Case 1:16-cv-01423-ABJ Document 39-2 Filed 03/22/18 Page 2 of 40 [TRANSLATION] UNITED STATES DISTRICT COURT FOR THE DISTRICT OF COLUMBIA C ATHLEEN C OLVIN , individually and as parent and next friend of minors C.A.C. and L.A.C., heirs-at-law and beneficiaries of the estate of M ARIE C OLVIN , and JUSTINE ARAYA-COLVIN, heir-at-law and beneficiary of the estate of MARIE COLVIN, Civil No. 1:16-cv-01423 (ABJ) Plaintiffs, v. S YRIAN ARAB R EPUBLIC , Defendant. DECLARATION OF “ULYSSES” I, “Ulysses,”1 declare as follows: 1. I am over 18 years of age and have personal knowledge of the facts set forth in this Declaration. If called as a witness, I would testify competently to such facts under oath. 2. I am a citizen of the Syrian Arab Republic (“Syria”). I am now a refugee and living legally in a nation of the European Union. I am in hiding because I believe I am wanted by the Syrian intelligence services. 3. I am fluent in Arabic. 4. As a former Syrian intelligence agent, I am familiar with the Syrian government’s military and intelligence infrastructure from the date I started working in defection in . to the time of my I have personal knowledge of the Assad regime’s use of its intelligence and military capabilities to launch a brutal crackdown on pro-democracy 1 I am using the pseudonym “Ulysses” for purposes of this declaration because I fear for my safety. 1 Case 1:16-cv-01423-ABJ Document 39-2 Filed 03/22/18 Page 3 of 40 [TRANSLATION] demonstrations and the media following the 2011 civil uprising. I also have personal knowledge of the regime’s joint military-security operations in Homs from the fall of 2011 until my defection. I am familiar with the regime’s targeting of journalists––including Marie Colvin––in Homs, and have direct, firsthand knowledge of the planning and coordination of the February 22, 2012 attack on the Baba Amr Media Center that ultimately killed her. Background 5. For almost . years, I served as a non-commissioned officer of the Syrian The is one of four intelligence agencies that protect the dictatorial regime of Syrian President Bashar al-Assad. .2 6. I began my career in Syrian intelligence in of the when I enrolled in the institute . I was trained in investigation, surveillance, and the structure of the Syrian government. After I graduated in early Around I served in I was promoted to . 2 The Syrian intelligence agencies are divided into regional or functional branches throughout the country. . A branch is further divided into sections, each tasked with specific functions. Section-heads report to branch-heads, who in turn report to the Damascus-based director of that agency. The director of each agency reports to the President and to the National Security Bureau, an office tasked with coordinating the operations of the four intelligence agencies. Although the four intelligence agencies are generally broken down in this way, each agency’s structure has some variation. . 2 Case 1:16-cv-01423-ABJ Document 39-2 Filed 03/22/18 Page 4 of 40 [TRANSLATION] 7. In , I was transferred to , the regional branch of the governorate of Homs. I worked in various sections of 8. In March 2011, while I was still serving in , a pro-democratic revolution erupted across Syria. By the summer of 2011, Homs had become a key center of that revolution. The intelligence services in Homs were tasked with suppressing the opposition movement and ending the massive anti-government protests. 9. Sometime in the fall of 2011 (I do not recall the exact date), . The Syrian government had formed a committee to coordinate joint military and intelligence operations against the opposition in Homs: the Homs Military-Security Committee. .3 I carried out this role until I defected from the Syrian government in . 10. I learned senior military and intelligence officials were overseeing a campaign to surveil, target, and kill journalists in Homs. This campaign resulted in the assassination of Marie Colvin by Syrian government forces on February 22, 2012. 3 I do not know whether there was a uniform, official designation for the head of the Homs Military-Security Committee. Memoranda addressed to this official used different titles depending on who was sending the communication. For example, memoranda from intelligence might address this official as “Security Chief” or a military communique might address the head as “Military-Security Chief” or “head of the Military-Security Committee in Homs.” All of these titles referred to the same position holder. For this declaration, I use these terms interchangeably to reflect the customary practice in the military and security forces. 