As Syrian diplomats are expelled around the world, reports emerge of Syrian diaspora opposition activists being subject to threats and intimidation by Syrian officials.
According to a story by Paul Daley in the Sydney Morning Herald, a Syrian business owner living in Australia, recounted the intimidation he faced.
See here.
Speaking anonymously, the diaspora activist described how he had received a call from the Syrian embassy while he was organising an international conference of young peaceful Syrian dissidents in Tunisia, and an embassy representative told him that “he could not guarantee [his] safety in Syria.”
The activist said,
"This was October last year. He said I should not go, and that foreigners should stay out of Syria's internal problems. I told him that I had no plans to go to Syria. He responded … that 'we know you do'. He told me that I would be putting the young Syrians who would attend the conference 'in danger' and that they should be 'very careful'. I do not know how he found out about the conference.”
"I was told that 'people like you represent the problem in Syria'. I was told that the government 'will shut your fraud of a business down'."A week later, the premises of my business [in Syria] was trashed by thugs. Nearing the conference, the calls got more frequent and more aggressive."
"Gradually these calls came less from the embassy but also from Syrian government officials in Damascus, directly to my mobile. A mix of Arabic and English was used.”
"While a good deal of the Syrian diaspora in Australia supported Assad until very recently, there was a vocal minority of Syrians working with a number of peaceful opposition groups. I know they have been threatened - worse yet, they have had their families back in Syria threatened."
In October last year, following reports of similar diaspora intimidation in the UK, the British Foreign Secretary, William Hague summoned the Syrian ambassador and warned that Britain will not allow the intimidation of Syrian dissidents in the UK.
The recent coordinated decision by Canada, Australia and some members of the EU to expel diplomats of the Assad regime comes as a reaction to the killing of at least 108 people, including women and children, in Houla.
