Middle East

Iraqi refugees earning a living at the Seyyida Zeinab market in Damascus. Picture from 2007. (Photo: UNHCR)
Arab Unrest Drives Iraqi Refugee Return
Khalid Waleed
23 May 12
Government says its resettlement programme has boosted numbers, though main driver seems to be fear of violence in host states.
Moroccan army colonel Ahmed Himmiche, head of the UN Military Observers team deployed in Syria, is approached by Homs resident as he and his officers patrol the city. (UN Photo/Neeraj Singh)
Interview
Homs Activist Pessimistic About UN Observers
Daniella Peled
1 May 12
Rate of shelling has fallen since United Nations team arrived in the area, but locals fear government forces will hit back with a vengeance when monitors leave.
Comment
Syrians More United Than World Believes
Maryam Hasan
25 Apr 12
Opposition may be diverse, but it shares common distress about the past and hope for the future.
Armoured Vehicles for Syrian Observer Group Arrive in Beirut. (UN Photo/Pasqual Gorriz)
UN Syria Mission Doomed To Fail, Experts Say
Poppy McPherson
20 Apr 12
Number of monitors too small to affect regime’s actions.
Former UN Secretary General Kofi Annan is leading a joint UN-Arab League peace effort for Syria. (Photo: Geirix/WikiCommons)
Syrian Opposition Sceptical of Ceasefire
William Shaw
16 Apr 12
Critics of peace plan warn it might give President Bashar al-Assad breathing space to consolidate control.
Destruction of villages in Jabal al-Zawiyya area of Idlib province, northwestern Syria. (Photo: IWPR)
First Person
Syrian Army Continues Idlib Onslaught
Daniella Peled
26 Mar 12
Local activist describes destruction in villages and indiscriminate killing.
Protesters outside the Bahrain embassy in London. (Photo: Dominic Kavakeb) Protests on February 22 in the centre of Sulaimaniyah, which demonstrators have dubbed Freedom Square. (Photo: Ara Ibrahim) The internet is now a fact of life in Iran, and it is unrealistic for hard-liners to think it can be contained. (Photo: Hossein Salmanzadeh) Opposition leader Mir-Hossein Mousavi meets a leading reformist figure, Feizollah Arab-Sorkhi of the Mojahedin of the Islamic Revolution, who was on temporary prison leave in April 2010. (Photo: Omid Iranmehr, kaleme.com) Activists rally against the Syrian regime in London, June 7. (Photo: Chris Brown/Flickr) Iraqi bloggers believe they are under threat. (Photo: IWPR)
Metro magazine cover, 03-Aug-09. Opposition leader Mir Hossein Mousavi and his wife Zahra Rahnavard are under house arrest following the February 14 street protests. (Photo: Rauf Mohseni, Mehr News Agency) US patrol takes a break at a roadside cafe in Mosul. All combat troops have since left Iraq. (Photo: Tracey Shelton) Sabir Rustamkhanli (centre), head of the World Congress of Azerbaijanis, during the protests outside the Iranian embassy. (Photo: Sabuhi Mammadli) Municipal beach in Tonokabon, in the western part of Mazandaran province. The sign on the wall says “Men’s Swimming Area”, but no separate area for women is marked out. (Photo: Javad Montazeri) Participants in IWPR-organised photography workshop learn how to use camcorders. (Photo: IWPR)