3 Case 1:16-cv-01423-ABJ Document 39-2 Filed 03/22/18 Page 5 of 40 [TRANSLATION] 11. Due to my training and nearly years of experience in Syrian intelligence, I am familiar with the command and communications systems of the and other Syrian intelligence agencies, as well as of the Syrian armed forces. Throughout 2011 and 2012, I had access to the files of the , and I regularly reviewed intelligence memoranda, reports, and surveillance and arrest orders. I also regularly attended meetings with officers in that concerned military and security operations in Homs, as well as situation reports in the field I personally observed such military and security operations in Homs. I communicated with other officers on a daily basis. Finally, I used a Tetra radio walkie-talkie, issued to all intelligence officers, and therefore had access to open and secured communication channels, which enabled me to discuss or overhear discussions and orders of operations with my colleagues. Unless otherwise specified, the facts that I recount below are based on these sources. The Syrian Revolution and Assad Regime’s Security Crackdown 12. After pro-democracy demonstrations broke out in March of 2011, the Assad regime sought to crush the opposition in Homs and elsewhere by mobilizing its intelligence and military forces 4 and by relying on loyalist paramilitary groups called the shabiha. This crackdown was led by President Assad and his inner circle of family members and trusted officials, including his brother, Maher al-Assad. 13. Throughout the spring, summer, and fall of 2011, the intelligence services arrested or attacked thousands of political opponents, including pro-democracy activists, 4 The Syrian military forces include conventional divisions, as well as three elite units, which are considered particularly loyal to the Assad regime: the Special Forces, the Republican Guard, and the Fourth Division. I learned from members of the Fourth Division that it was commanded by the President’s brother, Maher al-Assad. I also learned that it had its own intelligence section. 4 Case 1:16-cv-01423-ABJ Document 39-2 Filed 03/22/18 Page 6 of 40 [TRANSLATION] journalists, and even doctors. I saw firsthand that intelligence branches in Homs were torturing and killing suspected dissidents. 14. One of the regime’s primary objectives was to infiltrate and disrupt the social networks of activists who were organizing the protests. The intelligence services knew that activists were using Facebook and forming media centers and “Local Coordination Committees” to organize demonstrations and document human rights abuses, and we were well aware that satellite news networks were spreading news of the protests. Media activists and journalists thus became high-priority targets. Throughout 2011 and 2012, people suspected of tarnishing the image of Syria in the western and Arab media were routinely arrested, tortured, and killed by the intelligence services. 15. Eventually, in the summer of 2011, the first armed rebel groups formed. These were known as the Free Syrian Army (the “FSA”). By the fall of 2011, rebels were in control of several neighborhoods in Homs. In or around December of 2011, the regime launched a major assault on Homs, using joint military and intelligence operations overseen by the Homs MilitarySecurity Committee. 16. To explain the key persons and institutions I know to have been involved in the crackdown in Homs, I have prepared a Glossary of Key Persons and Entities, attached as Exhibit B. I have also prepared a diagram of the command structure of the military and security forces operating in Homs as of February 2012, as I studied it and observed it in practice, attached as Exhibit C. Finally, I have prepared a diagram of the military and security forces I know to have been involved in the attack on the Baba Amr Media Center that ultimately killed Marie Colvin, attached as Exhibit D. 5 Case 1:16-cv-01423-ABJ Document 39-2 Filed 03/22/18 Page 7 of 40 [TRANSLATION] My Service 17. When the revolution started in March in Homs. 18. In the fall of 2011, Major General Nazih Hassoun, had been appointed as the head of the Homs .5 Before being detailed to the Committee, Military-Security Committee Major General Hassoun had been one of the Deputy Directors of the General Intelligence Directorate. My understanding was that Major General Ali Ayoub, the Deputy Chief of Staff of the Syrian Army, served as the first head of the Homs Military-Security Committee, and then was replaced as head by Major General Hassoun and later, other officers from the intelligence services. To my knowledge, Major General Ayoub returned to Damascus after serving on the Military-Security Committee. I have no knowledge as to whether Major General Ayoub continued to exercise authority or control over the Committee’s operations. In my experience, the position held by Major General Hassoun was the highest authority overseeing the militarysecurity operations on the ground in Homs. 19. 5 The Homs Military-Security Committee was a newly formed government body, specifically tasked with coordinating joint military and intelligence operations against the civilian opposition and the FSA in Homs. Previously, there had been a Security Committee in Homs that was part of the Baath Party, and was chaired by a civilian, usually the Secretary of the Baath Party Branch in the Governorate. 