(Zaman al-Wasl) Abdul Majid Akil, the son of the former ambassador to Ukraine gave a statement for the first time about the intelligence reports leaked from the embassy in Kiev in 2013.
Akil explained in a statement on Friday, three years after the reports were leaked, that his speaking up now is a response to, “the campaign of rumors practiced by a group of pro-regime journalists and regime intelligence figures.” One regime journalist described Akil as an “American spy” on the basis such an accusation is sufficient to legitimize Akil’s killing. Akil explained that for personal reasons relating to his family he was unable to speak of the issue until now.
In the statement, he argued that the scandal should not focus on who leaked the reports but on the role of Syrian embassy plays and if it is present to serve Syrians or spy on them. Akil called on those who are calling him a traitor to admit first to the crime committed in the reports being produced. He said that is the main crime that should be investigated first. Akil described that the regime wears the dress of the state and state institutions to practice its “political espionage” against Syrians to hurt them and their families. Most of the reports that were leaked about Syrians living in Ukraine included detailed information about their families in Syria with the aim of blackmailing the person who was the subject of the report or blackmailing his family.
The reports aimed to divide the ranks of Syrians in Ukraine, as any persons- even the ambassador- who greets or shakes the hand of someone who opposes the regime is considered to have committed a crime the regime intelligence should know about.
According to Akil, some of the reports concerned Syrian business men, and another about a Syrian diplomat who was given a gift of a watch with the president’s face as the dial. The diplomat chose to not wear the watch and this was sufficient to raise suspicions of regarding his allegiance.
Akil considered his revealing the reports as his duty and a warning to the person writing them. He likened the content of the reports to the black comedy television shows Syrians watched such as Maraya (Mirrors) or Ba’at Dowa (Spotlight). The reports concern small trivial issues: who attended a march, how they behaved in it, do they chant or remain silent. He insisted that he is not exaggerating or making a joke as such reports have been published and he still has copies.
“The regime is the spy and not I,” Akil said. He explained that he never wanted to use his father’s position as ambassador at the time to leak the reports or breach the embassy security. He hacked the email account of one of the regime intelligence informants and from that time the issue grew larger and revealed an intelligence network cooperating with the regime.
The informant revealed that important information was taken from his email account in a condolences event held for the father of one of the embassy staff. The informant claimed the information pertained to his scientific research as he is supposedly a university professor. Ambassador Mohammad Akil suspended the informant from his position in the embassy, but this exacerbated the situation further.
Akil accused the son of Rafik Shahadi, the head of Military Intelligence at the time, for playing a dirty role in the matter. Madar Shahadi was a diplomatic staff member in the embassy in Ukraine and he threatened Akil and publically cursed him to defend the intelligence informant in a bid to reinstate the informant to his previous job. After Madar failed, he and his father pursued a policy of terrorizing the Akil family.
Akil was blackmailed and they demanded he deny that the documents were leaked and deny their credibility. They insisted he say the documents were fabricated by the opposition.
Shahadi’s tactics failed to rein in Akil who posted on his personal Facebook page, “I am not attracted to gilded cages, I am an eagle who loves freedom.” The following day, his father ambassador Mohammad Akil was suspended from his position as ambassador of Ukraine.
Regarding the leaked reports Akil said, “It is the least duty I can perform for my countrymen, it is the least duty I can do to remove the taint of shame for having been present in many places that did not represent or suit me, the shame of an attitude announced under pressure and by force… I am satisfied with myself and at peace after I revealed all that happened.”
Akil explained in a statement on Friday, three years after the reports were leaked, that his speaking up now is a response to, “the campaign of rumors practiced by a group of pro-regime journalists and regime intelligence figures.” One regime journalist described Akil as an “American spy” on the basis such an accusation is sufficient to legitimize Akil’s killing. Akil explained that for personal reasons relating to his family he was unable to speak of the issue until now.
In the statement, he argued that the scandal should not focus on who leaked the reports but on the role of Syrian embassy plays and if it is present to serve Syrians or spy on them. Akil called on those who are calling him a traitor to admit first to the crime committed in the reports being produced. He said that is the main crime that should be investigated first. Akil described that the regime wears the dress of the state and state institutions to practice its “political espionage” against Syrians to hurt them and their families. Most of the reports that were leaked about Syrians living in Ukraine included detailed information about their families in Syria with the aim of blackmailing the person who was the subject of the report or blackmailing his family.
The reports aimed to divide the ranks of Syrians in Ukraine, as any persons- even the ambassador- who greets or shakes the hand of someone who opposes the regime is considered to have committed a crime the regime intelligence should know about.
According to Akil, some of the reports concerned Syrian business men, and another about a Syrian diplomat who was given a gift of a watch with the president’s face as the dial. The diplomat chose to not wear the watch and this was sufficient to raise suspicions of regarding his allegiance.
Akil considered his revealing the reports as his duty and a warning to the person writing them. He likened the content of the reports to the black comedy television shows Syrians watched such as Maraya (Mirrors) or Ba’at Dowa (Spotlight). The reports concern small trivial issues: who attended a march, how they behaved in it, do they chant or remain silent. He insisted that he is not exaggerating or making a joke as such reports have been published and he still has copies.
“The regime is the spy and not I,” Akil said. He explained that he never wanted to use his father’s position as ambassador at the time to leak the reports or breach the embassy security. He hacked the email account of one of the regime intelligence informants and from that time the issue grew larger and revealed an intelligence network cooperating with the regime.
The informant revealed that important information was taken from his email account in a condolences event held for the father of one of the embassy staff. The informant claimed the information pertained to his scientific research as he is supposedly a university professor. Ambassador Mohammad Akil suspended the informant from his position in the embassy, but this exacerbated the situation further.
Akil accused the son of Rafik Shahadi, the head of Military Intelligence at the time, for playing a dirty role in the matter. Madar Shahadi was a diplomatic staff member in the embassy in Ukraine and he threatened Akil and publically cursed him to defend the intelligence informant in a bid to reinstate the informant to his previous job. After Madar failed, he and his father pursued a policy of terrorizing the Akil family.
Akil was blackmailed and they demanded he deny that the documents were leaked and deny their credibility. They insisted he say the documents were fabricated by the opposition.
Shahadi’s tactics failed to rein in Akil who posted on his personal Facebook page, “I am not attracted to gilded cages, I am an eagle who loves freedom.” The following day, his father ambassador Mohammad Akil was suspended from his position as ambassador of Ukraine.
Regarding the leaked reports Akil said, “It is the least duty I can perform for my countrymen, it is the least duty I can do to remove the taint of shame for having been present in many places that did not represent or suit me, the shame of an attitude announced under pressure and by force… I am satisfied with myself and at peace after I revealed all that happened.”
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