Inside Syria with NBC Undercover Reporter Richard Engel - 10-31-11 Eyewitness Report

NBC newsmagazine show, "Rock Center With Brian Williams," which had its premiere on Monday, October 31, 2011 showed us a riveting and harrowing video piece in which correspondent Richard Engel sneaks into Syria after being denied a Visa by the Assad Police State Dictatorship. What Engel finds in Syria is a scene of a mass uprising against a hated dictatorship and of incredible Abuse by Government authorities against the civilian population.
Engels reports:
"The Turkish smugglers didn't know quite what to make of us. Normally they traffic cigarettes across the Turkish-Syrian border. Cigarettes are cheaper in Syria than in Turkey. So are cows. The smugglers told us they had moved plenty of cows from Syria to Turkey across the cornfields and melon patches that cover both sides of the border. It's easy to traffic a cow, one of the smugglers explained. Just dress like a farmer and, if stopped by a border guard, claim the cow went wandering and you chased after it.

"Sorry officer. Won't happen again."

The smuggler said bringing our team into Syria -- without visas, without permission -- would be much more difficult.

And I had more bad news for him. We also wanted to film the crossing, and stay inside Syria for several days to conduct television interviews with members of the political opposition being hunted by the Syrian security forces.

The Syrian revolution has been one of the bloodiest of the Arab Spring. The government and security forces of President Bashar al-Assad have killed more than 3,000 people since protests erupted last March, according to the United Nations. The protesters have been demanding more political freedom. Thousands of demonstrators have been arrested or disappeared. But facts are difficult to verify because few journalists are allowed into Syria. Government officials closely monitor reporters it allows in. Our repeated requests for visas were denied. No reason was given.

The smugglers didn't like the plan and told us in language that was only somewhat less polite than the grimaces on their faces.

Foreigners?

With cameras?

For days?

The risk was too high.

I agreed with one of the smugglers. Yes, it would be easier if we were cows. But this wasn't adventure travel. Syria's uprising is important and, to understand it, we would need to go inside.

That's when we called in Mehmet. Mehmet is man who can get things done. Mehmet is also a pseudonym, his name changed to protect his identity. Mehmet knows Turkey and how to talk to people. If you need an interview with a government official at any time of day or night, Mehmet can set it up. If you need a mobile television studio that can fit on an 18-wheeler, Mehmet can have it built. If you lose your keys in Turkey, Mehmet probably has them. I don't speak Turkish, but I enjoyed watching Mehmet talk to the smugglers. Mehmet has a weathered face, a devilish smile and bright eyes. He laughs easily and often. We were in a restaurant in southern Turkey not far from the Syrian border. Within minutes, Mehmet and one of the smugglers were laughing. They drank tea. They smoked cigarettes. They ate grilled chicken. They drank more tea and, after about an hour, the smugglers agreed not only to take us into Syria, but also to stay with us and find a safe house where we could hide.

We met the smugglers the next day to start the journey. Our team was Mehmet, John Kooistra, one of NBC's most experienced combat cameramen, and myself. Our producer Karen Russo remained in Turkey in case things went wrong.

The next day, we were met by a new group of smugglers. They were apparently immune to Mehmet's charms. They seemed deeply suspicious of us. They clearly didn't like the mission they'd been given.

We climbed into the back seat of the smugglers' car near a public park in a Turkish town near the border. The smugglers didn't talk to us. The man sitting shotgun didn't turn around to introduce himself or make eye contact. The driver drove a few blocks and then ordered us out. Another car picked us up a few minutes later. The second car drove us out of town and then doubled back into town. We switched cars again. The shell game continued for several hours. I assumed they were trying to shake anyone following us, and also to watch how we reacted to the sudden changes. It was a kind of loyalty test.

Eventually, the smugglers took us to a farmhouse. We were told to wait there and not go outside. They didn't want us to be seen by Turkish authorities. They thought a group of foreigners hanging out near the Syrian border in a poor farming town may look suspicious. They were probably right. We stayed inside the farmhouse for three days. The wait seemed endless. The smugglers barely talked, so we all watched Turkish Music variety shows on a small television. ..... (story continues at http dot rockcenter dot msnbc dot msn dot com/_news/2011/10/31/8562167-inside-syria-dissidents-tell-stories-of-unbelievabl­e-abuse-against-protesters )

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[wegotnugs]

@batmanpronz

what u are saying is fucking bullshit dude

[RammieFilms]

Richard Engel and his Camera man are bad asses

[batmanpronz]

@jenantang God doesn't exist, and Syrian people don't know what democracy and freedom mean. As soon as Assad goes down, the Muslim brotherhood will take over. Once that happens, Sharia law will be enforced and this country will go back to the 5th century. Forget about secular education. Hello to stoning homosexuals and adulterers. This breed of animal deserves a dictator like Dr. Assad. He is a proud reminder of his late father, and as a rational human being I'm behind him.

[jenantang]

Lol he's the one that the people should off! He's an embarrassment just even speaking bout the people in his unique slurring suckling suckitash spit spit way! Daddy bitch

[jenantang]

The people will win! God bless the people! How bout you take your eye Dr..... I'm sorry your leader who needs his slur fixed lol ! Get him speech classes. Speech rehab. I think its free in USA while in kindergarten and all until you no longer have the speech impedimient. Haha how funny that your eye Dr is your president. Also to make it more hilarious he sounds like a bitch!!!! Try to make this be silent ....bi......itch!!!!!

[jenantang]

Assad sucks Dick. You are punk bitches murdering human beings! Do you spoiled rich people bit understand anything? People are being killed. Babies are being totured for a first amendment right Americans barely take into there thoughts on a daily basis. We are able to make this video. Hahahahaha! Screw u! You let them people live the way they want. Not your ideas and thoughts alone are vital only because you have financial influence over the hands that actually created that country you kidding!!!

[SYR19949]

Crossing borders is illegal and its terrorism, this channel and the reporter should be jailed, plus he did not reports about the terrorists who are killing the army and the Syrian people, or the millions of Syrians who went to the streets and supports Alassad and the reforms. At the end you terrorists will end up dead. You ignorant terrorists will never achieve anything.

[MrToobitter]

Death to Bashar fucking Ass-sad

Death to Dictator Ass-sad and his idol khamenei.

[MrToobitter]

Death to Bashar Ass-sad The Criminal .

Death to Dictator Ass-sad.