DOCSLIB.ORG

Walls of Silence

Total Page：16

File Type：pdf, Size：1020Kb

Download full-text PDF Read full-text
Walls of Silence WALLS OF SILENCE Media and Censorship in Syria June 1998 CONTENTS 1 INTRODUCTION .............................................................................. 2 KEY RECOMMENDATIONS ............................................................ 3 BACKGROUND ............................................................................... 3.1 Ruling Parties and the Opposition ......................................... 3.2 Foreign Relations and the Media ........................................... 3.3 Reform and Freedom of Information ...................................... 4 SYRIA’S INTERNATIONAL OBLIGATIONS ................................... 4.1 The Importance of Freedom of Expression ........................... 4.2 Media Freedom: A Positive Obligation .................................. 4.3 Restrictions on Freedom of Expression ................................. 5 CONSTITUTIONAL AND OTHER BASIC GUARANTEES OF FREEDOM OF EXPRESSION ......................................................... 5.1 The Constitution .................................................................... 5.2 The Baath Party Constitution ................................................. 5.3 Safeguards in the Penal Code ............................................... 5.4 The Questionable Status of the State of Emergency Law ..................................................................... 6 MEDIA STRUCTURE ...................................................................... 6.1 The Press .............................................................................. 6.1.1 Daily Newspapers ....................................................... 6.1.2 Weekly Newspapers ................................................... 6.13 Foreign Newspapers ................................................... 6.2 Broadcast Media .................................................................... 6.2.1 Syrian Radio ............................................................... 6.2.2 Foreign Radio ............................................................. 6.2.3 Terrestrial Television .................................................. 6.2.4 Satellite Television ...................................................... 6.3 The Internet ........................................................................... 7 STRUCTURAL REGULATION OF THE MEDIA ............................. 7.1 State Monopolies ................................................................... 7.1.1 Publishing ................................................................... 7.1.2 Broadcasting ............................................................... 7.1.3 Distribution .................................................................. 7.2 Professional Bodies ............................................................... 7.2.1 The Journalists’ Syndicate .......................................... 7.2.2 Foreign Journalists ..................................................... 7.2.3 The Syrian Arab Writers’ Union .................................. 7.2.4 Training ....................................................................... 7.3 Regulations Governing Publishing ......................................... 7.3.1 Licensing and Registration .......................................... 7.3.2 Operating .................................................................... 7.3.3 Partisan Newspapers .................................................. 7.4 Advertising ............................................................................. 8 CRIMINALIZATION OF EXPRESSION ........................................... 8.1 Introduction ............................................................................ 8.2 Offences Under the State of Emergency Law ....................... 8.3 Opposing the Aims of the Revolution .................................... 8.4 Disseminating False Information ........................................... 8.5 Defamation and Disparagement ............................................ 8.6 Incitement of Sectarian, Racial or Religious Chauvinism ...... 8.7 “Aggression” Aimed at Changing the Constitution ................. 8.9 Syrian Controls on the Lebanese Media ................................ 9 ACCESS TO INFORMATION ......................................................... 9.1 A One-Way Flow ................................................................... 9.2 The Law on Secrecy and State Security ................................ 9.3 The Law on Meetings and Societies ...................................... 9.4 Impediments to Research ...................................................... 9.4.1 Market Research ........................................................ 9.4.2 Book Banning ............................................................. 10 EXTRA-LEGAL REPRESSION OF THE MEDIA ............................. 10.1 Detention Without Trial or Beyond the Duration of Sentences ........................................................... 10.2 Torture and Ill-Treatment in Custody ..................................... 10.3 Attacks, Abductions and Assassinations ............................... 10.4 Repression of Kurdish Self-Expression ................................. 10.5 Deprivation of Civil Rights ..................................................... APPENDICES ............................................................................................. 1 Relevant Freedom of Expression Provisions of International Instruments ...................................................................................... ? 2 Barcelona Declaration Adopted on November 1995 at the Euro-Mediterranean Conference: Extracts ....................................... 