The Violations and Documentation Center, based in Syria, accused the Political Security intelligence agency of being behind many of the dismissals, and included copies of memorandums issued as part of the dismissal campaign and the testimony of those affected.

One of the chief causes for dismissal involved being detained by security authorities, which sets in motion a complex bureaucratic chain of correspondence.

The report estimated that at least 1,200 people had been laid off in Hama as part of the policy, but added that "thousands" of other cases have yet to be processed, meaning the actual figure is much higher.

...