Mateo Nelson
@mateonelson.bsky.social
English Editor at Syria Direct
@syriadirect.bsky.social
Arabic ➡️ English translator
@syriadirect.bsky.social
Arabic ➡️ English translator
Reposted by Mateo Nelson
🧵 As dozens of mass graves come to light, Syrians face the daunting task of identifying the dead and bringing closure to the families of some of the country’s more than 160,000 missing people.
🔗 bit.ly/4p6K3H2
🔗 bit.ly/4p6K3H2
December 15, 2025 at 4:17 PM
🧵 As dozens of mass graves come to light, Syrians face the daunting task of identifying the dead and bringing closure to the families of some of the country’s more than 160,000 missing people.
🔗 bit.ly/4p6K3H2
🔗 bit.ly/4p6K3H2
Reposted by Mateo Nelson
‘Two prisons’: Freed from detention, Syrian women face a second trial
✍️ Bushra Alzoubi
✍️ Bushra Alzoubi
‘Two prisons’: Freed from detention, Syrian women face a second trial
As Syrians mark the first anniversary of the fall of Assad on December 8, 2024, women who survived regime detention warn their ordeal did not end when they were released. For many, society remains a s...
syriadirect.org
December 8, 2025 at 2:40 PM
‘Two prisons’: Freed from detention, Syrian women face a second trial
✍️ Bushra Alzoubi
✍️ Bushra Alzoubi
Reposted by Mateo Nelson
🧵 In northeastern Syria, a growing community of artists—dancers, musicians, filmmakers—is fighting to preserve the region’s diverse heritage and sustain more than a decade of cultural revival.
🔗 bit.ly/4pcn3XE
🔗 bit.ly/4pcn3XE
December 2, 2025 at 6:10 PM
🧵 In northeastern Syria, a growing community of artists—dancers, musicians, filmmakers—is fighting to preserve the region’s diverse heritage and sustain more than a decade of cultural revival.
🔗 bit.ly/4pcn3XE
🔗 bit.ly/4pcn3XE
Reposted by Mateo Nelson
🧵 The first trial of hundreds of suspects accused of involvement in killings on Syria’s Alawite-majority coast began on Tuesday, marking the start of a closely watched and unprecedented accountability process.
🔗 bit.ly/47MsF4P
🔗 bit.ly/47MsF4P
November 18, 2025 at 6:02 PM
🧵 The first trial of hundreds of suspects accused of involvement in killings on Syria’s Alawite-majority coast began on Tuesday, marking the start of a closely watched and unprecedented accountability process.
🔗 bit.ly/47MsF4P
🔗 bit.ly/47MsF4P
Reposted by Mateo Nelson
🧵 The Trump administration’s abrupt termination of Syrians’ Temporary Protected Status has left thousands scrambling for solutions before a November 21 deadline to self-deport or become undocumented.
🔗 bit.ly/4ogHqCE
🔗 bit.ly/4ogHqCE
November 4, 2025 at 2:49 PM
🧵 The Trump administration’s abrupt termination of Syrians’ Temporary Protected Status has left thousands scrambling for solutions before a November 21 deadline to self-deport or become undocumented.
🔗 bit.ly/4ogHqCE
🔗 bit.ly/4ogHqCE
Reposted by Mateo Nelson
Dueling with drought: How can Daraa farmers adapt to a changing climate?
✍️ @walid-alnofal.bsky.social
✍️ @walid-alnofal.bsky.social
Dueling with drought: How can Daraa farmers adapt to a changing climate?
As Syria stares down drought and a changing climate, farmers and officials in agriculture-dependent Daraa province grapple with how to adapt.
syriadirect.org
October 14, 2025 at 3:08 PM
Dueling with drought: How can Daraa farmers adapt to a changing climate?
✍️ @walid-alnofal.bsky.social
✍️ @walid-alnofal.bsky.social
Reposted by Mateo Nelson
"The first thing that the interim government in Syria must do is to end enforced disappearance and unlawful detention, and stop the sectarian violence ... Start focusing on achieving the truth, justice and peace that we need to move our country forward."
www.theguardian.com/global-devel...
www.theguardian.com/global-devel...