6 Case 1:16-cv-01423-ABJ Document 39-2 Filed 03/22/18 Page 8 of 40 [TRANSLATION] 20. By January 2012, Major General Hassoun was replaced as head of the Homs Military-Security Committee. His replacement was Major General Rafiq Shahadah, a senior official from the Military Intelligence Department. an individual named Khaled al-Fares. Al-Fares had served as Major General Hassoun’s right-hand man, and did the same for Major General Shahadah. 21. Before the revolution, Khaled al-Fares was wanted by the government as a notorious drug trafficker. I had seen his name on wanted lists at . However, 2012, al-Fares had started working for the regime by recruiting informants and supporting the shabiha paramilitaries in Homs. 22. Throughout January and February of 2012, Khaled al-Fares. al-Fares played an important role on the Homs Military-Security Committee. He was a key middle-man, handling finances for the shabiha paramilitaries and gathering intelligence from a network of informants. al-Fares had a direct, back-channel connection to the President’s brother, Maher al-Assad, who commanded the Fourth Division. Major General Shahadah to 23. meetings with the heads of the Homs branches of the intelligence agencies and with military commanders. These meetings typically occurred at the headquarters of Military Intelligence 7 Case 1:16-cv-01423-ABJ Document 39-2 Filed 03/22/18 Page 9 of 40 [TRANSLATION] Branch 261 and at the Military Technical Affairs Faculty,6 where a special conference room was used to plan military operations. The Siege of Baba Amr 24. As head of the Homs Military-Security Committee, Major General Shahadah, like his predecessor Major General Hassoun, was involved in coordinating military and intelligence operations in the first major battle of the Syrian civil war: the siege of Baba Amr. 25. Baba Amr is a working-class neighborhood in southwest Homs. It became very important to the Assad regime, which considered the neighborhood a central incubator of the revolution. The protestors in Baba Amr were in the western and Arab news all the time because it had a very active media center. 26. In the fall of 2011, a group of rebels from the FSA set up a base of operations in Baba Amr. Although the rebels lacked tanks or artillery, they managed to repel a series of raids by regime forces. 27. Between December 2011 and the end of February 2012, the government put Baba Amr completely under siege. The army encircled the neighborhood with checkpoints, tanks, and heavy artillery. No one was allowed to leave. The regime regularly cut off telecommunications, water, and electricity; and blocked food from entering Baba Amr. 6 The Military Technical Affairs Faculty was one of the faculties of the Homs Military Academy. As discussed below, the Military Academy was one of the locations from which the regime shelled Homs. 8 Case 1:16-cv-01423-ABJ Document 39-2 Filed 03/22/18 Page 10 of 40 [TRANSLATION] 28. Although regime forces had surrounded Baba Amr and were pounding it with artillery, the regime’s ground troops were unable to retake the neighborhood. The FSA rebels held them back at the perimeter of the neighborhood until the end of February. Initially, the military units involved in the siege were regular units from the 11th and 18th Divisions. But they were eventually reinforced with elite elements from the Republican Guard, Special Forces, and the Fourth Division. In addition, all four intelligence agencies were engaged in the siege of Baba Amr, under the coordination of the Homs Military-Security Committee. 29. the security chiefs from the Homs Military-Security Committee––first Major General Hassoun and then Major General Shahadah and al-Fares–– inspected the frontlines around Baba Amr. Starting in fall 2011, regime forces held sandbagged positions around the neighborhood, with snipers, armored vehicles, and heavy machine guns mounted on trucks. regime forces shelling the neighborhood on a daily basis with various forms of artillery, including Russian- and Korean-made multiple rocket launcher systems; tanks; and 120 mm, 160 mm, and 240 mm mortars. the regime’s aerial surveillance drones flying over Homs. My colleagues and I called them the “buzzing planes” because of the distinctive sound they made as they circled above us. 30. Regime forces shelled Baba Amr from a number of locations, including Wadi al- Dahab (a pro-regime neighborhood), the Homs Military Academy, the al-Hasan ibn al-Haythem military camp, the Shinshar base, and the Maskane Air Defense College. 31. In late December 2011 and early January 2012, the Arab League sent a mission to monitor the situation in Homs. The mission stayed at the Safir Hotel in Homs. During the visit, 9 Case 1:16-cv-01423-ABJ Document 39-2 Filed 03/22/18 Page 11 of 40 [TRANSLATION] with Syrian government officials from Damascus, including Assef Shawkat, the Deputy Minister of Defense, and Ali Mamluk, Director of the General Intelligence Directorate. 