SHOW US THE MONEY! SARG SUSEPCTS "ILLEGAL" USG

S E C R E T DAMASCUS 000692 NOFORN SIPDIS DEPARTMENT FOR NEA/ELA, DRL/NESCA, NEA/PI NSC FOR MCDERMOTT/SHAPIRO LONDON FOR LORD, PARIS FOR NOBLES E.O. 12958: DECL: 09/23/2019 TAGS: PHUM PGOV PINR PREL KDEM KMPI EG EZ SY SUBJECT: SHOW US THE MONEY! SARG SUSEPCTS "ILLEGAL" USG FUNDING REF: A. DAMASCUS 00477 ¶B. DAMASCUS 00534 ¶C. DAMASCUS 00620 Classified By: CDA Charles Hunter for reasons 1.4 (b) and (d). ¶1. (S/NF) Summary: Over the past six months, SARG security agents have increasingly questioned civil society and human rights activists about U.S. programming in Syria and the region, including U.S. Speaker and MEPI initiatives (ref A). XXXXXXXXXXXX End Summary. -------------- Overview -------------- ¶2. (S/NF) Over the past six months, civil society and human rights activists questioned by SARG security have told us interrogators asked specifically about their connections to the U.S. Embassy and the State Department. XXXXXXXXXXXX was questioned about MEPI-funded Democracy Council activities as well as visiting State Department officials (ref A). XXXXXXXXXXXX ¶3. (C) XXXXXXXXXXXX ¶4. (C) XXXXXXXXXXXX ¶5. (S/NF) XXXXXXXXXXXX ¶6. (S/NF) XXXXXXXXXXXX ¶7. (C) XXXXXXXXXXXX ¶8. (S/NF) Comment: It is unclear to what extent SARG intelligence services understand how USG money enters Syria and through which proxy organizations. What is clear, however, is that security agents are increasingly focused on this issue when they interrogate human rights and civil society activists. The information agents are able to frame their questions with more and more specific information and names. XXXXXXXXXXXX suggest the SARG has keyed in on MEPI operations in particular. ¶9. (C) Comment continued: XXXXXXXXXXXX Except for the Netherlands’ public stalling of the EU Association Agreement over human rights, Syrian activists have heard little in the way of support from the international community. XXXXXXXXXXXX End Comment. HUNTER