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Damascus Center for Theoretical and Civil Rights Studies
The Damascus
Declaration for National Democratic Change held a meeting on
December 1st, 2007. One hundred and sixty three
Syrian pro-democracy activists and human rights activists
attended the meeting. All the attendees had signed the Damascus
Declaration for National Democratic Change. They elected a
national council and five members to lead the council during and
after the meeting. The participants belong to a wide range of
Syrian political oppositions as well as to human rights activist
groups in Syria. The Damascus Declaration calls for freedom and
human rights for all Syrian citizens. The Damascus Declaration
for National Democratic Change is an umbrella coalition of
independent activists, political parties and human rights
organizations to achieve democratic change in Syria with
peaceful means. The Declaration calls for democracy and the rule
of law in Syria.
In response to this
peaceful meeting the Syrian government waged a campaign of
arrests and summons for more than 40 members who attended the
December 1st meeting. The Syrian government is still
illegally incarcerating at least thirteen of the activists. The
following are brief biographies and information about the
arrests of the detainees:
Name:
Fedaa Akram Al Hourani
Personal
Information:
Gender:
Female
Town of Residence:
Hama, Syria.
Date and Place of
Birth: Damascus 1956.
Age when arrested:
51 years.
Marital Status:
Married with one child and Grandchild.
Health Issues:
She suffers from multiple tumors.
Occupation:
Physician specializes in Obstetrics and Gynecology, Director and
Owner of Al Hourani Hospital in Hama.
Activities:
Chairperson of the General Council of Damascus Declaration for
National Democratic Change.
Permanent address:
Hama, Syria.
Information about
the arrest:
Date arrested:
16 December 2007.
Place where initially
arrested: Hama.
The arresting
apparatus: Mokhabarat Amen Aldawla
“The Government Security Forces”.
Court warrants and/or
orders for arrest: No warrant or
other court orders were issued. The Hama branch of the
“Government Security Forces” called Dr. Al Hourani to their
barracks at 10 am on December 16, 2007; she was later moved to
the center of the “Government Security Forces” in Damascus. She
was transferred to the Women Prison in Damascus on January 27,
2008.
Date of release:
She remains under arrest.
Court proceeding:
Dr. Al Hourani was granted a hearing at the Third Investigative
Court in Damascus on January 28, 2008. She was charged with
membership in secret organization to change the political and
economic structure of the country, in addition to disseminating
rumors to weaken the moral of the nation, weaken the
nationalistic feelings of the citizens, instigate sectarian and
racial strive, and degrade the government.
Does the Syrian
judicial system follow the basic principle of prisoner’s rights:
Relatively yes.
Indictment:
None.
The government
reasons for arrest: She attended
an unauthorized meeting with 163 fellow Syrian members of the
Damascus Declaration for National Democratic Change on December
1, 2007.
Other information and
events around the arrest:
Dr. Fedaa Al Hourani
authored and published several articles and studies about
political life in Syria. She was elected to the General Council
of the Arab National Conference in 2003. She was chosen
unanimously as the chairperson of the National Council for the
Damascus Declaration for National Democratic Change. Her arrest
is part of a larger and wide-spread crackdown by the Syrian
regime against members of the National Council of Damascus
Declaration for National Democratic Change after they held a
peaceful meeting on December 1, 2007.
In an effort to punish
Dr. Al Hourani for her activism, the Syrian government deported
her husband, Dr. Gazy Ilian, to Jordan on February 2, 2008. His
legal residence in Syria was terminated by an order from the
“National Security Office” of the “Regional Baath Party
Leadership.” He works as a physician in the same hospital with
his wife Dr. Al Hourani. Dr. Ilian is Palestinian, born in Gaza
in 1954. He met and married Dr. Al Hourani while they were
studying in Bagdad University. The deportation of a Palestinian
living legally in Syria is unprecedented.
Name: Fayez Sarah
Personal
Information:
Gender:
Male
Town of residence:
Damascus, Syria.
Date and Place of
Birth: Damascus Countryside
04/04/1950
Age when arrested:
57 years
Marital Status:
Married with 4 children.
