Observatory for the Protection of Human Rights Defenders Annual Report 2006 - Syria

Continued harassment of CDF members²⁹

In 2006, Mr. Aktham Naisse, a lawyer and president of the Committees for the Defence of Human Rights and Democratic Freedoms in Syria (CDF), continued to be repeatedly harassed by the authorities. For example, in early August 2006, he was stopped by the Syrian secret services upon his arrival at Damascus Airport, as he was returning from a trip to Ireland where he had participated in an international conference on human rights defenders. His passport was confiscated for over two hours.

Furthermore, Mr. Naisse's home and office were under regular surveillance by unidentified individuals, and he was required to obtain prior approval of the authorities every time he wished to travel abroad.

Additionally, Mr. Kamal Labwani, a member of the CDF executive council, remained in detention in the Adra prison by the end of 2006. The next hearing in his trial, which was postponed on several occasions, had not yet been scheduled.

Mr. Labwani had been arrested on November 8, 2005 following a statement on the possible consequences that international sanctions against Syria would impose on the population. This statement had been broadcast by the American television channel Al-Hura in October 2005. Mr. Labwani was charged with "incitement to sectarianism" (Article 264 of the Criminal Code) and "conspiracy with a foreign State" (Article 287), which are punishable by death or life imprisonment.

Arbitrary detention and release of Mr. Ammar Qurabi³⁰

On March 12, 2006, Mr. Ammar Qurabi, spokesperson for the Arab Organisation for Human Rights (AOHR), was arrested by the Syrian security forces at the Damascus International Airport. Mr. Qurabi was just returning from two conferences on human rights and democratic reforms in Syria, held in Paris (France) and Washington D.C. (United States). He was then taken to the "Palestine Section" of the military intelligence services, in Damascus, known for its harsh conditions.

Mr. Qurabi was released without charge on March 16, 2006.

Arbitrary detention, sentencing and release of Mr. Mohammed Ghanem³¹

On March 31, 2006, Mr. Mohammed Ghanem, a novelist and journalist renowned for his articles denouncing human rights violations and cases of corruption in Syria on his Website Souriyoun (Syrians), was arrested at his home in Al-Rika by officers of the armed patrol of the Syrian Military Intelligence Department (SMID). He was immediately transferred to the "Palestine Section" of the Damascus military intelligence services.

On the same day, Mr. Ghanem was sentenced to six months' imprisonment for "publishing false information on so-called human rights violations in Syria", "weakening the Nation's spirit by publishing false information on Syria's internal situation" and "seeking to divide the Syrian homeland".

He was released on October 1, 2006 after completing his sentence.

However, Mr. Ghanem has since then been subjected to heightened surveillance and was dismissed from his position as a schoolteacher. He filed a complaint against the Ministry of Education for "unfair dismissal". The preliminary hearing, originally scheduled for December 18, 2006, was postponed to February 5, 2007.

Arbitrary detention and legal proceedings against several human rights defenders³²

Several Syrian and Lebanese intellectuals and human rights defenders were arrested and arbitrarily detained after initiating a petition calling for the normalization of Syrian-Lebanese relations. This petition, bearing about 500 signatures, was circulated on May 12, 2006. Among those arrested were Mr. Michel Kilo, head of the Organisation for the Defence of Freedom of Expression and of the Press, arrested on May 14, 2006; Mr. Anwar Al-Bunni, a lawyer and founding member of the Human Rights Association in Syria (HRAS) and president of the Committee for the Release of Political Prisoners, arrested on May 17, 2006; Mr. Nidal Darwish, a member of the Presidential Committee and of the CDF executive board, arrested on May 16, 2006; Messrs. Mahmoud Mar'i and Safwan Tayfour, human rights defenders, and Mr. Ghaleb Amer, a board member of the Arab Organisation for Human Rights (AOHR), arrested on May 16, 2006.

Messrs. Al-Bunni, Darwish, Kilo, Mar'i, Tayfour and Amer were charged with "weakening national feelings and stirring up racial or sectarian hatred" (Article 285 of the Criminal Code), an offence carrying a 15-year prison sentence. All were allegedly beaten while in detention in the Adra prison, which is normally reserved for convicted criminals.

On July 17, 2006, Messrs. Darwish, Mar'i, Tayfour and Amer were released on bail pending trial.

On October 19, 2006, the examining magistrate ordered Mr. Kilo to be released on bail. Although his lawyers immediately paid the required amount, this decision was not implemented as the prison alleged it had not been notified of the judge's order.

As public offices were closed on October 20 and 21, 2006, Mr. Kilo's lawyers were unable to enquire about his situation until the next day, on October 22, 2006. They were then told that a new indictment had been drawn up against Mr. Kilo on October 19, 2006, a few hours only after his release on bail had been decided, and that his file had gone "missing".

