32 family members of human rights defenders and prisoners of conscience charged
URGENT APPEAL - THE OBSERVATORY
SYR003 / 0311 / OBS 037.1
Release
Arbitrary detention / Judicial harassment
Syria
March 18, 2011
The Observatory for the Protection of Human Rights Defenders, a jointprogramme of the International Federation for Human Rights (FIDH) and the WorldOrganisation Against Torture (OMCT), has received new information and requestsyour urgent intervention in the following situation in Syria.
New information:
The Observatory has been informed by reliable sources about the releaseof several family members of human rights defenders and prisoners of conscienceas well as of a court order to maintain in detention 32 others who have beencharged after a peaceful gathering held before the Ministry of Interior to callfor the release of their relatives and all prisoners of conscience in Syria[1].
According to the information received, on March 17, 2011, 32 familymembers of human rights defenders and prisoners of conscience were interrogatedand charged by the first investigating judge of Damascus for violating Article285 of the Criminal Code which criminalises “allegations that weaken nationalsentiment or incite racial or sectarian strife made during times of war or inanticipation of war” by three to 15 years’ imprisonment and Article 307 whichpunishes “deeds committed, writings composed, or speeches held with theintention of inciting sectarian or racial strife or provoking conflict betweenthe religions and the various members of the nation” by six months and twoyears of prison. All of the accused denied having committed the offences.
The 32 individuals are OmarAl-Labwani, Riba Al-Labwani, Laila Al-Labwani, AmmarAl-Labwani, Siba Hafiz Hassan, human rights defender SereenKhouri, Nahid Badawieh, Naret Ibrahim Abdul Karim, BadrEddin Al-Shallash, Kamal Shaikho, member of the Committee for the Defence of Democratic Liberties and HumanRights in Syria (CDF), Suhair Al-Attassi,President of the Attassi Forum, a pro-democracy discussion group, MohamedOsama Nassar, Saad Jawdat Saeed, Bisher Jawdat Saeed, GhaffarHikmat Muhammad, Dana Ibrahim Al-Jawabra, Wafa Mohamed Al-Lahham,Nabil Walid Shurbaji, Fahima (Herveen) Saleh Awsi, a member ofthe Kurdish Committee for Human Rights (Monitor), Rayan Kamal Suleyman,Dia Eldin Doghmosh, Nasr Eddin Fakhr Eddin Ahmi, Zokan Nofal,Ali Abdul Rahman Al-Muqdad, Shaher Al-Warea', Hisham KhalidAl-Droubi, Mohammad Hassan Al-Khalil, Nisreen Khalid Hasan, AdelAl-Bunni, Fahed Al-Bassam Al-Yimani, Abdul Al-Razzaq Al-Temmo,Mudar Al-Asimi.
The investigating judge also ordered the release of Nawras Al-ShaerRadi.
As of issuing this urgent appeal, all the individuals mentioned aboveremain detained in the Damascus Central Prison of Adra or Douma Prison forWomen. The 32 individuals announced that they would join the hunger strikestarted by a group of 12 including human rights defenders and prisoners ofconscience on March 7, 2011.
Furthermore, according to the information received, Ismail Khatib,Mazen Darwish, Director of the Syrian Centre for Media and Freedom ofExpression (SCM), Tayeb Tizini, Maimouna Alammar, Ammar Dawood,Ricardo Dawood, Yassin Al-Labwani, Hassiba Abderrahman, alsoarrested on March 16, 2011, have been released without charge.
No information has been received so farconcerning the situation of several other family members who would also havebeen arrested in relation to the peaceful gathering. They include: HusseinAl-Labwani, Hannibal Awwad, Mahmoud Ghawrani, Mohammad Adib Matar,Mohammad Darwish, Ghaffar Hikmat Muhammad, Abdul Rahman Kheto,Kaka Dawood, Mohammad Munir Al-Fakir, Bara Kellizin, Mohammad Al-Katib andWissam Tarif.
These acts illustrate once more theextreme harassment faced by human rights defenders in Syria and the refusal ofthe regime to open any dialogue with any dissenting voices. The Observatoryexpresses its deepest concern about the assault and arrest of these peacefuldemonstrators, which seem to merely aim at sanctioning their human rightsactivities, and particularly fears for their physical and psychologicalintegrity. The Observatory therefore calls upon the Syrian authorities to takeprompt action in order to immediately and unconditionally release them, anddrop the charges brought against 32 of them.
