Latest news with #Khattab
Nahar Net
2 days ago
- Politics
- Nahar Net
Syria says seized all captagon factories
by Naharnet Newsdesk 05 June 2025, 11:45 Syrian Interior Minister Anas Khattab said Wednesday that authorities had seized all production facilities of illicit stimulant captagon, which became Syria's largest export under ousted ruler Bashar al-Assad. In an interview with state television, Khattab said that "we were able to stop the production of this drug and seize all the materials and factories that were producing" captagon. "There are now no more factories producing captagon in Syria," he said. Most of the factories, which he said numbered in the dozens, were located "in the Damascus countryside and a large number in the Lebanese border area" as well as on the coast. "Most were in areas under the control of the former Fourth Division," he said, referring to the notorious Syrian army division headed by Assad's brother Maher. Captagon became Syria's largest export during the civil war that erupted in 2011, and a key source of illicit funding for Assad's government. Since his overthrow in December, the new Islamist authorities have announced the discovery of millions of captagon pills in warehouses and on military bases. Last month, authorities said they had thwarted an attempt to smuggle out four million captagon pills, days after seizing another nine million that were headed for Turkey. Neighboring countries also occasionally announce captagon seizures. "Shipments initially prepared for export have been intercepted" daily, Khattab said, noting Syria has begun coordinating with countries including neighboring Jordan and Turkey as well as Saudi Arabia -- a key market for the drug The interior minister also noted other security challenges, including Islamic State (IS) group jihadists who according to Khattab had moved from "absurd acts... to studied attacks on strategic targets". Last month, IS claimed its first attack on Syria's new government forces. Also last month, Syrian authorities said they arrested members of an Islamic State cell near Damascus, accusing them of preparing attacks, while another anti-IS operation in the northern city of Aleppo saw the death of one security forces officer and three IS members. Khattab said IS had also attempted "to carry out attacks against the Christian and Shiite community" that the authorities had thwarted. Once in control of large swathes of Syria and Iraq, IS was territorially defeated in Syria in 2019 largely due to the efforts of Kurdish-led forces supported by an international coalition. Reported IS attacks in areas controlled by the Syria's Islamist-led authorities have been scarce, while frequent attacks have persisted in areas under Kurdish control in the country's north and northeast.
Mada
4 days ago
- Politics
- Mada
Former rights council member: Moushira Khattab's resignation is ‘belated attempt' to sidestep poor performance
Moushira Khattab has stepped down as president of the National Council for Human Rights (NCHR) as she intends to pursue a role at an international institution, the council announced on Sunday. Former council member Nasser Amin, however, described the move to Mada Masr as a belated attempt by Khattab to 'wash her hands' of what he said was the council's worst performance in two decades. The council was reconstituted by presidential decree in 2021, as the government worked to stage a shift in how it handles rights and political representation, launching a national human rights strategy, reopening the council, which is tasked with nominating prisoners to the president for amnesty among other roles, and beginning the National Dialogue as a forum for political dialogue. In a phone call with Mada Masr, Khattab declined to comment on the statement or name the international institution she intends to join. A source close to the former council head, however, denied to Mada Masr that her resignation had nothing to do with Khattab's future career plans. Since Khattab has already had a long career, an international appointment is unlikely, the source continued. They described her resignation instead as a long overdue development, adding that through her four-year tenure on the council Khattab has repeatedly voiced frustration over her inability to effect meaningful change in any of its human rights working files. The source cited Khattab's repeated but unsuccessful attempts to amend the law that governs the council in order to elevate its international ranking, as well as several requests she made to visit prisons which were ultimately rejected. Prison visits are permitted rarely, and often only to limited areas of specific facilities under authorities' supervision. The source put the lack of achievements down to the council's political position, describing it as lacking any real leverage. Its recommendations are often ignored, they added. Khattab was also increasingly troubled by the frequent criticism directed at her from various circles, the source said. Amin, who also heads the Arab Center for the Independence of Judiciary and Legal Professions, warned that the council is very likely to face a downgrade in its international ranking by the end of the year, citing its lack of independence and retreat from its monitoring and advocacy role. 