32. The Arab League mission left Homs in early January. From that point on, the Assad regime tried to control all information flowing out of Baba Amr. The official line was that Baba Amr was full of terrorists. That is also what the state-controlled media reported. But in reality, it was clear from Major-General Shahadah and other officers that regime forces did not distinguish between armed rebels and civilian activists; anyone who remained in the neighborhood was considered a terrorist who could (and must) be attacked. 33. Despite the dangerous conditions during the siege, the media continued to get news reports from inside Baba Amr. The intelligence agencies learned through various sources that media activists had smuggled in satellite transmitters that allowed them to access the Internet. We at the intelligence agencies also learned that the Baba Amr Media Center was reporting on the siege, uploading videos to the Internet, and talking to international news agencies like CNN and al-Jazeera. We learned that the Media Center was hosting foreign journalists who had snuck into Syria to cover the uprising. These media activists and journalists––like all suspected members of the opposition––were routinely referred to as “terrorists” or “terrorist supporters” in intelligence agency communications. The Campaign to Target and Kill Journalists in Homs 34. Beginning in December of 2011, the Homs Military-Security Committee oversaw a campaign to locate and attack the Baba Amr Media Center and foreign journalists in Homs. 35. In or around late December of 2011, towards the end of Major General Nazih Hassoun’s tenure on the Homs Military-Security Committee, 10 memorandum from Major Case 1:16-cv-01423-ABJ Document 39-2 Filed 03/22/18 Page 12 of 40 [TRANSLATION] General Ali Mamluk, the Director of the General Intelligence Directorate, to the head of the Homs Military-Security Committee. This memorandum was circulated The memorandum stated the following: (i) Ali Mamluk had received information from friendly Lebanese security forces that a group of foreign journalists had arrived at the airport in Beirut. (ii) Members of the Lebanese political party Tayyar al-Mustaqbal had transported the journalists to the Syrian border. (iii) The journalists had entered Syria without regime authorization, traveling to Homs. (iv) Based on this intelligence, Major General Mamluk instructed the commander of the Homs Military-Security Committee to relay orders to all intelligence branches in Homs to confirm the reports, capture the journalists, and “take all necessary measures.” I understood “take all necessary measures” to mean that attempts should be made to capture the journalists, but if that was not possible, then to use lethal force. It was the customary practice in the intelligence services that an order to “take all necessary measures” authorized killing if needed. 36. Three or four weeks later, a second memorandum came from Major General Ali Mamluk . By this time, Major General Shahadah had assumed office as the Committee’s head. this memorandum stated that another group of journalists had entered Syria from Lebanon without authorization and had managed to cross the siege lines into Baba Amr. 37. Over the next few weeks, Major General Shahadah continued to receive intelligence reports that journalists from CNN, the BBC, and other foreign media organizations had entered Syria from Lebanon and were in Baba Amr. The intelligence agencies regularly 11 Case 1:16-cv-01423-ABJ Document 39-2 Filed 03/22/18 Page 13 of 40 [TRANSLATION] monitored television news broadcasts and newspaper articles; these broadcasts and articles made it clear that foreign journalists were reporting from inside Baba Amr. 38. Tracking down these journalists became a top priority for the Homs Military- Security Committee. Major General Shahadah instructed all four intelligence branches in Homs to launch surveillance operations to locate the Baba Amr Media Center and any foreign journalists. Specifically, Major General Shahadah wanted to learn their location and take the necessary measures to stop them from reporting. He also wanted to know if the United States or Israel were 39. Major General Shahadah directed two offices to intercept the journalists’ communications and trace their location: the Computer and Signals Section of Military Intelligence Branch 261 and the Technical Section of General Intelligence Branch his office and the Computer and Signals Section of Military Intelligence Branch 261 were using a device that could intercept satellite broadcasts coming out of Baba Amr. They called it the “rashida” (guiding) device but I do not know its technical name. It was installed in a vehicle that circled around Baba Amr, homing in on the signals of satellite phones and other devices used by the journalists. that the two branches regularly intercepted and eavesdropped on satellite transmissions, 12 Case 1:16-cv-01423-ABJ Document 39-2 Filed 03/22/18 Page 14 of 40 [TRANSLATION] but had difficulty identifying the exact point of origin of the calls. I know there were also specialized branches in Damascus that carried out technical surveillance all over Syria. 