According to this new indictment, Mr. Kilo is now charged with "undermining national pride" (Article 285 of the Criminal Code), "disseminating false reports", "undermining the State's reputation" (Article 287 and 376) and "inciting religious and racial hatred" (Article 307). As of the end of 2006, Mr. Kilo was still detained in the Adra prison.

On November 20, 2006, Mr. Al-Bunni appeared before the Damascus Criminal Court. The preliminary hearing in his trial, originally scheduled for December 19, 2006, was postponed until January 21, 2007, due to the absence of government representatives.

Infringement of Mr. Radwan Ziadeh's freedom of movement³³

On June 26, 2006, Mr. Radwan Ziadeh, director of the Damascus Centre for Human Rights Studies, was prevented from travelling to Amman ( Jordan), where he was to participate in an international conference entitled "Human rights within the framework of criminal justice: current challenges and needed strategies in the Arab World" organised by the Amman Centre for Human Rights Studies (ACHRS) from June 27 to 29, 2006. Mr. Ziadeh was due to make a presentation on transitional justice in the Arab world. At the Syrian boarder with Jordan, Syrian security forces prevented him from leaving the country without giving any official reason.

On the same day, members of the Syrian political security came to Mr. Ziadeh's home as he was already underway, and questioned his brother, in vain, about the reasons for his travel to Jordan.

Arbitrary detention and release of Mr. Ali Shahabi³⁴

On August 10, 2006, Mr. Ali Shahabi, a writer and professor known for his involvement in the promotion of democracy and human rights in Syria, was summoned to the Damascus security services. As Mr. Shahabi, who had been repeatedly called in for questioning over the past few months, was not coming back home, his wife went to the security services, who told her to come back a week later, without giving her further information as to her husband's situation.

On October 16, 2006, Mr. Shahabi's relatives were eventually allowed to visit him at the Adra prison. They were then informed that they would be permitted to visit him weekly on Tuesdays.

However, on October 24, 2006, during their weekly visit, Mr. Shahabi's family was informed that he had been placed in solitary confinement, without any official reason being given.

His arrest would have been linked to his efforts, in 2005, to launch a movement called "Syria for all" and a website – that was later blocked by the authorities – where he posted several articles on democracy and fundamental freedoms.

Mr. Shahabi was also among the signatories to the Beirut-Damascus/Damascus-Beirut Declaration in May 2006³⁵.

On January 9, 2007, Mr. Shahabi was granted presidential pardon and subsequently released.

Sentencing and detention of Mr. Nizar Rastanawi³⁶

On November 19, 2006, Mr. Nizar Rastanawi, a founding member of the AOHR Syrian branch, was sentenced to four years' imprisonment by the Supreme State Security Court (SSSC) for "disseminating false information" and "insulting the President of the Republic". Mr. Rastanawi had been arrested on April 18, 2005 and was held in solitary confinement until August 2005, when his wife was authorised to come and visit him once a month.

Arbitrary detention of Mr. Aref Dalilah and release of Mr. Habib Hissa³⁷

By the end of 2006, Mr. Aref Dalilah, an economics professor and human rights defender, remained in detention. Arrested in 2001, he was sentenced to ten years in prison and deprived of his civil and political rights by the Supreme State Security Court in August 2002 for "attempting to change the Constitution by illegal means". In addition to a severe health condition from which he has suffered since the beginning of his detention, Mr. Dalilah was diagnosed with hemiplegia of his left side. The authorities allegedly denied on several occasions his request to be given proper medical care by independent doctors.

Mr. Habib Hissa, a founding member of HRAS, who was sentenced to five years' imprisonment under the same charges, was released in early 2006 after serving his sentence.

[Refworld note: This report as posted on the FIDH website (www.fidh.org) was in pdf format with country chapters run together by region. Footnote numbers have been retained here, so do not necessarily begin at 1.]

29. See Annual Report 2005.

30. See Urgent Appeals SYR 001/0306/OBS 028 and 028.1.

31. See Urgent Appeals SYR 002/0406/OBS 046 and 046.1.

32. See Urgent Appeals SYR 003/0506/OBS 060, 060.1 and 060.2, FIDH/OMCT Press Release, May 18, 2006, and Press Release, July 28, 2006.

33. See Urgent Appeal SYR 004/0606/OBS 083.

34. See Urgent Appeals SYR 005/0806/OBS 099, 099.1, 099.2 and 099.3, and Press Release, January 11, 2007.

35. See above.

36. See Syrian Organisation for Human Rights (SOHR).

37. See Annual Report 2005.