Caesar at SOAS – SOAS Syria Society

By Aaliya Safdar, BA French and Arabic

This article contains mentions of torture, violence and death

Last week, the SOAS Syria Society hosted a string of events advocating and spreading awareness of the Syrian cause. Alongside the Syrian Emergency Task Force (SETF), the events included a two-part panel discussion entitled ‘Eye on Syria: Past, Present and Future’ with SCAN UK (Syrian Charities & Network Association in the UK), as well as a week-long exhibition of some of Caesar’s photos with guided tours by Omar Alshogre and Celine Kasem.

Panel discussion

The panel discussion included topics of current affairs on Syria, the atrocities that the Syrian regime continues to commit, human rights violations and the war crimes taking place in Syria with accounts from various speakers, including researchers and activists, and a real-life account of ex-detainee, Omar Alshogre. This was a unique opportunity, not only for SOAS but for London, as it brought together international communities working in various parts of the world together to unite on one subject – the injustices that are happening in Syria.

Despite what the media may suggest, Syria is not, and has not been for the last 12 years, a safe environment. International laws continue to be broken and overlooked, people are living in poverty and the quality of life is rapidly decreasing, Syria is a country from which millions of its citizens have been displaced – both internally and externally. 

The Caesar Files

‘Caesar (a pseudonym) was a Syrian military photographer conscripted by the Assad regime to take pictures of civilians who died in military detention. In early 2011, he began to notice that these civilian deaths were a result of brutal torture and systematic mass murder by the Assad regime, and he started to smuggle the photographic evidence onto a flash drive. Eventually, his life became too endangered and he fled Syria with the flash drive in his sock. Caesar now lives in hiding outside of Syria, but his over 55,000 photographs have shocked the world.

The photos, known as the Caesar File, depict men, women, children and the elderly who were brutally tortured and killed by the Assad regime. As custodians of the Caesar File, SETF works to expose the Assad regime’s flagrant human rights violations by continuing to identify victims, witnesses and evidence that support cases against the regime in countries where prosecution efforts are possible.’ 

Caesar’s photos brought this catastrophe back to life. Regardless of them being around 10 years old, they depict the same reality that thousands of Syrians continue to suffer from today. 

Having these photographs on display in SOAS was both an honour and a huge responsibility. They are graphic pictures exhibiting clear signs of torture and violence, and as uncomfortable as they may be to look at, they are a true depiction of what the actions of the Assad regime look like. How can someone care for his people and their safety, yet be responsible for this? 

The information about Caesar and his story was taken from the SETF website where you can find out more about the Caesar Exhibit that took place in Senate House.

Attacks on Gaza and Idlib

As the week continued and events went on, so did the injustices. Unfortunately, the media is now realising that this is nothing new. Just over a week ago, the Homs Military Academy was attacked by a drone. This was during a graduation ceremony, a day of celebration for many, and a day of funerals for more. Anyone who knows Syria knows that a celebration for the military is not taken lightly, the area would have had security measures put in place as well as roads blocked for the ceremony. Conveniently, the attack happened just minutes after the Defence Minister and the high-ranking members had left the premises – but why would they leave so quickly on such an important day?

Now the world has finally given some attention to Palestine, after over 75 years, we are seeing Palestinian flags all over social media, and politicians are speaking out on the matter. Palestinians breaking the borders is a moment in history which will not be forgotten and is a huge victory for anyone associated with the Palestinian cause. But with victory, comes violence – as history has taught us. Civilians in Gaza are now being brutally attacked, as they have been for decades, by Israeli forces. Innocent lives are being taken – men, women, children, and indeed any human being that is ‘in the wrong place at the wrong time’. The SOAS Syria Society stand with the people of Palestine and will continue to defend them until the freedom that they deserve and yearn for finally comes.

But corrupt politicians take no breaks. As Palestine continues to be destroyed and the world watches, Syrian President Bashar Al-Assad is quick to act. Soon after the attacks on Gaza, the region of Idlib was bombed. As the world looks one way, dictators look the other. Idlib is a region which has suffered extremely as a result of the Syrian regime. It is an area which has the largest number of internally displaced Syrians and, as it is in such a weak state from the unceasing demolition, is a constant target for the regime’s attacks. We must keep an eye on Gaza and the other on Idlib.

We must continue to fight for justice and rise up against dictatorial and colonial forces which work to silence the voice of the people. As students at SOAS, we all have some kind of privilege, though it may be at different levels, therefore we all have a responsibility and a duty to get involved whenever human rights are being threatened. Spread the word and spread awareness, do not stay silent.

[Photo Credit: Sana Alabed]