Syria – France’s other cheek

In July, Syrian President Bashar Assad was received with high honors in Paris, shortly after Syrian political prisoners rioted at the Saydnaya prison near of Damascus, reportedly after their mistreatment by guards. The guards were said to have shot prisoners in reaction, before being overwhelmed, though the exact number of deaths was not clear. Some sources suggested around one or two dozen inmates had been killed. That the two events occurred at around the same time was revealing, because the Saydnaya events in no way marred Assad’s French visit, which was surrounded by considerable publicity and countless interviews by French media outlets with the Syrian leader. Even though the regime in Damascus had once again displayed its indifference to human rights, a European government and European media had largely chosen to look the other way, on the grounds that “one has to engage Bashar.” In that context, it is no