'The talk of her seeking an international post is more wishful thinking than reality,' he said. On November 20 last year, the Sub-Committee on Accreditation (SCA) at the Global Alliance of National Human Rights Institutions (GANHRI) recommended the council be downgraded to B status, raising serious concerns about its compliance with the Paris Principles — particularly in terms of its independence, effectiveness and transparency. The SCA flagged the lack of transparency and public participation in the appointment of council members — who are selected by the executive arm of the government — as a factor undermining the body's autonomy and ability to operate free from government interference. It also criticized the council's inadequate response to major human rights concerns, including torture, enforced disappearances, conditions of arbitrary detention, as well as with regard to freedom of expression, peaceful assembly and association. The committee also called for sweeping reforms to bring the council in line with the Paris Principles, including measures to reinforce its independence, amend its appointment mechanism, improve its response to human rights violations and ensure regular distribution of public reports for civil society and other actors to access. Khattab has previously pushed back against claims that the council lacks independence. In a televised interview in September 2024, she said the council had submitted a request for a presidential pardon for writer and activist Alaa Abd El Fattah, but claimed that the council had been drawn into the issue of its pending downgrade by a complaint questioning the council's independence filed by the writer's father-in-law, prominent human rights advocate Bahey Eddin Hassan. Domestic and international calls are currently mounting for President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi to pardon the detained activist and writer — whose mother is now hospitalized in critical condition 246 days into a hunger strike. Khattab had confined her efforts as council head to 'safe zones,' Amin said. She focused on awareness-raising and human rights education while steering clear of applying legal and human rights standards to document violations. Instead, he added, she echoed the narrative advanced by the state and its security agencies. The constitution grants the NCHR the power to represent victims in court — a power exercised by previous iterations of the council, including in the case of activist Shaimaa al-Sabbagh's killing. The current council, however, has ignored this mandate, which Amin said was a hard-earned achievement of earlier efforts. Vice President Mahmoud Karem assumed Khattab's responsibilities as of Saturday, the council's statement said, and he will continue in the role until its term ends on December 27. Sisi reconstituted the council under Khattab's leadership in December 2021 for a four-year term. Under recent amendments to the law governing the NCHR, the House of Representatives is permitted to begin forming a new council two months ahead of the current term's expiration. Nominations are to be submitted by universities, syndicates and other institutions, after which the president and members are selected and approved via presidential decree.
Yahoo
27-04-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
German, Austrian ministers discuss return of refugees with Damascus
German Interior Minister Nancy Faeser held talks with Syria's transitional government on Sunday about the voluntary return of Syrian refugees. Faeser arrived in the Syrian capital Damascus along with her Austrian counterpart Gerhard Karner. The German-Austrian delegation flew to Syria from Cyprus under tight security on an unannounced visit. Earlier visit thwarted During their first attempt in March, concrete indications of a terrorist threat to Western delegations in Damascus had prompted the group to turn back. "We know how tense the security situation is and how precarious the humanitarian situation still is," Faeser said. She said she nevertheless wants to talk to Syria's government about prospects for the return of refugees. "Many have found work in Germany, learned German and built a new life for themselves - they should of course be allowed to stay," Faeser said. "Our top priority is that criminals and Islamists are deported as quickly as possible," she added. Faeser was greeted at the airport by a Foreign Ministry official, who described the current situation in the country as "cautiously optimistic." With regard to the security situation, he spoke of "a few incidents." The German-Austrian delegation met with Syrian Interior Minister Anas Khattab, who has been in office for less than a month. Transitional goverment in Damascus He is part of Syria's transitional government, led by President Ahmed al-Sharaa, whose Islamist group Hayat Tahrir al-Sham (HTS) led a lighting offensive against the previous regime, toppling longtime ruler Bashar al-Assad on December 8. "We discussed energy and how to enable investment and create jobs. This will encourage Syrians who left the country during the war to return on a larger scale," Khattab said following Sunday's talks. Faeser appeared highly satisfied with the meeting. The security situation in Syria was discussed, "especially with regard to the fight against IS," she explained. The Syrian minister also showed "that he is prepared to issue passports and documents." This is a "step forward" with regard to deportations to Syria. With regard to the past of the interior minister and other cabinet members, Faeser acknowledged that Syria is currently a difficult partner. Important to establich contacts, says Faeser Nevertheless, she said it is important "that we establish contacts at the working and technical levels." Otherwise, she said, it will