Syrian expats fear reach of regime

Syrians in the UAE say they fear they could be targetted by secret police from their home country if they protest the violence there too loudly.

Approximately 1,500 people protested against the violence and regime of Syrian president Bashar Al Assad near the Syrian Consulate in Dubai earlier this month.

DUBAI // Kotaiba Mohammed is convinced that when hundreds of his fellow Syrians protested near their consulate in Dubai this month, their country's secret police were watching.

Having opposed the regime, he fears retaliation. His family in Syria might be harassed or he might be jailed if he returns.

"They watch everybody on the videos, on the TV, on the satellite, anywhere in the world," said Mr Mohammed, 29. "Families here don't want to go back to Syria until it is finished."

Many Syrians in the UAE, although emboldened by their compatriots' anti-government protests, fear the regime's long arm could reach them.

They watch what they post online. They hesitate to talk to the press. They speak to their loved ones in Syria in guarded language.

For Mr Mohammed's family, "rainfall" is code for heavy fire from soldiers.

Since the uprising started a year ago, dozens of Syrian dissidents living in western countries have said they or their families at home have faced threats or abuse.

Some have received warning letters at home while others have had siblings jailed, the human-rights group Amnesty International said in a report last October.

Mr Mohammed said he thought he had been approached by a government agent who asked him how he viewed the situation.

A Syrian expatriate who asked to be identified as RJ said a friend who flew to Damascus late last year was jailed on arrival. He had attended a protest against the Syrian regime in Dubai last May, RJ said.

Even emails posed a risk, said "Yamen", another Syrian resident.

"You won't believe what my regime is capable of doing," Yamen said. "They can reach everybody from your email address, from your name."

Other expatriates had the same concern, but not all.

"Alaa" said only people causing trouble needed to worry, and that the UAE was "a very safe place".

Some, inspired by the revolution, decided to speak openly despite their fears. "Forty years of fear - it's finished. Now it's time for freedom," said Mr Mohammed. "Sure, I'm afraid for my family but I'll put it in God's hands."

Samir Al Halaby, 26, who joined the protest near the consulate this month, said Syrians needed to show the world their opposition.

"I want you to mention that, if you mention my name, I may be caught in Syria," Mr Al Halaby said. "They will catch me if I go there, you know?

"I don't want to mention my name. But now I don't care."