Health Issues:
He was physically assaulted during his arrest. He suffers from
hypothyroidism, which is a chronic disease requiring constant
medical therapy.
Occupation:
Journalist and correspondent for multiple newspapers.
Permanent address:
Damascus, Syria.
Information about
the arrest:
Date arrested:
January 2, 2008.
Place where initially
arrested: Damascus.
The arresting
apparatus: Mokhabarat Amen Aldawla
“The Government Security Forces”
Court warrants and/or
orders for arrest: At the time of
the arrest, no warrant or other court orders were issued.
Date of release:
He remains under arrest. He is being held at Adra Prison for
Civilians.
Does the Syrian
judicial system follow the basic principle of prisoners rights:
Relatively yes.
Indictment:
He has not been indicted by an official court.
The government
reasons for arrest: He attended an
unauthorized meeting with 163 fellow Syrian members of the
Damascus Declaration for National Democratic Change on December
1, 2007.
Other information and
events around the arrest:
Mr. Sarah is a
correspondent for the Jordanian newspaper “The Arabs Today.” He
is one of the first accredited correspondent journalists in
Syria. He mentors groups of young Syrian journalists out of his
own office. He writes for the Syrian newspaper Al Nour and other
Syrian and Arab newspapers.
He co-founded the
“Committees for Revitalizing Civil Society in Syria”. He was
detained for two years in the early nineteen eighties. He had
been subjected to harassment and many summons by the security
forces.
The security forces
raided his office several months ago after his participation in
the meeting of the National Council of the Damascus Declaration
for National Democratic Change. Mr. Sarah attended the December
1, 2007 meeting of Damascus Declaration for National Democratic
Change.
It is believed that
Fayez Sarah was arrested because of his activism on behalf of
the prisoners of conscience. He defended the political prisoners
during television interview on January 1, 2008.
Name: Riad Saif
Personal
Information:
Gender:
Male.
Town of residence:
Damascus.
Date and Place of
Birth: Damascus 1946.
Age when arrested:
61 years.
Marital Status:
Married with 3 children.
Health Issues:
He has prostate cancer with metastasizes; he was denied the
right to travel abroad to receive specific cancer therapy,
although this specific therapy is not available in Syria.
Occupation:
He was previously elected to the Syrian Parliament. He owned and
managed a clothing manufacturing business.
Permanent address:
Damascus, Syria.
Information about
the arrest:
Date arrested:
January 28, 2008.
Place where initially
arrested: Damascus, Syria.
The arresting
apparatus: Mokhabarat Amen Aldawla
“The Government Security Forces”.
Court warrants and/or
orders for arrest: At the time of
the arrest, no warrant or other court orders were issued.
Date of release:
He remains under arrest. He is being held at Adra Prison for
Civilians.
Dose the Syrian
judicial system follow the basic principle of prisoners rights:
Relatively yes.
Indictment:
He has not been indicted by an official court.
The government
reasons for arrest: He attended an
unauthorized meeting with 163 fellow Syrian members of the
Damascus Declaration for National Democratic Change on December
1, 2007.
Other information and
events around the arrest:
He is member in the
General Council of Damascus Declaration for National Democratic
Change.
Because of his pro
democracy stands and because he founded the “Democratic
Discussion Forum” he was arrested during his tenure
as a Parliament Member on 09/09/2001. He was tried in a
kangaroo court and sentenced to several years in jail; he was
later released after five years of imprisonment on January 16,
2006.
He was instrumental in
uncovering corruption at the highest level in the Syrian regime,
when he wrote a study about the infamous Mobile Phone Contracts.
To silence him, the Syrian regime lifted his Parliamentarian
immunity and sent him to jail for 5 years.
Name: Ali Al Abdullah
Personal Information:
Gender:
Male.
Town of residence:
Qatana, Damascus, Syria.
Date and Place of
Birth: Dair Azur, Syria 1950.
Age when arrested:
57 years.
Marital Status:
He is married with children.
Health Issues:
He has no reported known medical problems.