40. Khaled al-Fares that Major General Shahadah had specifically tasked him with recruiting informants who could spy on the Baba Amr Media Center. about the location of the foreign journalists and the Media Center . The Assassination of Gilles Jacquier 41. The regime’s campaign to target and kill journalists in Homs had been successful in assassinating at least one other foreign correspondent: the French reporter Gilles Jacquier. 42. .7 43. the President’s brother, Maher al-Assad, and Brigadier General Ghassan Belal, the head of security for the Fourth Division. 44. 7 it occurred after the death of Gilles Jacquier on January 11, 2012 and before the death of Marie Colvin on February 22, 2012. 13 Case 1:16-cv-01423-ABJ Document 39-2 Filed 03/22/18 Page 15 of 40 [TRANSLATION] 45. Maher al-Assad and Brigadier General Belal were financing his operations and the money would help pay for informants. 46. Wael Salamah in Homs. Salamah was a notorious “pimp.” We had a file on him . 47. 48. Salamah was the shabiha member who had organized the assassination of the French reporter Gilles Jacquier on January 11, 2012. earlier that month, the Syrian government had brought a delegation of foreign journalists, including Jacquier, on a guided tour of Homs. They came to Homs at the same time as the Arab League monitors. One day, the intelligence forces brought the journalists to the New Ikrema neighborhood of Homs to watch a pro-regime rally. The entire event was staged. The intelligence forces, working with Wael Salamah and his shabiha associates, had mapped out the route of the march. When the demonstrators arrived at a prearranged location, Wael Salamah and a shabiha associate launched a rocket-propelled grenade at the demonstration from a nearby school called Quteiba. Several people were killed and injured. In the chaos that followed, Jacquier and the other journalists ran around trying to document the aftermath of the attack, accompanied by escorts from the mukhabarat. When Jacquier came to a prearranged location, regime forces fired a mortar at his position. Jacquier was injured but alive. Salamah came to the 14 Case 1:16-cv-01423-ABJ Document 39-2 Filed 03/22/18 Page 16 of 40 [TRANSLATION] scene and loaded Jacquier into a taxi, rather than into an ambulance, as Salamah’s pre-planned role was to make sure that Jacquier did not survive. And he did not. Jacquier died, and the government then circulated a fabricated story that rebel forces had killed him. 49. The Assassination of Marie Colvin 50. Throughout early 2012, Major General Shahadah received daily reports that the electronic surveillance units were intercepting satellite transmissions and that foreign journalists were reporting on the situation in Homs. As time went on, the Homs Military-Security Committee intensified its efforts to locate the Baba Amr Media Center and the foreign journalists without success. Major General Shahadah was growing furious that the intelligence and military forces had been unable to pinpoint and hit the locations of these broadcasts. in mid-February of 2012, Major General Shahadah had just received a report that a team of journalists was leaving Homs and heading back to Lebanon. Major General Shahadah knew that smugglers 15 Case 1:16-cv-01423-ABJ Document 39-2 Filed 03/22/18 Page 17 of 40 [TRANSLATION] were using a water tunnel to sneak journalists in and out of Homs, so he ordered an artillery unit to shell the area around the tunnel; when Major General Shahadah later learned that the journalists had survived the attack, he became enraged. 51. on February 21, 2012 at around 10:00 pm, she has information about the Media Center and the foreign journalists. She knows their location and where they are spending the night. 52. the informant the name of the street where the Baba Amr Media Center was located and even the name of the owner of the house. 53. 16 Case 1:16-cv-01423-ABJ Document 39-2 Filed 03/22/18 Page 18 of 40 [TRANSLATION] I understood from previous dealings with Brigadier General Belal that “the boss” was Maher al-Assad. 54. the operations room of the Military Technical Affairs Faculty.8 55. .9 56. while al-Fares brought the woman and the man into the operations room, Major General Shahadah and others were already inside 8 The Military Technical Affairs Faculty is one of the faculties at the Homs Military Academy operated by the Syrian army in the al-Waer neighborhood of Homs. 9 Major General Shahadah. He used this large conference room with a video projector screen to meet with military and intelligence officers and plan joint operations in Homs. 17 Case 1:16-cv-01423-ABJ Document 39-2 Filed 03/22/18 Page 19 of 40 [TRANSLATION] an aerial photo of Baba Amr was projected on the screen. 57. one was Brigadier General Issam Zahreddine, a well-known commander from the Republican Guard, as well as Colonel Ali Salim also from the Republican Guard. he was a Major and the words “Special Forces” appeared on a patch on his sleeve. 