feb 2, 2011 - Suhair Atassi leads a sit-in Bab Tuma to protest "systematic looting and the continuing monopoly of Syria's two mobile phone operators, MTN and Syriatel.
Description:
What exactly happened at the February 2 demonstration?
Our sit-in held at Bab Touma Square at 6pm in the evening was peaceful. The person who attacked us identified himself as a 'baltajiya' [thug]. He and other 'thugs' asked us to go back to our homes or go to Egypt if we wanted to support Egyptian demonstrators. The thugs outnumbered us. They began harassing us.
"We wondered why there were no police present as this has been the case every time a sit-in has been held since January 29. Security forces used to ask for ID cards of young people to intimidate them. We also found it odd that just a few of the security forces had video cameras to film us during the sit-in. They usually film us during every protest.
"We came to complain of an abuse we had encountered in the street, and the result was that we were beaten, insulted and threatened to death inside a police station!"
"Two women were with the "thugs". They began to insult us and use bad language, and soon they began to beat us. One of the female thugs took her belt and then ran after some young girls beating them while using curse words I dare not mention. We were running while they were chasing us, beating and swearing at us while the police at the police station in Bab Touma Square were just watching.
"We went to the police telling them that we wanted to file a complain. They took our ID cards. They asked us: 'Who were they?' We answered: You were watching everything and you know who they were.' Certainly they know who they were. We had noticed that when a policeman tried to approach, one of them said: 'keep away - we are security forces'.
"Then I said 'We want to file two cases - the first is that security forces have sent 'hooligans' to the street to harass us and end the peaceful solidarity sit-in this way. The second is that the police were watching and kept silent'. The police were going back and forth and then they asked the rest to leave the room as they wanted to question me. After some time [almost half an hour, maybe less] a man in civilian clothes came in with another two. He refused to identify himself and locked the door of the room and began insulting me. I heard words I never heard in all my life.
"He accused me of having a website that was 'infiltrated by Israel', describing me as an 'insect' and a 'germ', working against the country’s interests. He lashed out at me as I was answering every word ... He hit me on my left cheek. He kept insulting me ... He opened my suitcase violently and took my mobile phone and my camera. He said 'you are under arrest'.
"He returned and gave me a final threat saying 'I expect that someone may come to kill you at any moment while you are in the street, to rid the country from a germ like you'.Then he and those accompanying him left. The police opened the door, asking me to leave. I saw signs of regret in the eyes of a police officer but he was helpless. Then the police chief came and gave us back our ID cards and my mobile phone and camera after deleting all pictures.
"Police are supposed to serve the people. We came to complain of an abuse we had encountered in the street, and the result was that we were beaten, insulted and threatened to death inside a police station!"
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Syrian Civil War
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