Occupation:
He graduated from Damascus University with a degree in
Philosophy. He worked as a journalist and wrote in several
newspapers like Al Hayat, Al Safir, Al Khaleej, etc. He is
member in Damascus Declaration for National Democratic Change.
Permanent address:
Qatana, Damascus, Syria.
Information about
the arrest:
Date arrested:
December 17, 2007.
Place where initially
arrested: Damascus, Syria.
The arresting
apparatus: Mokhabarat Amen Aldawla
“The Government Security Forces”.
Court warrants and/or
orders for arrest: At the time of
the arrest, no warrant or other court orders were issued.
Date of release:
He remains under arrest. He is being held at Adra Prison for
Civilians.
Dose the Syrian
judicial system follow the basic principle of prisoners rights:
Relatively yes.
Indictment:
He has not been indicted by an official court.
The government
reasons for arrest: He attended an
unauthorized meeting with 163 fellow Syrian members of the
Damascus Declaration for National Democratic Change on December
1, 2007.
Other information and
events around the arrest:
He is a member in the
General Council of Damascus Declaration for National Democratic
Change. He was an activist with the “Committees for Revitalizing
Civil Society in Syria”. Previously, he spent several years
incarcerated as a prisoner of conscience. He was arrested in
Damascus International Airport when he arrived from Tunisia in
1994; he was kept under arrest for six months.
He was arrested again in
May 2005 for his activism with the “Al Atasi Democratic
Discussion Forum.” He was accused of spreading rumors and was
released six months later during the presidential general
clemency.
He was arrested for the
third time in March 2006 with his son, during a peaceful civil
demonstration in front of the “Government Security Court.” The
demonstrator called for an end to Marshal Laws imposed on the
Syrian people since 1963. Mr. Abdullah and his son stayed under
arrest for seven months; they were accused of “spreading rumors
or exaggerated news to degrade the government”.
Name: Jubr Alshufy
Personal
Information:
Gender:
Male
Town of residence:
As Suwayda', Syria.
Date and Place of
Birth: As Suwayda' 1947.
Age when arrested:
60 years.
Marital Status:
He is married with three children.
Health Issues:
He suffers from chronic arthritis.
Occupation:
He has a degree in Arabic Literature, and works as Arabic
Language teacher. He is member in the General Council of
Damascus Declaration for National Democratic Change.
Permanent address:
As Suwayda', Syria.
Information about
the arrest:
Date arrested:
He was arrested around 5 pm on Sunday December 9, 2007. He was
moved to the “Government Security Forces” general center in
Damascus on December 11, 2007.
Place where initially
arrested: As Suwayda', Syria.
The arresting
apparatus: Mokhabarat Amen Aldawla
“The Government Security Forces”.
Court warrants and/or
orders for arrest: At the time of
the arrest, no warrant or other court orders were issued.
Date of release:
He remains under arrest. He is being held at Adra Prison for
Civilians.
Dose the Syrian
judicial system follow the basic principle of prisoners rights:
Relatively yes.
Indictment:
He has not been indicted by an official court.
The government
reasons for arrest: He attended an
unauthorized meeting with 163 fellow Syrian members of the
Damascus Declaration for National Democratic Change on December
1, 2007.
Other information and
events around the arrest:
He is a member of the
General Council of Damascus Declaration for National Democratic
Change. He is also on the board of trustees for the “Committees
to Defend Democratic Freedoms and Human Rights in Syria.”
He is a literary critic
who has published several articles in numerous professional
magazines.
Name: Talal Abu Dan
Personal
Information:
Gender:
Male.
Town of residence:
Aleppo, Syria.
Date and Place of
Birth: Aleppo 1953.
Age when arrested:
55 years.
Marital Status:
He is married with three children.
Health Issues:
Significant back pain since his previous arrest, he suffers
intervertebral disc prolapse.
Occupation:
Sculptor and Painter.
Permanent address:
Aleppo, Syria.
Information about
the arrest:
Date arrested:
He was arrested on January 30, 2008. He was later moved to
Damascus.