The families of Syria’s disappeared are asking for the truth. Our country cannot rebuild until we have it | Wafa Mustafa
Over 160,000 people, including my father, were abducted by the Assad regime. The country’s new commission for the missing must be inclusive and independent to restore our trust
www.theguardian.com
October 2, 2025 at 2:41 PM
"The first thing that the interim government in Syria must do is to end enforced disappearance and unlawful detention, and stop the sectarian violence ... Start focusing on achieving the truth, justice and peace that we need to move our country forward."
www.theguardian.com/global-devel...
www.theguardian.com/global-devel...
Reposted by Mateo Nelson
🧵 Historic drought, degraded infrastructure and unregulated well drilling drain Daraa’s water as authorities struggle to respond to the country’s worst water crisis in decades.
🔗 bit.ly/4nBa4yh
🔗 bit.ly/4nBa4yh
September 26, 2025 at 11:05 AM
🧵 Historic drought, degraded infrastructure and unregulated well drilling drain Daraa’s water as authorities struggle to respond to the country’s worst water crisis in decades.
🔗 bit.ly/4nBa4yh
🔗 bit.ly/4nBa4yh
Reposted by Mateo Nelson
Egyptian authorities announced the presidential pardon of prominent activist Alaa Abd el-Fattah after six years in prison, according to his lawyer Khaled Ali and an announcement by state TV.
Egypt announces pardon for top activist who's spent 6 years behind bars
Egyptian authorities on Monday announced the presidential pardon of prominent activist Alaa Abd el-Fattah, according to his lawyer Khaled Ali and an announcement by Egypt’s state TV.
bit.ly
September 22, 2025 at 12:37 PM
Egyptian authorities announced the presidential pardon of prominent activist Alaa Abd el-Fattah after six years in prison, according to his lawyer Khaled Ali and an announcement by state TV.
Reposted by Mateo Nelson
Israel has committed genocide in Gaza, says UN inquiry
Israel has committed genocide in Gaza, says UN inquiry
Commission’s 72-page legal analysis cites examples including scale of killings, aid blockages and forced displacement
*
Middle East crisis – live updates
A UN commission of inquiry concluded on Tuesday that Israel had committed genocide in Gaza and that top Israeli officials including the prime minister, Benjamin Netanyahu, had incited these acts.
It cited examples of the scale of the killings, aid blockages, forced displacement and the destruction of a fertility clinic to back up its genocide finding, adding its voice to rights groups and others that have reached the same conclusion. Continue reading...
www.theguardian.com
September 16, 2025 at 7:25 AM
Israel has committed genocide in Gaza, says UN inquiry
Reposted by Mateo Nelson
When Assad’s security state collapsed, locked doors opened, spilling decades of secrets.
Among them: 100s of stolen children, hidden in orphanages & used to blackmail parents. We’ve done the deepest dive yet into this cruel system. Here’s what we found 🧵
www.lighthousereports.com/investigatio...
Among them: 100s of stolen children, hidden in orphanages & used to blackmail parents. We’ve done the deepest dive yet into this cruel system. Here’s what we found 🧵
www.lighthousereports.com/investigatio...
Syria’s Stolen Children
Under the Assad regime, hundreds of Syrian children were hidden in orphanages to extort their parents. Families still have few answers from the new government or the international charity that kept it...
www.lighthousereports.com
September 11, 2025 at 6:26 AM
When Assad’s security state collapsed, locked doors opened, spilling decades of secrets.
Among them: 100s of stolen children, hidden in orphanages & used to blackmail parents. We’ve done the deepest dive yet into this cruel system. Here’s what we found 🧵
www.lighthousereports.com/investigatio...
Among them: 100s of stolen children, hidden in orphanages & used to blackmail parents. We’ve done the deepest dive yet into this cruel system. Here’s what we found 🧵
www.lighthousereports.com/investigatio...