3 UNESCO: Declaration on Promoting Independent and Pluralistic Arab Media — 11 January 1996: Extracts ....................... 4 The Johannesburg Principles on National Security, Freedom of Expression and Access to Information ............................................. 5 Measures Necessary to Protect and Promote Broadcasting Freedom ........................................................................................... 1 INTRODUCTION Return to Contents Syria is a country about which few people, inside or outside, ever learn very much. Its draconian State of Emergency Law, in force for the past 36 years, sees to that. Multiple intelligence services pry into every corner of people’s lives under orders from the regime. The overall political, economic and social picture is either not investigated for fear of what it might show, or is kept secret for the same reason. As a police state in which the media are monopolized by an authoritarian regime and dissent has been crushed to the point where it is virtually inaudible, Syria is an anachronism in a world commemorating the fiftieth anniversary of the UDHR. It is a relatively large country in Middle East terms, with a heterogeneous population of over 15 million and a potentially strong economy, based on diverse resources, which has enjoyed reasonable growth in the past few years. But, as this report shows, the stability it displays to the outside world is built on visible and invisible repression. On one level, the ever-present threat of imprisonment, torture and deprivation of civil rights deters open debate; most people know of someone who has been punished for speaking their mind. On another, the regime buys the silence of the majority with small concessions that enable the compliant to live what seems on the surface to be a normal life. The Syrian human rights organization, the Committees for the Defence of Democratic Freedoms and Human Rights (CDF), describes the lack of normality as follows: "It is true that censorship cannot be total. But, by its irrationality and narrow- mindedness it creates a phobia which paralyses all chance of gaining wide knowledge and all normal intellectual life." Amnesty International, which sent a team to Syria in 1997 without issuing a report on the visit, witnessed ‘normality’ in Syria after more than a quarter of a century under President Hafez al-Asad. Whereas, in a prolonged series of political trials from 1992 to 1995, hundreds of detainees, some of whom had already been held for many years, were sentenced to prison terms of 12-15 years, the trials observed by Amnesty International in 1997 were of people who had been in pre-trial detention for 12-18 months. Some had been charged because they had visited, or were suspected of having visited, Iraq. Others stood accused of sympathizing with Kurdish secessionists, which, under Article 292 of the Penal Code, would constitute the crime of attempting to "cut off part of Syrian land". The sentences handed down to those convicted were mostly under three years. These were lenient by previous standards. In a country where, as recently as 1994, prison terms of 15 years have been imposed on people for making speeches or writing articles, normality becomes hard to define. Censorship in Syria takes many forms. Those affecting the media are analysed in this report, which compares and contrasts structural and legislative controls over media activity with safeguards for freedom of expression contained in Syria’s own laws and its obligations under international agreements which it has signed. One fundamental problem lies in the regime’s selective application of laws currently in force. For example, the 1962 State of Emergency Law is cited as empowering the authorities, under threat of war with Israel, to impose blanket censorship on communication of all kinds and to try cases involving breaches of censorship rules before
Load more

Recommended publications
  • The Muslim Brotherhood in Syria Year of Origin
    MUSLIM BROTHERHOOD IN SYRIA Name: The Muslim Brotherhood in Syria Year of Origin: 1945 Founder(s): Mustafa al-Sibai Place(s) of Operation: Syria Key Leaders: • Mohammad Hekmat Walid: Comptroller general [Image: Al Jazeera] • Hussam Ghadban: Deputy Comptroller general [Image not available] • Mohammad Hatem al-Tabshi: Head of Shura Council [Image not available] • Omar Mushaweh: Head of media and communications [Image; source: Fox News via Omar Mushaweh] • Mulham Droubi: Spokesman [Image; source: Syria Mubasher] • Zuhair Salem: Spokesman [Image; source: Twitter] • Mohammad Riad al-Shaqfeh: Former comptroller general [Image: AFP/Getty Images] • Mohammad Farouk Tayfour: Former deputy comptroller general [Image: please take from MB entity report] • Ali Sadreddine al-Bayanouni: Former comptroller general [Image: please take from MB entity report] • Issam al-Attar: Former comptroller general [Image: Bernd Arnold] Associated Organization(s): • Al-Ikhwan al-Muslimin1 • Syrian Ikhwan2 The Syrian Muslim Brotherhood (i.e., the Syrian Brotherhood or the Brotherhood) was formed in 1945 as an affiliate of the Egyptian Muslim Brotherhood.3 The Syrian Brotherhood actively participated in Syrian politics until 1963, when the incoming pan-Arab Baath party began restricting the movement before ultimately banning the party in 1964.4 In 1964, Brotherhood member Marwan Hadid formed a violent offshoot—known as the Fighting Vanguard—whose members waged numerous terror attacks against the regime in the 1970s and early ’80s. In 1982, in order to quell a Brotherhood uprising in the city of Hama, then-Syrian President Hafez al- Assad dealt a near-fatal blow to the group, killing between 10,000 and 40,000 armed 1 Raphaël Lefèvre, Ashes of Hama: The Muslim Brotherhood in Syria (Oxford: Oxford University Press, 2013), 24.
