Damascus, Syria – A deadly shooting Monday at a Damascus club, days after another attack on the capital’s nightlife, has sparked fears, adding to concerns that personal freedoms may be restricted under Syria’s Islamist authorities.
The perpetrators of Monday’s shooting at the Karawan nightclub or the motives were unknown. Authorities have announced arrests after an incident at a nearby venue last week, without identifying the suspects.
The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights monitor said gunmen attacked Karawan “with automatic weapons and opened fire, killing a woman and wounding others”.
Damascus Governor Maher Marwan confirmed “the death of a young woman”, condemning the incident and vowing to “hold those who disrupt the city’s security to account”.
Karawan is located in a commercial area in the heart of Damascus, where many licensed nightclubs and bars have been operating for decades.
Aram, 33, who works for a non-government organisation in Damascus, said partying was normally “my way to unwind and escape life’s pressures”.
But “from now on, I’ll be careful… It’s not worth the risk,” he told AFP, declining to provide his surname.
‘Chaos’
A witness, requesting anonymity for security reasons, said he “heard gunfire at dawn” from the club, which is located on the ground floor of a building also home to offices.
He told AFP that he “did not dare to enter the club until some time after the firing stopped”.
Inside, “I saw a woman’s body, blood stains on the ground, and chaos after the shooting,” he said.
A resident of the street said security forces had been monitoring the venue from a vehicle for days.
Syria’s new authorities have sought to reassure the population and the international community that the jihadist origins of the forces who toppled Assad are confined to the past, and to present a governance model of openness and flexibility.
But sectarian massacres on the Mediterranean coast in March saw security forces and allied groups kill more than 1,700 civilians, mostly Alawites, according to the Observatory, while deadly sectarian clashes last week involving the Druze minority killed around 120.
The bloodshed has raised questions over whether the authorities, who must contend with pressures from radical Islamists within their ranks, can effectively maintain security and control affiliated fighters.
‘People are scared’
The nightclub incidents have raised fears of further attacks on Damascus’s nightlife scene.
Hours before Monday’s shooting, a video circulated on social media showing security camera footage from last week’s attack on a nightclub in the same area.
The footage, verified by AFP, shows gunmen entering the venue before beating fleeing men and women with their weapons.
Authorities said on Sunday that those involved in the first incident had been arrested.
In Damascus’s Old City, dozens of cafes and bars, many serving alcohol, have been operating largely as usual since Assad’s ousting.
One bar patron, requesting anonymity due to the security situation, said bars emptied out or closed when clashes or security incidents occurred.
Last week, a party featuring a young female vocalist ran into the early hours, with dozens of Syrians and foreigners dancing to Western music, an AFP correspondent said.
But after Monday’s attack, one bar owner in the Old City, requesting anonymity, said they decided to close “for three days until we see what happens”.
Customers including a wedding party have cancelled their reservations as “the mood is not right for partying,” the venue owner said.
“People are scared.”