not be possible to push through Germany's own concerns: finding ways to increase the voluntary return of Syrians and the repatriation of criminals. At the beginning of the meeting with Khattab, Faeser said the overthrow of al-Assad offered an opportunity for democratization in Syria. After the meeting, Khattab said: "We talked about energy and how to enable investment and create jobs. Because that will encourage Syrians who left the country during the war to return on a larger scale." The German government wants to support a new beginning in Syria, which after more than 13 years of war is dependent on foreign aid and the lifting of Western sanctions. However, despite al-Sharaa's pragmatic course, doubts remain as to whether the rights of Christians, Alawites and other religious minorities will be protected in the future. Like al-Sharaa, the majority of Syrians are Sunni Muslims. Asylum decisions for Syrians on hold Syria remains the main country of origin for asylum seekers in Germany, with 9,861 Syrians applying for protection in the first quarter of 2025. Following al-Assad's downfall, Germany's Federal Office for Migration and Refugees (BAMF) suspended decisions on asylum applications from Syrians, citing the unclear situation in the country. As of March 31, 52,344 Syrian asylum cases were still pending, according to BAMF figures. The Interior Ministry said 1,080 Syrians had been told they had to leave the country by the end of March. Germany mulls allowing Syrians to visit home country Germany's Interior Ministry has been working since January on a legal exemption that would allow Syrian refugees to visit their country of origin without losing their protection status in Germany. The proposed exemption would allow them to make either a single trip of up to four weeks, or two trips of up to two weeks, with the aim of exploring whether a return would be possible. According to asylum law, if people entitled to protection travel to their countries of origin, it is legally assumed that the conditions for protection no longer apply and they may lose this status. The only exceptions to this are if the trip is considered "morally imperative," for example to attend the funeral of a relative. The initiative has faced criticism from politicians from Germany's Christian Social Union, which is set to lead the Interior Ministry under Germany's next conservative-led government. This is likely to be Faeser's last trip in office, with Germany's next government set to take office in early May.
Al-Ahram Weekly
24-03-2025
- Entertainment
- Al-Ahram Weekly
Egyptian film 50 Meters to premiere at Copenhagen Int'l Documentary Film Festival - Screens - Arts & Culture
The Egyptian documentary film 50 Meters will have its world premiere during the 22nd edition of the Copenhagen International Documentary Film Festival (CPH:DOX), held from 19 to 30 March. Directed and written by Yomna Khattab, 50 Meters follows a father-daughter journey at a swimming pool in Cairo. Through her filmmaking process, Khattab uses this opportunity to bridge the gap with her distant father. She explores their relationship by crafting fictional scenes and drafting voice-overs for him as she connects through existential questions about career, parenthood, and mortality. The 72-minute-long film will compete in the Next:Wave section, focusing on emerging international artists and filmmakers. The Egypt-Denmark-Saudi co-production marks Khattab's debut feature. Earlier, she wrote the short film Let Us Play Yesterday directed by Menna Ekram, which premiered at the El Gouna Film Festival in 2023. The festival will also feature titles from other Arab countries. The Lebanese film International Satan's Day (Raed Yassin), the Qatari film Perishable Idol (Majid Al-Remaih), the Tunisian film Images de Tunisie (Younes Ben Slimane), and the Palestinian film To a Land Unknown (Mehdi Fleifel) are among the Arab films screening at CPH:DOX. This year's CPH:DOX will feature over 200 new documentaries, of which 94 are world premieres. This edition will focus on human rights under the theme 'Right Here, Right Now.' Founded in 2003, the CPH:DOX is one of the biggest documentary film festivals in the world. The festival fills Copenhagen's cinemas with over 200 films worldwide every year. Follow us on: Facebook Instagram Whatsapp Short link:
Shafaq News
07-03-2025
- Politics
- Shafaq News
Khattab calls on "Assad loyalists" to surrender
Shafaq News/ Syria's General Intelligence Directorate chief, Anas Khattab, called on supporters of former President Bashar Al-Assad to turn themselves in to the authorities and hand over their weapons. His calls come following clashes between the government and rebels along the Syrian coastline. " You have no option but to surrender to the nearest security entity to ensure Syria's safety, protect its people, and restore stability," Khattab said in a post on X. 6- وإلى الذين لم يقرؤوا تحذيراتنا لهم في وقت سابق بشكل صحيح أقول: لقد ورطتكم أيادٍ خبيثة بما تفعلونه اليوم، ولن نسامح من تلطخت أيديهم بدماء رجالنا الطاهرة. وليس أمامكم سبيل إلا أن تسلموا أنفسكم وأسلحتكم لأقرب جهة أمنية، — أنس خطاب (@Anas_Khatab_sy) March 7, 2025 Accusing "criminal elements" of exploiting the country's past turmoil, Khattab stated that "Some individuals with malicious intent took advantage of previous hardships, seeking to undermine Syria's resurgence, which they resent for its success." He further alleged that "preliminary investigations indicate that these actions were directed by fugitive figures abroad who are wanted by the judiciary."
