Shane Bauer

I wrote about the violence of settlers, and the ways the state of Israel supports them in grabbing land, for The New Yorker. newyorker.com/magazine/2024/…

@aiusaMENA Unfortunately not.

@shane_bauer Extraordinary story, and we're glad you brought attention to an horrific abuse. We've been working on the case of the family of Rania al-Abbasi, who you mention. Were you able to find any information about her children?

For my 8-month investigation into the Assad regime's forced disappearance of children, I tracked down kids I found in classified databases created by the secret police. Many had been hidden in orphanages run by an international NGO, some under false names. nytimes.com/2025/08/18/mag…

"كان نظام الأسد يسيطر على جميع دور الأيتام في" سوريا، لكنه كان يدير دار لحن الحياة مباشرةً. قال أحد السكان السابقين: "كانوا يتحدثون عن بشار الأسد والجيش، وهذا كل شيء. لا يوجد هاتف. إنه سجن". تعاملت السيدة الأولى، أسماء الأسد، مع دار الأيتام كمشروعها المفضل. كانت تزورها كثيرًا، وظهرت صورها وهي تبتسم مع أيتام لحن الحياة بين ذراعيها في الصحف السورية. في صيف عام 2013، دعت حوالي اثني عشر طفلاً من دار الأيتام لمساعدتها في إعداد وجبة رمضان للنازحين بسبب الحرب. عندما انتهوا من الطهي، ثم اخبرت العديد من الأيتام أن لديها مفاجأة: دخل الرئيس نفسه الغرفة، محرجًا ونحيفًا. ركض الأطفال إليه وصرخوا فرحًا. "هل خرجتَ للتو من السجن؟" سأل طفلٌ في السادسة من عمره. كان جديدًا في دار الأيتام، وبالكاد كان الأطفال الآخرون يعرفونه. ضحك الرئيس وقال: من أخبرك أنني في السجن؟ سألت إحدى الطفلتين الأكبر سنًا الصبي لاحقًا عن سبب قوله ذلك. تذكرت أنه قال: "كنتُ في السجن مع بابا. وقال بابا عندما نخرج، سنسجن بشار". من تقرير طويل، صادم ومبكي للصحفي الأمريكي شون باور (@shane_bauer) عن أطفال المعتقلين لصحيفة نيويورك تايمز" archive.is/saNpT

Former Evin prisoner here. This attack is psychopathic. Do people think that what keeps prisoners inside their cells is a front gate? The Iranian regime already accuses its opponents of being Israeli agents. I can’t imagine the repercussion the prisoners will face for this.

@BlueJasmine6213 @QUSAY_NOOR_ That shop is still there.

@QUSAY_NOOR_ I knew this shop since I was a little kid when it was just a small shop that made the best juices, cocktails and fruite salad in Souq al Salihiyah 🥹

A #Syrian took his #German colleague to #Syria to try the most famous cocktail shop in the country, Abu Abdo's, a must-visit spot in #Damascus for juice and dessert lovers

@HalaJaber Hi Hala, I have a question for you about some past reporting of yours. Could you send me an email at smbauer1@gmail.com?

A Syrian woman started our conversation about her search for her sister’s missing children by telling me she feels terrible for what the people of California are going through. 2025 vibes

New Years in Damascus is lit tn 🔥

A woman complained to the new Damascus governor, Maher Marwan, about the lack of electricity. He said to be patient while they set up an electricity company and get the oil moving in northeast Syria. Most of it is under SDF/US control. The largest oil and gas fields are US bases.

Today I visited Yarmouk camp, which was once the largest Palestinian community outside Palestine. I once lived here, and these streets were full of people. The Assad regime did this. Remember this the next time you hear that the fall of the Assad regime was bad for Palestinians.

Syria is full of life and it’s beautiful.

Thousands rallied in Damascus today, singing about freedom and unity. No one holding up pictures of any man. Not a word, not a chant about Jolani. Speakers praised the protesters, the fighters, the imprisoned, the exiled, the dead, the men and the women for making this possible.

@RashaAlAqeedi Yes

Since people seem to be wondering, I can report that the bars in Damascus seem to be doing just fine.

Tanks are just sitting along the roads around Damascus, military vehicles with their doors open like the soldiers just jumped out and ran, torn pictures of Bashar on the floors of buildings, starting to collect dust.

“Religion is for God, and the nation is for everyone!”

“Extremism and fundamentalism drove many Syrians away from the revolution. It’s like the repression of the regime. We’re not going to let that happen…we’re here today to say that Syria will stay secular.”

Pulled into Damascus today after 15 years away. One of the first things I saw hundreds gathered at Umayyad square, calling for a secular, civil state. The revolution continues. It’s great to be back.

At the demonstration today in Damascus, an armed HTS man took the mic. When he spoke against sectarianism and for freedom in Syria, he was met with applause. When he spoke in religious terms, people drowned him out with “Secularism! Secularism!” and “No to Religious Rule!”

@RamiJarrah For what it’s worth the speeches I heard at the demonstration emphasized Assad’s repression, and the desire to not go back to it under another guise. People I spoke to in the crowd talked about similar themes.

Today in Ummayyad Square in central Damascus a demonstration took place which was described as a national youth gathering calling for a secular state. The leaflet that was being handed out translates to the following: -------- START ---------- Civic Youth Gathering A call for dialogue, active participation and non-exclusion Our goals: 1- Demanding a national conference to form a committee of Syrian competencies to form a democratic institutional constitution that guarantees the rights of citizens and enhances the role of citizenship in building the future of Syria. 2- Contributing to raising awareness of the necessity of basing the constitution on the Human Rights Charter and achieving a state of law that protects the rights of citizens as individuals based on citizenship without discrimination based on gender, race, religion or sect. Long live a free Syria for all Syrians -------- END ---------- I say this as a secularist: The problem we are now faced with, is that many of those who were supportive of the Assad regime will certainly be amongst those demonstrating, the fact that there is very limited presence of the Syrian independence flag seen in the demo, at least suggests that overall, they were not necessarily supportive of the struggle for freedom against the Assad regime. While the outlined goals of the demonstration, calling for secularism, human rights, and inclusivity, are undoubtedly valid and commendable, the lack of representation from those who opposed Assad's tyranny is deeply problematic. This absence risks perpetuating the false narrative that Assad was a defender of secularism, rather than someone who exploited it as a tool for regime propaganda. It further confines the representation of secularism to those who either supported Assad or chose to remain silent in the face of his crimes. If secularists who opposed the regime do not actively participate in shaping the discourse and voicing their vision for a secular and inclusive Syria, we risk surrendering this vital principle to those who stood with Assad or failed to challenge his atrocities. This would not only distort the essence of secularism but also endanger its future role in Syria's reconstruction and progress. The stakes are high. Secularism must not be left as a legacy of Assad’s regime or limited to its supporters. It is imperative that those who opposed the regime and believe in secularism actively engage in this critical dialogue, ensuring that secularism becomes a unifying foundation for a free and just Syria. I cannot emphasise this more.