Place where initially
arrested: Aleppo, Syria
The arresting
apparatus: Mokhabarat Amen Aldawla
“The Government Security Forces”.
Court warrants and/or
orders for arrest: At the time of
the arrest, no warrant or other court orders were issued.
Date of release:
He remains under arrest. He is being held at Adra Prison for
Civilians.
Dose the Syrian
judicial system follow the basic principle of prisoners rights:
Relatively yes.
Indictment:
He has not been indicted by an official court. He was
interrogated by the “Investigative Judge” February 7, 2008; the
lawyers were not allowed to attend the proceedings.
The government
reasons for arrest: He attended an
unauthorized meeting with 163 fellow Syrian members of the
Damascus Declaration for National Democratic Change on December
1, 2007.
Other information and
events around the arrest:
He was a prisoner of
conscience of ten years (1981 to 1990). He was accused of
membership in the Syrian Communist Party (Pullet Bauru) now
known as Hizb Alshab.
His art studio was
vandalized on January 21, 2008. All sculptures and paintings
were destroyed with no missing items. This event was likely to
have been orchestrated by the government of Syria.
He participated in the
meeting of the National Council of Damascus Declaration for
National Democratic Change on December 1, 2007.
He is an activist in
several civil society organizations including “Committees to
Support Iraq”. He is an art critic and has published several
articles in most of the Art circulations.
Name: Muhammed Haji Darwish
Personal
Information:
Gender:
Male
Town of residence:
Idleb, Syria.
Date and Place of
Birth: Jisser Alshugur – Idleb,
Syria 1960.
Age when arrested:
47 years.
Marital Status:
He is married with three children, Salam born 1988, Nour born
1995, Sham born 2002.
Health Issues:
He suffers from chronic hypertension.
Occupation:
He directs Pharmaceutical Plant in Aleppo. He has a Bachelor
Degree in Chemistry from Aleppo University.
Permanent address:
Aleppo, Syria.
Information about
the arrest:
Date arrested:
He was arrested at 10 am on January 7, 2008 by Damascus branch
of the “Government Security Forces”.
Place where initially
arrested: Damascus, Syria.
The arresting
apparatus: Mokhabarat Amen Aldawla
“The Government Security Forces”.
Court warrants and/or
orders for arrest: At the time of
the arrest, no warrant or other court orders were issued.
Date of release:
He remains under arrest. He is being held at Adra Prison for
Civilians since January 27, 2008.
Dose the Syrian
judicial system follow the basic principle of prisoners rights:
Relatively yes.
Indictment:
He has not been indicted by an official court. He presented to
court January 28, 2008.
The government
reasons for arrest: He attended an
unauthorized meeting with 163 fellow Syrian members of the
Damascus Declaration for National Democratic Change on December
1, 2007.
Other information and
events around the arrest:
He is a member of a
Human Rights organization. He co-founded the Civil Society
Committee.
He participated in the
meeting of the National Council of Damascus Declaration for
National Democratic Change on December 1, 2007.
Because of his activism,
he was repeatedly harassed by the Syrian Government’s numerous
security forces. Even his car was vandalized in front of his
home on January 21, 2008.
Name: Akram Al Bunny
Personal
Information:
Gender:
Male
Town of residence:
Hama, Syria.
Date and Place of
Birth: Hama, Syria 1956.
Age when arrested:
51 years
Marital Status:
He is married with one daughter.
Health Issues:
He suffers from Peptic Ulcer Disease, he previously received
cardiac catheterization after he release from prolonged
incarceration as a prisoner of conscience.
Occupation:
Journalist and writer. He is member in the General Council of
Damascus Declaration for National Democratic Change.
Permanent address:
Damascus, Syria.
Information about
the arrest:
Date arrested:
He was arrested Sunday morning on December 9, 2007.
Place where initially
arrested: Damascus, Syria
The arresting
apparatus: Mokhabarat Amen Aldawla
“The Government Security Forces”
Court warrants and/or
orders for arrest: At the time of
the arrest, no warrant or other court orders were issued.
Date of release:
He remains under arrest. He is being held at Adra Prison for
Civilians.