58. The meeting ended in the early morning hours of February 22, 2012. Al-Fares left the meeting room carrying a large yellow envelope, the type used for intelligence reports. “Give this to the head of the Computer and Signals Section to be verified.” 59. 18 Case 1:16-cv-01423-ABJ Document 39-2 Filed 03/22/18 Page 20 of 40 [TRANSLATION] 60. the Deputy Head of the Computer and Signals Section of Branch 261 . I do not recall his name, but I knew his position. “There was a broadcast tonight from the same location.” He then went in to brief Major General Shahadah. he told “The boss is very happy.” 61. later in the morning 62. the Baba Amr Media Center had been shelled and that journalists had been killed. Major General Shahadah hosted a celebration at his office. A group of military and intelligence officers arrived whom Major General Shahadah thanked and congratulated. These officers included:  Brigadier General Issam Zahreddine (the commander of the Republican Guard military operations in Homs);  Colonel Ali Salim (Republican Guard);  Brigadier General Hussam Luka (head of the Homs Branch of Political Security);  Colonel Sayel Daoud (head of the Air Force Intelligence Branch in the Central Region);  Colonel Firas al-Hamed (head of General Intelligence Branch 318 in Homs);  Colonel Oqab Abbas (deputy to Colonel Firas al-Hamed); and  Brigadier General Muhammad Zemrini (head of Military Intelligence Branch 261 in Homs), whom I believe was also present. 19 Case 1:16-cv-01423-ABJ Document 39-2 Filed 03/22/18 Page 21 of 40 [TRANSLATION] A little while later, announced the arrival of from the Special Forces. As I described above, Zahreddine, Salim, and had attended the meeting at the military operations room the night before. 63. al-Fares congratulated him and said: “You’ll get a promotion soon.” “Was he the one who launched the attack?” “Yes.” 64. At around 11:00 am, Colonel Firas al-Hamed, the head of General Intelligence Branch 318 arrived electronic surveillance had confirmed that Marie Colvin and Rémi Ochlik had been killed in the attack. had intercepted outgoing calls from Baba Amr asking for help evacuating the bodies and the survivors. 65. As Major General Shahadah’s staff was drinking and celebrating shout: “That blind bitch was Israeli.” Major General Shahadah replied: “Marie Colvin was a dog and now she’s dead. Let the Americans help her now.” 66. A few days later, al-Fares received a new car: a black Hyundai Genesis. the car was a gift from Maher al-Assad, a reward for the successful operation. 67. Later on, Major General Rafiq Shahadah was promoted and named head of the entire Military Intelligence Department. 20 Case 1:16-cv-01423-ABJ Document 39-2 Filed 03/22/18 Page 22 of 40 [TRANSLATION] I declare under penalty of perjury under the laws of the United States of America that the foregoing is true and correct to the best of my recollection. Executed on 9-28 , 2017. ______________[SIGNED]_______________ Ulysses 21 Case Document 39-2 Filed 03/22/18 Page Sharon. MA 02067 Tel: 781-784-0425 Email: TRANSLATOR DECLARATION SHARON, MASSACHUSETTS, USA Date: March 7, 2018 To whom it may concern: I, Irina 8. Sears, hereby declare and say: 1. I am a translator and editor. I hold a BA. in Biochemistry from The University of Texas at Austin; I hold a Master's degree in Human Nutrition and Nutritional Biology from the University of Chicago; I hold a Professional Certi?cate in Arabic to English Translation from the American University in Cairo and have been working in the translation ?eld for 13 years. 2. I am thoroughly familiar with both the English and Arabic languages, by virtue of, as to English, having English as my native tongue and, as to Arabic, having all my years of study and practice as an Arabic to English translator and editor in various fields including legal translations. 3. On March 7, 2018, I produced the translation into English of an Arabic document received by my of?ce, designated as: DECLARATTON 0F dated September 28, 2017. 4. The attached translation is a true and accurate English version of the original drafted in Arabic. I declare under penalty of perjury that the foregoing is true and correct. 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J5. - .- . . .?jxw JAM 5 3.4.. go 5 man Jud 4W Lax-m PS 61; RUEJ "Lag-w gm" Lash gijm J4 an} m) 4.3% .4354 is): Juan .2012 22 )ng Cyan imgx w? .58 ileum: 3.x; Pmum gm \Pi 5.55 . s?gl 3,5911 .14; c5111 00239: wo-m Umcm 5hr(ml: .hb.r._lbb hug. (LL (Vbuv EN (m IKE. wLpp-rw 0?95, Mr: .113} Elpmbirrn FEB. ELLE FBELEEPL, ELL, LE (EL Erbn PEL. . (EEVV ?Ln LL. . HELL LEEFELL. HEEL, DCEVL. my (FEEL Etc Eric L. Bx FEE, DCEVL. MEL (LEV LL, (LEW LL. 00239: wo-m 3.56 we 2. k5 rAPka (\i?pb Lurth: LUV (.1.an (erhx (WE, c?Er_p E. EL ?r ELEV EL. LE um TB. FF (ppm. r3 LEE, .EL. E: L. ELL. ?sun Hw?mw (EL?Vkpb: bur/to (.wa rub rm (Vbb Lpfib HHIS POPE: PE. EFL. LP. {En Er. LE ELF. IEE. E. . E. LEMM Frau: ?.owa. Ly. 0E. wbbE; E: ?vaul cat. (E Fr,? CHELIEFQE (TEE. .Crr. LCE. GEE arr; LE Er. a .3A .3 .oo .oq Case Document 39-2 Filed 03/22/18 Page 40 of 40 4.35; yh 395a}? kiwi? Q5513 9.3 30.339 ?333 CJmi A.) 2017? 