    [Show full text]
  • World Trends in Freedom of Expression and Media Development: 2017/2018 Global Report
    Published in 2018 by the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization 7, place de Fontenoy, 7523 Paris 07 SP, France © UNESCO and University of Oxford, 2018 ISBN 978-92-3-100242-7 Attribution-ShareAlike 3.0 IGO (CC-BY-SA 3.0 IGO) license (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0/igo/). By using the content of this publication, the users accept to be bound by the terms of use of the UNESCO Open Access Repos- itory (http://www.unesco.org/open-access/terms-use-ccbysa-en). The present license applies exclusively to the textual content of the publication. For the use of any material not clearly identi- fied as belonging to UNESCO, prior permission shall be requested from: [email protected] or UNESCO Publishing, 7, place de Fontenoy, 75352 Paris 07 SP France. Title: World Trends in Freedom of Expression and Media Development: 2017/2018 Global Report This complete World Trends Report Report (and executive summary in six languages) can be found at en.unesco.org/world- media-trends-2017 The complete study should be cited as follows: UNESCO. 2018. World Trends in Freedom of Expression and Media Development: 2017/2018 Global Report, Paris The designations employed and the presentation of material throughout this publication do not imply the expression of any opinion whatsoever on the part of UNESCO concerning the legal status of any country, territory, city or area or of its authori- ties, or concerning the delimiation of its frontiers or boundaries. The ideas and opinions expressed in this publication are those of the authors; they are not necessarily those of UNESCO and do not commit the Organization.
    [Show full text]
  • Economic and Social Council
    UNITED NATIONS E Economic and Social Distr. Council GENERAL E/CN.4/2004/62/Add.1 26 March 2004 ENGLISH/FRENCH/SPANISH ONLY COMMISSION ON HUMAN RIGHTS Sixtieth session Agenda item 11 (c) CIVIL AND POLITICAL RIGHTS, INCLUDING QUESTIONS OF FREEDOM OF EXPRESSION The right to freedom of opinion and expression Addendum ∗ Summary of cases transmitted to Governments and replies received ∗ ∗ The present document is being circulated in the language of submission only as it greatly exceeds the page limitations currently imposed by the relevant General Assembly resolutions GE.04-12400 E/CN.4/2004/62/Add.1 Page 2 CONTENTS Paragraphs Page Introduction 1 – 2 5 SUMMARY OF CASES TRANSMITTED AND REPLIES RECEIVED 3 – 387 5 Afghanistan 3 – 5 5 Albania 6 – 7 6 Algeria 8 – 25 6 Argentina 26 – 34 11 Armenia 35 – 38 13 Azerbaijan 39 – 66 15 Bangladesh 67 – 87 30 Belarus 88 – 94 36 Benin 95 – 96 39 Bolivia 97 – 102 39 Botswana 103 – 106 42 Brazil 107 -108 43 Burkina Faso 109 -111 43 Cambodia 112 – 115 44 Cameroon 116 – 127 45 Central African Republic 128 – 132 49 Chad 133 – 135 50 Chile 136 – 138 51 China 139 – 197 52 Colombia 198 – 212 71 Comoros 213 – 214 75 Côte d’Ivoire 215 – 219 75 Cuba 220 – 237 77 Democratic Republic of the Congo 238 – 257 82 Djibouti 258 – 260 90 Dominican Republic 261 – 262 91 Ecuador 263 – 266 91 Egypt 267 – 296 92 El Salvador 297 – 298 100 Eritrea 299 – 315 100 Ethiopia 316 – 321 104 Gabon 322 – 325 106 Gambia 326 – 328 108 Georgia 329 – 332 109 Greece 333 – 334 111 Guatemala 335 – 347 111 Guinea-Bissau 348 – 351 116 E/CN.4/2004/62/Add.1
    [Show full text]
