Syria: Amnesty Int'l reiterates human rights concerns

Amnesty International

The full headline is actually: Syria: 41 years of the State of Emergency - Amnesty International reiterates its concerns over a catalogue of human rights violations

Amnesty International today expressed grave concern at the continuing enforcement of the State of Emergency Legislation (SEL) in Syria. This month marks the 41st anniversary of the declaration of the SEL which has been in force without interruption since 8 March 1963 and has resulted in thousands of suspected political opponents being detained, tortured and held incommunicado without charge or trial, some for over two decades. Others have been convicted and sentenced to lengthy prison terms after grossly unfair trials before military or state security courts.

Among the recent examples of victims of human rights violations facilitated by the SEL are fourteen Syrian human rights activists who were arrested on 23 August 2003 from a lecture they attended to mark the 40th anniversary of the declaration of the SEL. The 14 men were charged with "affiliation to a secret organization and carrying out acts which could incite factional conflict within the nation". Amnesty International has called on the Syrian authorities to drop all charges against these men, currently standing trial before a military court, as they are being tried for exercising their rights to freedom of assembly and expression and would therefore be prisoners of conscience if convicted. They include Fateh Jamus and Safwan 'Akkash, both members of the Party for Communist Action and former prisoners of conscience sentenced to 15 years in prison after grossly unfair trials. The other twelve are 'Abd al-Ghani Bakri, Hazim 'Ajaj al-Aghra'i, Muhammad Deeb Kor, 'Abd al-Jawwad al-Saleh, Hashem al-Hashem, Yassar Qaddur, Zaradesht Muhammad, Rashid Sha'ban, Fuad Bawadqji, Ghazi Mustafa, Najib Dedem and Samir 'Abd al-Karim Nashar.