Shabeeha (also spelled Shabiha or Shabbiha) (Arabic: الشبيحة) (from the root Arabic: شبح "ghost", plural of "shabbih" Arabic: شبيح), is an Arabic word used mainly in Syria roughly translating to thugs or bullies. The word has gained international notoriety since the beginning of the 2011 Syrian uprising, due to its use to describe armed men in civilian clothing who assault protesters against the regime of Bashar Al-Asad. It is widely believed that the shabeeha are hired goons of the regime, including some members of the security forces.[1]
They have been described as "a notorious Alawite paramilitary, who are accused of acting as unofficial enforcers for Assad’s regime"[2]; "gunmen loyal to Assad"[3]; "semi-criminal gangs comprised of thugs close to the regime.”[3] Those identified as Shabeeha include not only local criminal gangs, but "members of the security forces in civilian clothes, informants or simply unemployed and impoverished youths.”[1] The Shabbeha have been active in efforts to repress the 2011 Syrian uprising and compared to ‘baltajia‘ thugs in Egypt [4] -- gangs that the regimes threatened with mass demonstrations during the Arab Spring have "outsourced" repression to.[1]
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The Shabeeha is said to have been started by nephews of the late president Hafez Assad (Fawaz, Numir, Munther) and was concentrated in the Mediterranean region of Syria around Latakia, Banias and Tartous, where they benefit from smuggling through the ports in the area.[1] At first they were mainly involved in smuggling goods from Turkey or Lebanon to Syria in the 90's, goods such as motor vehicles (stolen from Lebanon), cigaretts, electronics, arms, gasoline and diesel,[4] and also prostitution.[5] The police reportedly turned a blind eye, and in return Shabbiha would act as a shadow militia in case of need. According to journalist Adrian Blomfield, the Shabiha "gained notoriety for the brutal way it enforced a protection racket in Latakia in the 1990s", but had been "ostensibly disbanded" by president Bashar al-Assad after he came to power in 2000.[6] A major figure in the shabiha, "Numir Al-Assad," a cousin of president Bashar Al-Assad, has been called a "black sheep" of the Assad family.[7]
In 2011 reports appeared of the Shabeeha attacking and killing protesters during the 2011 Syrian uprising. In March Shabeeha reportedly roared through the streets of Latakia firing at protesters in "cars armed with machine guns," later taking up "sniper positions on rooftops." Up to 21 people were killed.[6] In April, Wissam Tarif, director of the human rights group Insan, said the Shabbiha was operating in Homs,[8] and an anonymous witness said they were to blame for some of the 21 deaths there over the course of two days.
In May, Ahed Al Hendi of the Council on Foreign Relations reported that "in the coastal cities, [the] Shabiha, ... are armed with heavy weapons and partaking in the violence,"[9] "Shabiba joined the Fourth Division and attacked civilians in the cities of Banias, Jableh, and Latakia."[5]
In June Witnesses and refugees from the northwestern region say that the shabbiha have reemerged during the uprising and were being used by the Syrian government to carry out "a scorched earthed campaign [...] burning crops, ransacking houses and shooting randomly."[10] There have also been reports of rapes by Shabeeha.[11][12] Shabiha were also involved in fighting and assaulting unarmed protesters in Damascus neighborhood of Midan each Friday after Jumm'a prayer.
According to Ahed Al Hendi "in the coastal cities", the Shabeeha is "headed by Assad’s first cousins, Fawaz al-Assad and Munzer al-Assad."[5] Another source, Mahmoud Merhi, head of the Arab Organization for Human Rights, has been quoted as saying that "most Syrians view" the Shabeeha as "operating without any known organization or leadership."[1]