Reposted by Mateo Nelson
In nearly 23 months, at least 210 journalists have been killed by the Israeli army in Gaza, according to @rsf.org. More have been injured and face constant threats to their lives for doing their jobs. This is a direct attack on press freedom and the right to information. Learn more:
RSF and Avaaz launch international media operation: “At the rate journalists are being killed in Gaza by the Israeli army, there will soon be no one left to keep you informed”
Hundreds of media outlets, brought together by the campaigning platform Avaaz and Reporters Without Borders (RSF), are waging a campaign calling for the protection of Palestinian journalists in Gaza, ...
rsf.org
September 1, 2025 at 12:14 PM
In nearly 23 months, at least 210 journalists have been killed by the Israeli army in Gaza, according to @rsf.org. More have been injured and face constant threats to their lives for doing their jobs. This is a direct attack on press freedom and the right to information. Learn more:
Reposted by Mateo Nelson
Syria Direct joins with more than 250 media outlets across the world to condemn the Israeli army's killings of journalists in Gaza. We also call on the Israeli authorities to allow independent access for the international press in the Gaza Strip.
September 1, 2025 at 12:14 PM
Syria Direct joins with more than 250 media outlets across the world to condemn the Israeli army's killings of journalists in Gaza. We also call on the Israeli authorities to allow independent access for the international press in the Gaza Strip.
Reposted by Mateo Nelson
Recently @prismreports.org has published many dispatches from Gaza, written by Palestinians surviving the genocide. All of them are heartbreaking, necessary reads. This one, written by Logain Hamdan about kids eating "ice cream" flavored with antibiotics, will stick with me for the rest of my life.
In Gaza, children eat frozen antibiotic syrups for something sweet
Antibiotic “ice cream” is dangerous, but few adults can deny children this small indulgence that makes life under genocide feel worth living
prismreports.org
August 25, 2025 at 4:55 PM
Recently @prismreports.org has published many dispatches from Gaza, written by Palestinians surviving the genocide. All of them are heartbreaking, necessary reads. This one, written by Logain Hamdan about kids eating "ice cream" flavored with antibiotics, will stick with me for the rest of my life.
Reposted by Mateo Nelson
🧵 After years in exile, organic farmers Bilal and Assia Abu Saleh returned home to a looted house and parched land that will be a challenge to cultivate. Yet they have a clear goal: to rebuild Syria for their children and lead it toward food sovereignty.
🔗 bit.ly/4mRqhOL
🔗 bit.ly/4mRqhOL
August 22, 2025 at 12:23 PM
🧵 After years in exile, organic farmers Bilal and Assia Abu Saleh returned home to a looted house and parched land that will be a challenge to cultivate. Yet they have a clear goal: to rebuild Syria for their children and lead it toward food sovereignty.
🔗 bit.ly/4mRqhOL
🔗 bit.ly/4mRqhOL
Reposted by Mateo Nelson
🧵 In Tremseh, an idyllic village in northern Hama with a bloody past, thousands of displaced residents have found their way home. Reunited with old friends, they are working to rebuild a community and heal old scars.
🔗 bit.ly/47jFW4R
🔗 bit.ly/47jFW4R
August 11, 2025 at 12:21 PM
🧵 In Tremseh, an idyllic village in northern Hama with a bloody past, thousands of displaced residents have found their way home. Reunited with old friends, they are working to rebuild a community and heal old scars.
🔗 bit.ly/47jFW4R
🔗 bit.ly/47jFW4R
Reposted by Mateo Nelson
This is not just another crime committed by a serial killer of press freedom. It is the fact that over more than 200 Palestinian journalists have been killed by the ongoing genocide. This cycle will be repeated so long the world, including their colleagues, will not do better to stop this.
August 10, 2025 at 10:18 PM
This is not just another crime committed by a serial killer of press freedom. It is the fact that over more than 200 Palestinian journalists have been killed by the ongoing genocide. This cycle will be repeated so long the world, including their colleagues, will not do better to stop this.
Reposted by Mateo Nelson
Barely an hour ago, Palestinian journalist Anas Al-Sharif warned us all:
“If this madness doesn’t end, Gaza will be reduced to ruins, its people’s voices silenced, their faces erased — and history will remember you as silent witnesses to a genocide you chose not to stop.”
Israel just killed him.
“If this madness doesn’t end, Gaza will be reduced to ruins, its people’s voices silenced, their faces erased — and history will remember you as silent witnesses to a genocide you chose not to stop.”
Israel just killed him.
August 10, 2025 at 9:09 PM
Barely an hour ago, Palestinian journalist Anas Al-Sharif warned us all:
“If this madness doesn’t end, Gaza will be reduced to ruins, its people’s voices silenced, their faces erased — and history will remember you as silent witnesses to a genocide you chose not to stop.”
