AI: Released after five years in prison, Syrian human rights lawyer is finally being acknowledged

by fellow Syrians.

http://www.amnesty.org/en/news-and-updates/veteran-activists-demands-reflect-new-syria-2011-07-26



Two months ago, when prominent Syrian human rights lawyer Anwar al-Bunni finally stepped onto the streets of Damascus after completing a five year jail sentence, he walked out into a changed world.

On a personal level, the nightmare of his prison existence- a prisoner of conscience surrounded by convicted criminals and living in fear of attack by both inmates and guards - was finally over. But, more broadly, the popular protests that had erupted two months earlier meant that Syria itself had been transformed. He and other human rights defenders no longer felt alone.

As for what the Syrian government has announced as reforms in response to the mass protests, including the lifting of the 48 year old state of emergency, Anwar al-Bunni says these have failed to transform the realities on the ground. On the contrary, he says, the authorities have introduced new measures to legalise mass arrests and extend incommunicado detention from a lawful maximum of four days to one of 60 days. “Legally”, he says “the situation now is worse than before.”

But for Anwar al-Bunni, the response he has received from his fellow Syrians makes it all worthwhile. “Unlike before, people now openly express their solidarity with me and their respect for all that I have done.” he said. “To feel that you have actually given something to others and that they recognise and value what you have done is a great feeling!”