telegraph Feb 24-->

 

On February 21, a member of the Homs Media Center was killed by a rocket as Syrian forces continued their bombardment of the city for an 18th straight day. Rami al-Sayed was reported to have been severely injured by a rocket while attempting to evacuate individuals to a makeshift hospital, during what activists call the worst day of bombardment since Syrian forces began their attack on the city on February 4. According to Bambuser, He and three others were inside a car when it was hit by a rocket or mortar shell. The three other men were killed instantly. Sayed was taken to a makeshift hospital in the city, where he died from his wounds, having bled to death. Sayed was a videographer "crucial in getting the truth out through his videos posted on the Internet. We will really miss him, especially the medical team who relied on him to document all the civilian injuries and deaths on video," said Omar in an interview with {{w|CNN}}. Sayed also was one of the men affiliated with the account 'syriapioneer' on Bambuser. <!-- http://blog.bambuser.com/2012/02/we-mourn-loss-of-very-brave-syrian.html -->Like Omar, he would broadcast live footage of the events on the ground in Homs. His last broadcast was just before 9:00 a.m. local time on February 21. <!-- NPR, CNN February 21-->Bambuser published the last known message sent out to friends and family: "''Babaamr is facing a genocide right now. I will never forgive you for your silence. You all have just give us your words but we need actions. However our hearts will always be with those who risk their life for our freedom. In a few hours there will be NO place called BabaAmr and I expect this will be my last message and no one will forgive you who talked but didn't act.''"<!--Bambuser February 21--> Sayed was 26 and had an 18 month old daughter. Sayed's cousin, Basil al-Sayed, who was also a citizen journalist, was killed in December 2011 in Homs. <!--NPR February 21-->In a statement to ''{{w|Wikinews}}'' Omar described Sayed as "my best friend" and they both have worked in the Homs Media Center, a house converted into a newsroom, for about "10 months", around the beginning of the uprisings. <!--Skype conversation-->

 

[[File:Fire in the Vicinity of an Oil Pipeline in Homs, Syria.jpg|left|275px|thumb|Satellite photo of oil pipeline explosion in Homs February 15. {{image credit|U.S. Department of State}}]]

The killings didn't end there. Two more journalists were killed on February 22, while at the Homs Media Center. {{w|Marie Colvin}}, a journalist for {{w|The Sunday Times}} and {{w|Rémi Ochlik}} an award winning photographer from {{w|France}}, were both killed when rockets hit the center. <!-- http://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/middle-east/journalists-killed-in-syria-rocket-strike-were-targeted-7295063.html -->At least two others were injured in the attack, French journalist Edith Bouvier and Paul Conroy, a {{w|United Kingdom|British}} photographer. The Syrian government denies being involved saying their deaths were "absolutely not" caused "by Syrian armies." <!-- NPR Feb 24 http://www.npr.org/blogs/thetwo-way/2012/02/24/147368559/syrian-official-army-is-protecting-syrian-people-from-armed-groups?ft=1&f=1001&utm_source=twitterfeed&utm_medium=twitter -->On February 23 Bouvier made a video pleading to Syrian forces that she be allowed to leave Homs in order to seek medical attention. Conroy states stat besides having leg wounds, he is "OK." <!--http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-middle-east-17145303 -->While at an undisclosed location, Omar was having a {{w|Skype}} conversation with a friend who was at the center when the attack occurred. He recorded the call's audio using a web camera and posted the video on {{w|YouTube}}. The sounds of explosions and possible gunfire can be heard through much of the audio. At nearly 19 minutes into the call, the sound of a woman can be heard crying in pain, presumably Colvin. <!--YouTube http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2yjte_avs-c -->Reports state that the media center was deliberately attacked. According to reports, radio communications between Syrian forces revealed that they were told to attack the building and make it look like the individuals died while getting caught in a gun battle with terrorists. <!-- http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/worldnews/middleeast/syria/9098511/Marie-Colvin-Britain-summons-Syria-ambassador-over-killing.html -->

 

It is because of situations like these that on February 16, the {{w|United Nations General Assembly}} voted, according to a UN press release, "overwhelmingly to call on both the government and allied forces and armed groups to stop all violence or reprisals immediately. The Assembly expressed grave concern at the deteriorating situation in Syria, and condemned a raft of violations carried out by the authorities, such as the use of force against civilians, the killing and persecution of protestors and journalists, and sexual violence and ill-treatment, including against children. The Assembly called on Syria to abide by its obligations under international law, and demanded that the Government, in line with the 2 November 2011 Action Plan of the League of Arab States, and its decisions of 22 January and 12 February 2012, without delay, stop all violence and protect its people, release all those detained during the unrest, withdraw all armed forces from cities and towns, guarantee peaceful demonstrations and allow unhindered access for Arab League monitors and international media." 137 nations voted for the resolution with 12 against and 17 abstaining. The resolution is non-binding.<!-- February 16, 2012 http://www.un.org/News/Press/docs/2012/ga11207.doc.htm --> On February 4, The {{w|United Nations Security Council}} also did not pass a resolution, S/2012/77, supporting the {{w|Arab League}} actions pursuing peace in Syria. It was vetoed by Council Permanent Members {{w|China}} and {{w|Russia}}. <!-- February 5 http://en.wikinews.org/wiki/UN_resolution_on_Syria_vetoed_by_Russia_and_China (related news section) ; February 16, 2012 http://www.un.org/News/Press/docs/2012/ga11207.doc.htm -->

 

The Arab League's goal, according to their report on Syria, "is to protect Syrian citizens through the commitment of the Syrian government to stop acts of violence, release detainees and withdraw all military presence from cities like Homs, and an end to violence in Syria." The league on January 17, said it confirmed that "all military vehicles, tanks and heavy weapons had been withdrawn from cities and residential neighbourhoods." Despite that claim, the League says it continued to observe "armed groups committing acts of violence against Government forces, resulting in death and injury among their ranks. Examples of those acts include the bombing of a civilian bus, killing eight persons and injuring others, including women and children, and the bombing of a train carrying diesel oil. In another incident in Homs, a police bus was blown up, killing two police officers. A fuel pipeline and some small bridges were also bombed." The League noted that Homs, Dera‘a, Idlib and Hama were the cities primarily affected by these incidents. The League's report claims that all of these incidents were caused by "armed groups" or "entities not mentioned in the protocol [report]." Despite the claim, live footage from more than a month after the League's report was filed, suggests the opposite as tanks continued to bombard cities like Homs. The report also goes on to say that Syrians "believe the crisis should be resolved peacefully through Arab mediation alone, without international intervention. Doing so would allow them to live in peace and complete the reform process and bring about the change they desire." <!-- PDF of League's report from VOA News Feb 28, quotations on pages 1 through 9 http://www.voanews.com/MediaAssets2/english/2012_01/Arab_League_Syria_Report.pdf -->

 

Omar disagrees with the League's conclusion that Syrians do not want international intervention. He believes if "the world" doesn't act soon, many more will die from starvation. Medical supplies have not been making their way to makeshift hospitals and food is scarce. Much of the city is without water and Syrian forces continue their assault on the city. In a statement to ''Wikinews'' on Wednesday, Omar said that "if they stay like this [the world] just watching us, people will die not because of the shelling, they will die because of starvation. We are surrounded. There is no food, no water and no medical supplies. If the world doesn't do anything we will die from starvation. In the coming days I can see a massacre from starving."