The Observatory further urges the Syrianauthorities to release all human rightsdefenders currently detained in the country.
Background information:
OnMarch 16, 2011, dozens of family members of human rights defenders andprisoners of conscience gathered peacefully at noon to call for the release oftheir relatives and all prisoners of conscience in Syria as well as to expressdisappointment that a significant number of prisoners of conscience were not coveredby the March 8 amnesty issued to mark the Baath Revolution Day. There, theywere “welcomed” by state security officers who beat them up and arrested someof them. More than 40 of them were then arrested.
Moreover, on March 7, 2011, a group of around 12 prisoners includinghuman rights defenders and prisoners of conscience detained in the Damascuscentral prison of Adra went on a hunger strike to demand the end of politicaltrials and detentions, as well as democratic reforms in the country. This groupnotably included human rights defenders Messrs. Anwar Al Bunni, a lawyer and founding member of the Syrian Human Rights Association, HabibSaleh, founder of the Tartusbranch of the National Dialogue Forum,Ali Al-Abdallah, member of the National Council of the DamascusDeclaration for Democratic National Change (NCDD), Kamal Al-Labwani, member of CDF.
Actions requested:
Please write to the Syrian authorities, urging them to:
i. Guaranteein all circumstances the physical and psychological integrity of allabove-mentioned peaceful demonstrators and human rights defenders;
ii. Ensuretheir immediate and unconditionally release since their detention is arbitraryas it only aims at sanctioning their human rights activities;
iii. Putan end to any acts of harassment, including at the judicial level, against allhuman rights defenders in Syria;
iv. Conformwith the provisions of the UN Declaration on Human Rights Defenders, adopted bythe General Assembly of the United Nations on December 9, 1998, especially:
- its Article 1, which statesthat “everyone has the right, individually and in association with others, topromote and to strive for the protection and realization of human rights andfundamental freedoms at the national and international levels”;
- Article 5 (a), which statesthat “for the purpose of promoting and protecting human rights and fundamentalfreedoms, everyone has the right, individually and in association with others,at the national and international levels: to meet or assemble peacefully”;
- and its Article 12.2, whichprovides that “the State shall take all necessary measures to ensure theprotection by the competent authorities of everyone, individually and inassociation with others, against any violence, threats, retaliation, de factoor de jure adverse discrimination, pressure or any other arbitrary action as aconsequence of his or her legitimate exercise of the rights referred to in thepresent Declaration”;
v. Ensurein all circumstances respect for human rights and fundamental freedoms in accordancewith international human rights standards and international instrumentsratified by the Syrian Arab Republic.
Addresses:
· President,His Excellency Bashar al-Assad, Presidential Palace, al Rashid Street,Damascus, Syria Arab Republic, Fax: +963 11 332 3410
· Ministerof Defence, His Excellency General, Ali Habib Mahmud, Ministry of Defence, Omayyad Square, Damascus, Syrian Arab Republic, Fax: +963 11 223 7842
· Ministerof Justice, His Excellency Mr. Ahmad Hamod Younes, Mazeh “Otstrad”, Damascus,Syrian Arab Republic, Fax: +963 11 666 2460
· Ministerof Foreign Affairs, His Excellency Wallid Mu’allim, Ministry of ForeignAffairs, al-Rashid Street, Damascus, Syrian Arab Republic, Fax: +963 11 3327620
· AmbassadorFaysal Khabbaz Hamoui, Permanent Mission of the Syrian Arab Republic to UN inGeneva, 72 rue de Lausanne, 1202 Geneva, Switzerland, Fax: +41 22 738 42 75,Email: mission.syria@ties.itu.in
· Embassythe Syrian Arab Republic in Brussels, 1 avenue F.D. Roosevelt, 1050 Brussels,Belgium, Tel: +32 2 554 19 22; Fax: +32 2 648 14 85
Please also write to the diplomatic mission or embassy of the SyrianArabic Republic in your respective country.
***
Paris-Geneva, March 18, 2011
Kindlyinform us of any action undertaken quoting the code of this appeal in yourreply.
Tocontact the Observatory, call the emergency line:
· E-mail: Appeals@fidh-omct.org
· Tel and fax FIDH + 33 (0) 143 55 25 18 / +33 1 43 55 18 80
· Tel and fax OMCT + 41 (0)22 809 49 39 / + 41 22 809 49 29