.
Dose the Syrian
judicial system follow the basic principle of prisoners rights:
Relatively yes.
Indictment:
He has not been indicted by an official court.
The government
reasons for arrest: He attended an
unauthorized meeting with 163 fellow Syrian members of the
Damascus Declaration for National Democratic Change on December
1, 2007.
Other events around
the arrest:
He was a prisoner of
conscience for 17 years. His brother Mr. Anwar Al Bunny is a
well known Syrian lawyer and human rights activist.
He is a member of a
Human Rights organization, Damascus Center for Human Rights
Studies, and Committees to Revitalize Civil Society in Syria.
He was elected to the
Secretary of the National Council of Damascus Declaration for
National Democratic Change.
Name: Ahmad Tuhma Khidr
Personal
Information:
Gender:
Male
Town of residence:
Dair Azur, Syria.
Date and Place of
Birth: Dair Azur, Syria 1965.
Age when arrested:
43 years
Marital Status:
He is married with four children.
Health Issues:
none.
Occupation:
He is dentist. He is member in the General Council of Damascus
Declaration for National Democratic Change.
Permanent address:
Dair Azur, Syria.
Information about
the arrest:
Date arrested:
He was arrested Sunday December 9, 2007.
The arresting
apparatus: Mokhabarat Amen Aldawla
“The Government Security Forces”
Court warrants and/or
orders for arrest: At the time of
the arrest, no warrant or other court orders were issued.
Date of release:
He remains under arrest. He is being held at Adra Prison for
Civilians since January 27, 2008.
.
Dose the Syrian
judicial system follow the basic principle of prisoners rights:
Relatively yes.
Indictment:
He has not been indicted by an official court. He was presented
to court on January 28, 2008.
The government
reasons for arrest: He attended an
unauthorized meeting with 163 fellow Syrian members of the
Damascus Declaration for National Democratic Change on December
1, 2007.
Other events around
the arrest:
He was elected to the
Secretary of the National Council of Damascus Declaration for
National Democratic Change.
Name: Yasser Al Iaty
Personal
Information:
Gender:
Male
Town of residence:
Damascus, Syria.
Date and Place of
Birth: Riad, Saudi Arabia 1968.
Age when arrested:
39 years
Marital Status:
He is married with three children.
Health Issues:
None.
Occupation:
He is a physician who specializes in Internal Medicine. He
graduated from Damascus University and received his internal
medicine training in Britain. He lectured in human development
issues. He wrote about emotional intelligence. He is a poet with
several published poetry books. He is a member of the General
Council of Damascus Declaration for National Democratic Change.
Permanent address:
Damascus, Syria.
Information about
the arrest:
Date arrested:
He was arrested from his home in the morning of December 17,
2007.
Place where initially
arrested: Damascus, Syria
The arresting
apparatus: Mokhabarat Amen Aldawla
“The Government Security Forces”
Court warrants and/or
orders for arrest: At the time of
the arrest, no warrant or other court orders were issued.
Date of release:
He remains under arrest. He is being held at Adra Prison for
Civilians.
Dose the Syrian
judicial system follow the basic principle of prisoners rights:
Relatively yes.
Indictment:
He has not been indicted by an official court.
The government
reasons for arrest: He attended an
unauthorized meeting with 163 fellow Syrian members of the
Damascus Declaration for National Democratic Change on December
1, 2007.
Other events around
the arrest:
He was elected to the
General Council of Damascus Declaration for National Democratic
Change.
Name: Waleed Al Bunny
Personal
Information:
Gender:
Male
Town of residence:
Altal, Syria.
Date and Place of
Birth: Altal, Syria 1964.
Age when arrested:
43 years.
Marital Status:
He is married with three children.
Health Issues:
He suffers from shortness of breath, joint pains, and colitis.
Occupation:
He is a physician who specializes in Ear Nose and Throat
Surgery. He graduated from Budapest University in Hungary. He is
a member of the General Council of Damascus Declaration for
National Democratic Change.
Permanent address:
Altal near Damascus, Syria.