7 28 1.53%? Mx l7 Exhibit A Exhibit filed under seal. Case Document 39-5 Filed 03/22/18 Page 2 of 7 Case Document 39-5 Filed 03/22/18 Page 3 of 7 GLOSSARY OF KEY ENTITIES AND PERSONS ENTITIES Name Dmm' tion Air Force Intelligence One of Syria?s four intelligence agencies Directorate Branch 261 Homs branch of Military Intelligence Branch 318 Homs branch of General Intelligence Foruth Division One of the elite units of the Syrian Army rmder' the control of Maher al-Assad, brother of Syrian President Bashar al-Assad Free Syrian Army Rebel group formed in the summer of 2011 by army defectors and civilians General Intelligence Directorate (GID) One of Syria?s foru~ intelligence agencies Homs Military-Security Committee Special committee formed by the Syrian government to coordinate joint military and intelligence operations against the opposition movement in Homs Local Coordination Network of local groups that organized and reported on the Syrian revolution as part of the opposition movement Military Intelligence One of Syria?s foru' intelligence agencies Department Mukliabarat omrnonly used as short-hand for Syria?s four intelligence [lit. ?Intelligence?] agencies: General Intelligence Directorate, Military Intelligence Department, Air Force Intelligence Directorate, Political Securitv Department National Secruity Bureau Of?ce that coordinates the activities of the foru? intelligence agencies Political Security Department One of Syria?s four intelligence agencies; Secru?ity department within the Ministry of the Interior Republican Guard One of the elite divisions of the Syrian Army Sliabilza [lit. ?Ghosts?] Paramilitary groups fmanced and equipped by the Syrian govermnent Special Forces One of the elite divisions of the Syrian Army Tayyar al-Mustaqbal Lebanese political party Case Document 39-5 Filed 03/22/18 Page 4 of 7 PERSONS Name Oqab Abbas Description Colonel; Deputy to Colonel Firas al-Hamed Bashar al-Assad President of Syria (2000-present); ommander-in-C hief of Syrian Army and Armed Forces; Son of Hafez al-Assad Hafez al-Assad President of Syria (1971-2000) Maher al-Assad Brother of Bashar al-Assad; Commander of Syrian Army?s elite Foruth Division Ali Ayoub Maj or General; First head of the Horns Military-Security ommittee; Deputy Chief of Staff of the Syrian Army Ghassan Belal Brigadier General; In charge of secru?ity operations for the Foruth Division Sayel Daoud Colonel; Head of the Branch in the Central Region, Air Force Intelligence Directorate Khaled al-Fares Drug traf?cker: Financial middle-man and organizer for shabiha in Horns on behalf of Syrian government; Maintained network of informants in Baba Amr; Direct connection to Maher al-Assad Firas al-Hamed olonel; Head of General Intelligence Branch 318 Nazih Hassoun Major General; Second head of Horns Military-Security omrnittee; One of the Deputy Directors in the General Intelligence Directorate Gilles Jacquier French jorunalist killed in Syria Hussam Luka Brigadier General: Head of the Horns Branch, Political Security Department Ali Mamluk Major General; Director of the General Intelligence Directorate Wael Salamah Shabi/Ia paramilitary: organized assassination of Gilles Jacquier Ali Salim Colonel in the Republican Guard Rafiq Shahadah Major General; Third head of Horns Military-Secru'ity ommittee; Senior of?cial from the Military Intelligence Department Assef Shawkat Deputy Minister of Defense; Brother-in-law of President Bashar al-Assad Issarn Zahreddine Brigadier General; ornmander of Republican Guard forces in Horns Muhammad Zerm?ini Brigadier General; Head of Military Intelligence Branch 261 Case Document 39-5 Filed 03/22/18 Page 5 of 7 PM LANGUAGE ASSOCIATES. PO. Box 51 Sharon, MA 02067 Tel: 781-784-0425 Email: TRANSLATOR DECLARATION SHARON, MASSACHUSETTS, USA Date: March 7, 2018 To whom it may concern: I, Irina 8. Sears, hereby declare and say: 1. I am a translator and editor. I hold a BA. in Biochemistry from The University of Texas at Austin; I hold a Master's degree in Human Nutrition and Nutritional Biology from the University of Chicago; I hold a Professional Certificate in Arabic to English Translation from the American University in Cairo and have been working in the translation ?eld for 13 years. 2. i am thoroughly familiar with both the English and Arabic languages, by virtue of, as to English, having English as my native tongue and, as to Arabic, having all my years of study and practice as an Arabic to English translator and editor in various ?elds including legal translations. 3. On March 7, 2018, I produced the translation into English of an Arabic document received by my office, designated as: Exhibit to DECLARATION OF dated September 28, 2017. 4. The attached translation is a true and accurate English version of the original drafted in Arabic. I declare under penalty of perjury that the foregoing is true and correct. Executed this 7th day of March, 2018, SHARON, MASSACHUSETTS, USA. Signature of Irina 8. Sears tits/5.5, .4 51? IN vG-?w 5? we"? mi?? ?v04? Kev-W3" (tr? ?r?m mmw??m ?3?9 m9 {We ?Sn?n my?? \Ec?m mm?? We? ?7 WW: {tram-1V5? 