The Raqqa Diaries: Escape from Islamic State - Couverture rigide

Samer

Couverture rigide

ISBN 10 : 1786330539 ISBN 13 : 9781786330536

Editeur : Hutchinson, 2017

Synopsis

‘Everyone should spend a couple of hours of their life reading it, to remind themselves that, even in the darkest depth of human misery, the bravest souls still exist.’ Sunday Times

Since ISIS occupied Raqqa in eastern Syria, it has become one of the most isolated and fear-ridden cities on earth.

The sale of televisions has been banned, wearing trousers the wrong length is a punishable offence, and using a mobile phone is considered an unforgivable crime.

No journalists are allowed in and the penalty for speaking to the western media is death by beheading.

Despite this, after several months of nervy and often interrupted conversations, the BBC was able to make contact with a small activist group, Al-Sharqiya 24. Finally, courageously, one of their members agreed to write a personal diary about his experiences.

Having seen friends and relatives butchered, his community's life shattered and the local economy ruined by these hate-fuelled extremists, Samer is fighting back in the only way he can: by telling the world what is happening to his beloved city.

This is Samer's story.

'Remarkable . . . rare, intimate . . . Samer is an understated hero of our time.' Anthony Loyd, The Times

'A clarion call to all of us that we should not give up. Somewhere there is a voice in the wreckage.' Michael Palin

'This is brutal non-fiction, plainly and urgently told.' Robin Yassin-Kassab, Guardian

'The simple act of bearing witness is one of the most powerful human responses available . . . The Raqqa Diaries is so important.' Evening Standard

A propos du livre

À propos de l?auteur

Samer is 24 years old. Having escaped from Raqqa he is living in a refugee camp in northern Syria.

À propos de la quatrième de couverture

The Raqqa Diaries began as a series of short broadcasts on Radio 4’s 'Today' Programme. Now one of the most isolated and fear ridden cities on earth, no-one is allowed to speak to western journalists or leave Raqqa, without IS’s permission. Those caught breaking the rules face death by beheading. Despite this, Mike Thomson, with the help of BBC ’s Arabic Service, found a young man who is willing to risk his life to tell the world what is happening in his city. Part of a small anti-IS activist group, the diaries were written, encrypted and sent to a third country before being translated. The diarist’s father is killed and mother badly injured during an air strike, he is sentenced to 40 lashes for speaking out against a beheading, he sees a woman stoned to death. They show how every aspect of life is impacted – from the spiralling costs of food to dictating the acceptable length of trousers. At one point, the sale of televisions is banned. As Samer says, 'it seems it’s not enough to stop us talking to the outside world, now we can’t even look at it.’ Having seen friends and relatives butchered, his community’s life shattered and the local economy ruined by these hate-fuelled extremists, Samer believes he’s fighting back by telling the world what is happening to his beloved city. Raw, direct and profoundly affecting, The Raqqa Diaries is an important book by a brave young man, which allows unprecedented access to the brutal conditions that many Syrians are living under.

Détails de l'édition

• Éditeur: Hutchinson
• Date d'édition: 2017
• Langue: anglais
• ISBN 10: 1786330539
• ISBN 13: 9781786330536
• Reliure: Relié
• Nombre de pages: 108
• Coordonnées du fabricant: non disponible
• Personne responsable: non disponible