Information about
the arrest:
Date arrested:
He was arrested in front of his home at about 5 pm December 17,
2007.
Place where initially
arrested: Altal, Syria
The arresting
apparatus: Mokhabarat Amen Aldawla
“The Government Security Forces”
Court warrants and/or
orders for arrest: At the time of
the arrest, no warrant or other court orders were issued.
Date of release:
He remains under arrest. He is being held at Adra Prison for
Civilians since January 27, 2008.
.
Dose the Syrian
judicial system follow the basic principle of prisoners rights:
Relatively yes.
Indictment:
He has not been indicted by an official court. He was presented
to the court on January 28, 2008.
The government
reasons for arrest: He attended an
unauthorized meeting with 163 fellow Syrian members of the
Damascus Declaration for National Democratic Change on December
1, 2007.
Other information and
events around the arrest:
He is an activist with
the civil society in his community. He and others from his city
Altal established The Society to Help the Poor in his home town
of Altal.
He was instrumental in
launching what is now known as “Damascus Spring”. Because of his
activism, the Syrian regime arrested him on September 9, 2001.
He was not released until January 17 2005.
He co-founded, with Mr.
Riad Saif and others, the Democratic Discussion Forum. He was
also one of the founders of the Committees to Revitalize the
Civil Society in Syria and the Human Rights organization in
Syria.
Name: Marwan Alosh
Personal
Information:
Gender:
Male
Town of residence:
Aleppo, Syria.
Date and Place of
Birth: Syria 1956.
Age when arrested:
51 years.
Marital Status:
He is married with one daughter.
Health Issues:
None.
Occupation:
He has a degree in Geology. He directed several branches in the
“General Roads Company.” He is a member of the General Council
of Damascus Declaration for National Democratic Change.
Permanent address:
Aleppo, Syria.
Information about
the arrest:
Date arrested:
He was arrested on January 15, 2008.
Place where initially
arrested: Aleppo, Syria. He was
later moved to The Government Security Forces central command in
Damascus.
The arresting
apparatus: Mokhabarat Amen Aldawla
“The Government Security Forces”
Court warrants and/or
orders for arrest: At the time of
the arrest, no warrant or other court orders were issued.
Date of release:
He remains under arrest. He is being held at Adra Prison for
Civilians.
Dose the Syrian
judicial system follow the basic principle of prisoners rights:
Relatively yes.
Indictment:
He has not been indicted by an official court. He was
interrogated by the Investigative Judge in Damascus on February
7, 2008. Lawyers were not allowed to attend the interrogation.
The government
reasons for arrest: He attended an
unauthorized meeting with 163 fellow Syrian members of the
Damascus Declaration for National Democratic Change on December
1, 2007.
Other information and
events around the arrest:
He last was director of
the Mixer and Excavators of the General Roads and Bridges
Company.
He is an active
researcher in his field of Geology. He was the first to describe
a locally available material function in road paving. Because of
his discovery he was awarded an “Appreciation Certificate” from
the government acknowledging his discovery, which saved the
country millions of dollars, originally spent on importing
material to pave roads.
He attended numerous
conferences about the subject of Roads Construction including
the one held in Syria in 2006 under the title “The Present and
Future of Natural Resources Investment in Syria.”
He was invited as a
speaker to multiple scientific meetings, the last one being in
As Suwayda' city in 2007.
He is an activist with
the labor union, he ran for the parliament, and he is a member
in the National Council of Damascus Declaration for National
Democratic Change.
Name: Muhammed Kamal Almoyl
Personal
Information:
Gender:
Male
Town of residence:
Alzabadani, Syria.
Date and Place of
Birth: Alzabadani, Syria 1962.
Age when arrested:
46 years.
Marital Status:
He is married with four children.
Health Issues:
None.
Occupation:
He is a physician. He is member of the General Council of
Damascus Declaration for National Democratic Change.
Permanent address:
Alzabadani, Syria.
Information about
the arrest:
Date arrested:
He was arrested by a special governmental security force called
the “Regional Branch” in Damascus on February 2, 2008.
