8 Must-Follow Twitter Feeds for Syrian Protests

Pro-democracy protests are continuing in Syria even after a deadly clashes with security forces in the last few days left 120 dead. Users of the “microblogging” service Twitter have been abuzz as demonstrations against the country’s autocrat reach new levels of violence. While less refined than traditional journalism, Twitter has become a vital resource for people interesting in keeping up-to-date on the fast-moving events in Syria. To help UN Dispatch readers, I have compiled a list of some of the best Twitter users to follow to stay plugged into the ups and downs of the pro-democracy protests in the country.

@MalathAumran — If you want to keep on top of events in Syria, the first thing you should do is follow Malath Aumran. The anonymous Twitter account uses a network of individuals inside Syria to relay information on the protests. It is one of the best sources of information on Twitter.

@ProfKahf — Mohja Kahf is a Syrian-American professor at the University of Arkansas. Her tweets are a great balance of intelligent commentary and retweeted news.

@SyrianJasmine — Syrian Jasmine is an anonymous, but well known, female Twitterer. Many of her tweets provide updates on events on the ground in Syria long before they are reported in the mainstream media.

@AnasQtiesh — Anas Qtiesh is a Syrian blogger and translator living in Boston. Anas writes for Global Voices Online Arabic Lingua and other arabic language online publications. His english language tweets are some of the best updates and commentary on Syria in the Twitteropshere.

@Mohammad_Syria — A long time human rights advocate, Mohammad Al-abdallah is well connected in the Syrian Twitter community and is an important resources for disseminating reports coming out of the country, both from mainstream media outlets and citizen journalists.

@WissamtarifWissam Tarif is a prominant democracy and human rights activist in Syria and Lebanon. He currently works for NGO INSAN. Wissam provides a good deal of original information from INSAN, making him a great person to follow to keep on top of events in Syria.

@RazanZ — Razan Zaitouneh is a human rights activist in Syria. She has been a great resource to keep on top of mainstream media stories about Syria. She tweets in both English and Arabic.

@BBCLinaSinjab — Lina Sinjab is a BBC journalist in Syria reporting on events in the country. While not as prolific as other Twitterers on this list, her tweets offer credible, professional insights into events in Syria.

As always, this list is not meant to be comprehensive. There are many other Twitter users who could be a part of this list. The seven Twitter feeds listed above are only a starting point for those interesting in following the community of Twitterers who have come together to follow and take part in events in Syria.