52? in?: ?Fre rm?: ?3?9 [+10 m?w??mmr??m?wm??mw??z W70 W9: W93: r? W?mw? (Uri ?ve ?7 (?-520 Mwmm?rm?v?wnomww?w mo ?(gr-m emf 13m- 5?97 ?m we"? 5TB M2 SIS We imf?c? 5?2 In?? 192 5(pr We We?? 9W: mW?t?? ?3?9 5m traw- ?rm . 40 9 959d p9l!:l 9'68 9319:) 00239: wo-m Umcm 2 DE . 1 LL, E. ammo (0.9% CHE wE. bE. [5%.ka run; rib. HmuH Lb (XV ?(Cut Eu: EV Egg? LE?tpECfb?EL?gumai {yin . 953: (EC 0? but? a? Can rt mm? LCVL 3L mfg?; bib pV. firmgm??umckg .meLV {Edrt?kE'mL?b?g?LLbn?i?L ?vVLvaEEw?g?gmtb?ngh . @pxvaCv?wn lran LENmbEwuNuPb?wgibLCoo.L mbErwhb kapf Case Document 42-5 Filed 03/22/18 Page 2 of 5 Case 1:16-cv-01423-ABJ Document 42-5 Filed 03/22/18 Page 3 of 5 [TRANSLATION] Command Structure of Syrian Military and Intelligence Forces Operating in Horns (February 2012) President Bashar ai-Assad General Commander of Syrian Army and Armed Forces Maher ai-Assad Commander of 4th Division Air Force Intelligence Directorate Horns MilitarySecurity Committee Branch 261 Horns Branch Case 1:16-cv-01423-ABJ Document 42-5 Filed 03/22/18 Page 4 of 5 ARABIC LANVLIAGE ASSOCIATES. LLC P.O. Box 51 Sharon, MA 02067 Tel: 781-784-0425 Email: info@arabiclanguageassociates.com TRANSLATOR DECLARATION SHARON, MASSACHUSETIS, USA Date: March 7, 2018 To whom it may concern: I, Irina B. Sears, hereby declare and say: 1. I am a translator and editor. I hold a B.A. in Biochem istry from The University of Texas at Austin; I hold a Master's degree in Human Nutrition and Nutritional Biology from the University of Chicago; I hold a Professional Certificate in Arabic to English Translation from the American University in Cairo and I have been working in the translation field for 13 years. 2. I am thoroughly fami liar with both the English and Arabic languages, by virtue of, as to English, having English as my native tongue and, as to Arabic, having all my yea rs of study and practice as an Arabic to English translator and editor in various fields including legal translations. 3. On February 6, 2018, I produced the translation into English of an Arabic document received by my office, designated as: Exhibit C to DECLARATION OF "ULYSSES", dated September 28, 2017. 4. The attached translation is a true and accurate English version of the original drafted in Arabic. I declare under penalty of perjury that the foregoing is true and correct. Executed this 7th day of March, 2018, SHARON, MASSACHUSETIS, USA. ~A--- f6 Jl~ Signature of Irina B. Sears ~ ~~ - - orgNenly 08:32: _n__mq oEmmBm vmom 2? 32? FE NEE. ??55 a r31. Era ?5 1? Chi Em. funk. f5: hm. p.55 ecu ?Four: 055 er; 8.: fiat. Perch. Pant. POE. Case Document 39-7 Filed 03/22/18 Page 2 of 5 Exhibit Case Document 39-7 Filed 03/22/18 Page 3 of 5 Military and Security Forces Involved in the Attack on the Baba Amr Media Center Manet al-Assad President's Brother and commander oi 4th Division I . Syrian Army Homs Military-Security Committee 4th Division Brlgadler General Ghassan Belal Major General Ra?q Shahadah Head oi Security, 41h Division Head of Homs Military-Security Committee i Khaled al-Fares one at many shabiha organizers Military Intelligence General Intelligence Syrian Army Army 8mm 261 anth 318 Republiom Guard Muhammad Flras aI-Hamed luam Zahreddlne Wool Salamah Head ol Branch 261 Head of Branch 318 Brigadier General Shabiha member Computer Signals Ser?on Artillery Informants Electronic Surveillanc> Case Document 39-7 Filed 03/22/18 Page 4 of 5 PM ARABIC PO. Box 51 Sharon. MA 02067 Tel: 781-784-0425 Email: TRANSLATOR DECLARATION SHARON, MASSACHUSETTS, USA Date: March 7, 2018 To whom it may concern: I, Irina B. Sears, hereby declare and say: 1. I am a translator and editor. I hold a BA. in Biochemistry from The University of Texas at Austin; I hold a Master's degree in Human Nutrition and Nutritional Biology from the University of Chicago; I hold a Professional Certificate in Arabic to English Translation from the American University in Cairo and have been working in the translation ?eld for 13 years. 2. I am thoroughly familiar with both the English and Arabic languages, by virtue of, as to English, having English as my native tongue and, as to Arabic, having all my years of study and practice as an Arabic to English translator and editor in various fields including legal translations. 3. On February 6, 2018, I produced the translation into English of an Arabic document received by my of?ce, designated as: Exhibit to DECLARATION OF dated September 28, 2017. 4. The attached translation is a true and accurate English version of the original drafted in Arabic. I declare under penalty of perjury that the foregoing is true and correct. Executed this 7th day of March, 2018, SHARON, MASSACHUSETTS, USA. pg. Signature of Irina B. Sears Case Document 39-7 Filed 03/22/18 Page 5 of 5 me a WWII 931mm 93%" $6 2?st: stew: maul ow my: B?l .3383 m9: My 3m: 1 21?qu 3 any: 33-7-1? - Jm?mw I cal-aw 59:93" asewwoww?a 0.9m: .uu. wmni Cabal?ill a} 318 ?3.4 04455 ?aLuas WI JJIJ 261 8"?le 3188?,?le WI .33" I . . . If @399' my ,1