Assessment of Organized Crime in Syria: Key Findings

Complexity of Organized Crime

The assessment of organized crime in Syria highlights the complexity of this issue. It involves various entities, including:

State-embedded actors: These are individuals or groups that have a close relationship with the Syrian regime and engage in criminal activities.
Criminal networks: These are groups of people who work together to commit crimes, often across different regions.
Foreign actors: These can include foreign governments, organizations, or individuals who contribute to organized crime in Syria.

State Involvement

The report suggests that the Syrian regime’s centralized power has created an environment where state intelligence agencies closely monitor citizens’ daily lives. This is done to root out dissent through targeted detentions, torture, and executions.

Targeted detentions: The regime uses these to arrest individuals suspected of being involved in or opposing organized crime.
Torture: This is a common practice used by the regime to extract information from detainees.
Executions: In some cases, those found guilty of crimes are sentenced to death.

Corruption and Lack of Governance

Corruption continues to be a systemic issue throughout the governmental structures in Syria. The lack of effective governance also contributes to this problem due to the country’s fragmented nature.

Systemic corruption: This refers to widespread corruption that is deeply ingrained within the government.
Lack of effective governance: This means that there are no clear rules or institutions in place to govern the country, leading to a lack of accountability and transparency.

Economic Crisis

Syria’s economy has been severely damaged by the ongoing conflict. This prevents foreign investments and leads to the emergence of a black market for money exchange and transfers.

Prevents foreign investments: The conflict makes it difficult for foreign companies to invest in Syria, which contributes to the country’s economic decline.
Black market for money exchange: This refers to illegal transactions that occur outside of official channels, often due to a lack of trust in the government or financial institutions.

Limited Support for Victims

The report notes that efforts made by the Syrian government to provide support to victims and witnesses of organized crime are very limited.

Limited resources: The government lacks the necessary resources to effectively support those affected by organized crime.
Inadequate services: The services provided to victims are often inadequate, leading to further suffering and trauma.

Civil Society Challenges

Civil society in Syria faces several challenges, including:

Lack of permission: Civil society organizations must obtain explicit permission from regime or state institutions to operate, which can be difficult to obtain.
Limited resources: Civil society organizations lack the necessary resources to effectively contribute to combating crime.

Media Control

The Syrian media is owned and controlled by state actors. This hinders investigative journalism and leads to self-censorship among journalists due to threats such as abduction, death, and intimidation.

State control: The government has significant control over the media, which can limit the freedom of expression.
Self-censorship: Journalists may avoid reporting on certain topics or issues due to fear of retaliation.