Orwa Ajjoub https://www.newsdeeply.com/syria/contributor/orwa-ajjoub/rss en Civil Society Diplomacy & Foreign Affairs Wed, 06 Jan 2016 00:00:00 +0000 Orwa Ajjoub https://www.newsdeeply.com/syria/articles/2016/01/06/finding-acceptance-in-europe-syrian-lgbtq https://www.newsdeeply.com/syria/articles/2016/01/06/finding-acceptance-in-europe-syrian-lgbtq While most Syrian refugees are fleeing the war, others are escaping the persecution they face because of their sexual identities – and the violent punishments often inflicted on those who violate the Islamic State’s ban on homosexuality. Government & Pro-Government Forces Wed, 16 Dec 2015 00:00:00 +0000 Orwa Ajjoub https://www.newsdeeply.com/syria/articles/2015/12/16/fear-of-checkpoints-spreads-in-damascus https://www.newsdeeply.com/syria/articles/2015/12/16/fear-of-checkpoints-spreads-in-damascus As the war in Syria continues, residents in Damascus say more and more young men are being detained at government checkpoints throughout the capital, in what some fear may be part of a campaign to replenish Bashar al-Assad’s diminished fighting force.