  • Evidentiary Challenges in Universal Jurisdiction Cases
    Evidentiary challenges in universal jurisdiction cases Universal Jurisdiction Annual Review 2019 #UJAR 1 Photo credit: UN Photo/Yutaka Nagata This publication benefted from the generous support of the Taiwan Foundation for Democracy, the Oak Foundation and the City of Geneva. TABLE OF CONTENTS 6 METHODOLOGY AND ACKNOWLEDGMENTS 7 FOREWORD 8 BUILDING ON SHIFTING SANDS: EVIDENTIARY CHALLENGES IN UNIVERSAL JURISDICTION CASES 11 KEY FINDINGS 12 CASES OF 2018 Argentina 13 VICTIMS DEMAND THE TRUTH ABOUT THE FRANCO DICTATORSHIP 15 ARGENTINIAN PROSECUTORS CONSIDER CHARGES AGAINST CROWN PRINCE Austria 16 SUPREME COURT OVERTURNS JUDGMENT FOR WAR CRIMES IN SYRIA 17 INVESTIGATION OPENS AGAINST OFFICIALS FROM THE AL-ASSAD REGIME Belgium 18 FIVE RWANDANS TO STAND TRIAL FOR GENOCIDE 19 AUTHORITIES ISSUE THEIR FIRST INDICTMENT ON THE 1989 LIBERIAN WAR Finland 20 WAR CRIMES TRIAL RAISES TECHNICAL CHALLENGES 22 FORMER IRAQI SOLDIER SENTENCED FOR WAR CRIMES France ONGOING INVESTIGATIONS ON SYRIA 23 THREE INTERNATIONAL ARREST WARRANTS TARGET HIGH-RANKING AL-ASSAD REGIME OFFICIALS 24 SYRIAN ARMY BOMBARDMENT TARGETING JOURNALISTS IN HOMS 25 STRUCTURAL INVESTIGATION BASED ON INSIDER PHOTOS 26 FIRST IN FRANCE: COMPANY INDICTED FOR CRIMES AGAINST HUMANITY 28 FRANCE REVOKES REFUGEE STATUS OF MASS MASSACRE SUSPECT 29 SAUDI CROWN PRINCE UNDER INVESTIGATION 30 INVESTIGATION OPENS ON BENGAZHY SIEGE 3 31 A EUROPEAN COLLABORATION: SWISS NGO SEEKS A WARLORD’S PROSECUTION IN FRANCE 32 IS SELLING SPYING DEVICE TO AL-ASSAD’S REGIME COMPLICITY IN TORTURE? RWANDAN TRIALS IN
    [Show full text]
  • Explaining Syria By
    Explaining Syria by Esmond Wei An honors thesis submitted in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Bachelor of Science Undergraduate College Leonard N. Stern School of Business New York University May 2015 Professor Marti G. Subrahmanyam Professor Joseph Foudy Faculty Adviser Thesis Adviser Acknowledgments I would like to extend my gratitude and appreciation to my thesis adviser, Professor Joseph Foudy. Throughout this entire process of formulating, conducting, and articulating this thesis, Professor Foudy has been there to provide insight, direction, and resources to make this entire endeavor possible. I appreciate all that he has done throughout the school year and recognize that none of this would be possible without him. I would also like to thank Professor Marti Subrahmanyam for his commitment to the Stern Honors Program. It was truly an unique program to participate in and it would not have been possible without Professor Subrahmanyam and others committing to the program in the manner that they have. Explaining Syria Abstract: The Middle-East has historically been a hotbed of tension, instability, and conflict. Yet, despite the volatile dynamics in the region, until recent years, the region has been governed surprisingly resilient regimes. Only recently, did the Arab Spring dislodge these resilient governments. As the spotlight is currently on the world’s response against the Islamic State and the ongoing civil war in Syria, the popular explanation to this conflict is that sectarianism drove Syria into this crisis. However, we believe that sectarianism alone did not cause the war. Rather, it was a regime that enacted economic policies that strengthened its grip on power but sacrificed long-term effects on growth.
