It has long been assumed that the pro-government demonstrations in Syria are anything but spontaneous – that government employees and the like are obliged to take part in them. A series of intercepted emails from the Ministry of Presidential Affairs now provides some confirmation of this – especially in relation to the cost of organising them.

Last weekend, a list of email addresses and passwords of ministry officials was mysteriously posted on the internet, and journalists and activists have since been trawling through them. Al-Ayyam, a recently-established Syrian pro-democracy website, reports:

Emails uncovered sent to Presidential aide Akram Issa, detail billings and accounts and efforts made in advance to create these spontaneous rallies in support of the President.

The email in question marked SPAM in the subject header, states Governors involved offered their verbal commitment to pay the supplier of these protests yet have not paid up their dues as per the Minister’s request. Attachments in the email detail itemized descriptions of the outstanding balance, which reach a total of 1.1 Million SYP in October 2011 (before the inflation of the SYP) at the time equaling $20,000.

The rally in Lattakia province alone cost the administration 315,000 SYP the bare minimum, the supplier writes, to make the rally seem like an acceptable turnout.

An attachment titled “Details of the Flag Raising Rally in Lattakia” includes 45,000 SYP ($800) spent on 60 kg of confetti to be thrown in the air the moment the Syrian flag is raised. One hundred sweaters for the flag raising crew in the colors of the flag totaling 2,500 SYP ($580) and sound system rental for the rally at 500,000 SYP ($9000).

In another attachment titled “Detailed billings to the personal account of Monhal Zeitoun” costs for rallies held in Damascus, Sweida and Hasakeh province are itemized. The supplier writes under the header for Damascus “Campaign: Our martyrs, your blood runs in our veins” and details expenditures of 150,000 SYP ($2,600) to cover sound and broadcast of the event including another 49,000 SYP ($875) for printed t-shirts. A miscellaneous amount of 57,000 SYP includes costs for ironing clothes, supply of water, taxi cabs and a refrigerator and its transport.

Other emails from the Syrian ministry include correspondence in 2010 between George Galloway, the former British member of parliament, and Buthaina Shaaban, one of Assad's closest advisers.

Galloway once addressed Saddam Hussein with the words: "Sir, I salute your courage, your strength, your indefatigability" and his attitude towards Syria appears not dissimilar. In his emails to Shaaban he describes Syria as "the last castle of Arab dignity" and asks her to "convey my respect and my admiration to His Excellency the President".

Posted by Brian Whitaker, 11 February 2012