Category Archives: Bashar al-Assad

US court finds Assad regime liable for Marie Colvin’s death in Syria

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Syria ordered to pay $300m over death of Sunday Times journalist in ‘targeted’ shelling in 2012

The Syrian regime of Bashar al-Assad has been held liable by a US court for the extrajudicial killing of the Sunday Times war correspondent Marie Colvin and ordered to pay $300m dollars (£228m) in punitive damages.

In a judgment published on Thursday, the Syrian government was found to have targeted journalists deliberately during the country’s civil war in order to “intimidate newsgathering” and suppress dissent.

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Anti-Assad activist killed in Germany in suspected axe attack

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Mohamed Joune’s killing may be related to his Syrian political activities, say friends

A Syrian activist has died after a brutal attack in Hamburg, raising questions over whether he was targeted for political reasons.

Mohamed Joune, 48, collapsed on the street on Tuesday night after stumbling out of a building. He was bleeding from a severe head wound but still conscious when paramedics rushed him to hospital. He later died from his injuries.

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Assad will remain in power ‘for a while’, says Jeremy Hunt

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British foreign secretary says Russian support for Syrian regime means change unlikely

The British foreign secretary, Jeremy Hunt, has admitted for the first time that Russian support for the Syrian regime means Bashar al-Assad will remain in power for some time.

The UK has been at the forefront of calls for the Syrian president to leave office as part of a transition to a new government, but over the past year British diplomats have acknowledged that Assad would have to be allowed to stand in any UN-supervised democratic elections in Syria.

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