Place were initially
arrested: Damascus, Syria.
The arresting
apparatus: The “Regional Branch”
in Damascus, another government security apparatus.
Court warrants and/or
orders for arrest: At the time of
the arrest, no warrant or other court orders were issued.
Date of release:
He remains under arrest. He is being held at Adra Prison for
Civilians.
Dose the Syrian
judicial system follow the basic principle of prisoners rights:
Relatively yes.
Indictment:
He has not been indicted by an official court.
The government
reasons for arrest: He attended an
unauthorized meeting with 163 fellow Syrian members of the
Damascus Declaration for National Democratic Change on December
1, 2007.
Other information and
events around the arrest:
He was previously a
prisoner of conscience. He is a member of the National Council
of Damascus Declaration for National Democratic Change.
He was arrested in 1982
and released in 1989 for his involvement in religious groups.
He is a scholar in
Islamic theology and interpretation of religious text. He
authored books in theology and 26 evangelical letters.
Other arrests in
relation to Damascus Declaration for National Democratic Change
Mr. Adnan Mekyah:
He was arrested by the
government security forces from his work place on February 2,
2008. He lives in Damascus and works in a clothing store. He was
born in 1961; he was 47 years old when he was arrested. He is
married with two children. He graduated from Mid Level
Engineering School. He is a social activist and does not belong
to any particular political party. He was active with the
Committee to Revitalize Civil Society in Syria. He is a member
of the Damascus Declaration for National Democratic Change.
He attended a peaceful
meeting with 163 fellow Syrian members of the Damascus
Declaration for National Democratic Change on December 1, 2007.
After the meeting he was subject for several summons by the
government security forces.
Mr. Sameer Nashar:
His car was destroyed on
January 21, 2008. He was born in 1945 in Aleppo. He is married
with three children, and has a bachelor degree in economics. He
is one of the founders of the Alkwakibi forum in Aleppo. He is a
member of the General Council of Damascus Declaration for
National Democratic Change. He was arrested on December 10, 2007
and released on December 12, 2007.
Mr. Ibrahim Mielke:
His car was attacked and
destroyed. He was born in1955; he is married with four children.
He is an ex-prisoner of conscience. He was accused of being a
member of the Syrian Communist Party (Pullet Bauru).
Mr. Rashid Satouf:
He was arrested at his
home on January 2, 2008 and released January 5, 2008. He is an
activist with the communist action party. He was a prisoner of
conscience from 1987 until 2001. He did not attend the Damascus
Declaration for National Democratic Change meeting on December
1, 2007.
The Syrian government
is using trumped up charges against peaceful political and human
rights activists. The Damascus Center for Theoretical and Civil
rights Studies believes that the Syrian government is using
illegal incarcerations and summons to intimidate and silence the
political opposition. We call upon the Syrian government to:
¨
Abide by all the
international treaties it had signed, and to adhere to all human
rights delineated by the International Declarations of Human
Rights including freedom of speech and freedom of assembly.
¨
Immediately
release all political prisoners, and stop all the Kangaroo court
proceedings against the political activists.
¨
Abide by the
articles in the Syrian constitution which guarantees freedom of
speech and the rights of the citizens to participate in the
governance of their country.
¨
Start immediate
investigation in the events around the latest arrests and stop
all acts of aggression against the detainees or against their
properties.
¨
Rein in the
numerous secret services which abuse the citizens with impunity
and take the role of the regular police and even the justice
system.
¨
Establish the rule
of law by taking the first step and dismantle all
an irregular unauthorized courts.
The latest arrest and
summons campaign represents the way the Syrian government treats
its citizens. It considers them subjects and not citizens with
rights. Any Syrian citizen who dares to express an independent
opinion about the policies or the future of his country risks
his own safety and well-being as he is surely subject to
kidnapping and illegal incarceration by one of the multiple
security forces.
2008-06-20
Director of the US Office
Dr. Khaldoon
Alaswad
Damascus Center for Theoretical and Civil Rights Studies
920-257-3924
kalaswadal@yahoo.com
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