Israel just killed him.
“If this madness doesn’t end, Gaza will be reduced to ruins, its people’s voices silenced, their faces erased — and history will remember you as silent witnesses to a genocide you chose not to stop.”
Israel just killed him.
Reposted by Mateo Nelson
Druze and Bedouin families in southern Syria are united in pain, if little else, reeling with uncertainty and loss after days of deadly violence. Anagha Subhash Nair reports from Suwayda and Daraa:
syriadirect.org/deep-grief-f...
syriadirect.org/deep-grief-f...
Deep grief follows Suwayda’s days of blood - Syria Direct
Druze and Bedouin families are united in pain, if little else, reeling with uncertainty and loss after days of deadly violence in Suwayda.
syriadirect.org
July 26, 2025 at 2:56 PM
Druze and Bedouin families in southern Syria are united in pain, if little else, reeling with uncertainty and loss after days of deadly violence. Anagha Subhash Nair reports from Suwayda and Daraa:
syriadirect.org/deep-grief-f...
syriadirect.org/deep-grief-f...
Reposted by Mateo Nelson
🧵 Activists in Suwayda who were once open to the Damascus government weigh in on how their views have changed following a wave of sectarian violence—and whether any path forward remains.
🔗 bit.ly/4fb5NhB
🔗 bit.ly/4fb5NhB
July 25, 2025 at 5:58 PM
🧵 Activists in Suwayda who were once open to the Damascus government weigh in on how their views have changed following a wave of sectarian violence—and whether any path forward remains.
🔗 bit.ly/4fb5NhB
🔗 bit.ly/4fb5NhB
Reposted by Mateo Nelson
Here's a big-picture geopolitical thread on Israel's war on Iran - its possibilities, impossibilities, dynamics, and delusions. My goal is to give you a full big-picture view in one place, which is why this is a long thread. If you prefer drip-fed updates, skip this thread.
June 19, 2025 at 10:53 AM
Here's a big-picture geopolitical thread on Israel's war on Iran - its possibilities, impossibilities, dynamics, and delusions. My goal is to give you a full big-picture view in one place, which is why this is a long thread. If you prefer drip-fed updates, skip this thread.
Reposted by Mateo Nelson
🧵 Syria’s worst drought in decades has wiped out rain-fed crops and diminished yields across the country, devastating farmers and raising the risk of food shortages.
🔗 bit.ly/4liq2M9
🔗 bit.ly/4liq2M9
June 18, 2025 at 3:20 PM
🧵 Syria’s worst drought in decades has wiped out rain-fed crops and diminished yields across the country, devastating farmers and raising the risk of food shortages.
🔗 bit.ly/4liq2M9
🔗 bit.ly/4liq2M9
Reposted by Mateo Nelson
🧵 Dealing with the legacy of Syria’s prisons and security branches as atrocity sites is a collective moral responsibility and part of the fight for memory, “the last bulwark against repeating the past.”
🔗 bit.ly/4l8dXtC
🔗 bit.ly/4l8dXtC
March 26, 2025 at 4:45 PM
🧵 Dealing with the legacy of Syria’s prisons and security branches as atrocity sites is a collective moral responsibility and part of the fight for memory, “the last bulwark against repeating the past.”
🔗 bit.ly/4l8dXtC
🔗 bit.ly/4l8dXtC
Reposted by Mateo Nelson
Devastated by war, farmers return life to Syria’s ‘oasis’
✍️ Hanna Davis
syriadirect.org/devastated-b...
✍️ Hanna Davis
syriadirect.org/devastated-b...
Devastated by war, farmers return life to Syria’s ‘oasis’
DARAYYA/DOUMA — In the 12th century, the Andalusian poet and traveler Ibn Jubayr described the agricultural lands around Damascus as “the halo around the moon.”
“Its green valley extends east as far...
syriadirect.org
March 24, 2025 at 5:42 PM
Devastated by war, farmers return life to Syria’s ‘oasis’
✍️ Hanna Davis
syriadirect.org/devastated-b...
✍️ Hanna Davis
syriadirect.org/devastated-b...