    [Show full text]
  • Voltaire En Assure La Diffusion Exclusive En Des Bases Militaires Utiles À L'attaque De L'irak
    28 janvier 2004 N°43 - France : 0,56 - ISSN en cours L'ayatollah Sistani peut-il nuire aux projets GUERRES PRÉVENTIVES états-uniens ? TRIBUNES LIBRES INTERNATIONALES Au lendemain de la La cible syrienne réunion qui a rassemblé les hommes politiques irakiens chiites autour du Indifférents à l'opposition de Colin Powell, grand ayatollah Ali les faucons préparent la prochaine étape du Sistani, Washington remodelage du Proche-Orient : la s'inquiète du poids de « libération » du Liban et l'attaque de la ses déclarations. Le Syrie. Ils commencent à constituer leur professeur Yitzhak dossier d'accusation pour justifier de ces Nakash se veut rassurant opérations en utilisant la même rhétorique que pour l'Irak, soutien au « terrorisme pour la Maison-Blanche international » et détention d'armes de et affirme qu'on peut destruction massive. Le Pentagone sait négocier avec lui. Au pouvoir s'appuyer sur le général Sharon, contraire, Dilip Hiro impatient de créer un État Maronite au estime que les positions Liban et d'en finir avec la résistance des uns et des autres palestinienne. Le dispositif militaire sera sont peu conciliables, vu la volonté de Washington opérationnel en juin 2004. page 2 de repousser les élections pour maintenir ses hommes au pouvoir. page 8 À NOUVEAU DISPONIBLE La biographie non autorisée de George W. Bush Il y a les biographies de George W. Bush écrites par les communicants de la Maison-Blanche ou les journalistes « amis ». Et il y a Le Cartel Bush, la biographie non autorisée. Celle qui explore en détail l'entourage du président
    [Show full text]
  • The Syria Crisis
    arab uprisings The Syria Crisis February 27, 2012 POMEPS Briefings 9 Contents Unite Syria’s opposition first . .. 5 Managing militarization in Syria . .. 7 When Assad Won . 9 Helping Syria Without War . 12 Finish Him . 14 Rebels Without a Clue . 16 Collectively failing Syrian society . 19 No military option in Syria . 22 Assad’s continued defiance in the face of growing isolation . 25 Assessing Assad . 27 Inside Syria’s Economic Implosion . 29 The Project on Middle East Political Science The Project on Middle East Political Science (POMEPS) is a collaborative network which aims to increase the impact of political scientists specializing in the study of the Middle East in the public sphere and in the academic community . POMEPS, directed by Marc Lynch, is based at the Institute for Middle East Studies at the George Washington University and is supported by the Carnegie Corporation and the Social Science Research Council . It is a co-sponsor of the Middle East Channel (http://mideast .foreignpolicy .com) . For more information, see http://www .pomeps .org . Online Article Index Unite Syria’s opposition first http://mideast .foreignpolicy .com/posts/2012/02/23/unite_syrias_opposition_first Managing militarization in Syria http://mideast .foreignpolicy .com/posts/2012/02/22/managing_militarization_in_syria When Assad Won http://www .foreignpolicy .com/articles/2012/02/22/when_assad_won Helping Syria Without War http://lynch .foreignpolicy .com/posts/2012/02/20/helping_syria_without_war Finish Him http://www .foreignpolicy .com/articles/2012/02/02/finish_him_assad_syria
    [Show full text]
  • Sunni Islamists in Tripoli and the Asad Regime 1966-2014
    View metadata, citation and similar papers at core.ac.uk brought to you by CORE provided by St Andrews Research Repository Syria Studies 20 2 Sunni Islamists in Tripoli and the Asad regime 1966-2014 Tine Gade♣ A city in North Lebanon with 320,310 inhabitants, Tripoli is one of the so-called “sensitive” zones where the Syrian war threatens to spread into Lebanon. While the Syrian army withdrew from North Lebanon in April 2005, Tripoli’s destiny remained intrinsically linked to Syria. This was because of the numerous historical, political, family, and economic ties linking the social space of north Lebanon to its Syrian hinterland. The demographic composition of the city resembles Syria. Tripoli’s population is in majority Sunni Muslim (80.9%) and includes, in addition to a Christian minority in decline, the largest Alawi community in Lebanon (8,9 %, or 28,525 persons) 1 . This paper analyses the consequences of the Syrian intervention and presence in Lebanon on political leadership in Tripoli. It shows how the Syrian presence created alliances, conflicts and divisions still present in Tripoli today. The main argument is that the Syrian presence in Tripoli de- structured Sunni leadership in North Lebanon. New Syrian political-economic networks emerged, where clients were awarded with political and economic influence. Common interests between Tripolitanian businessmen and actors in the Syrian military developed during the period of the Syrian presence. Tripoli’s political field became more split, between winners and losers of the Syrian presence. The losers of the Syrian period included in particular the urban poor, who suffered from Syrian repression and from competition from Syrian labourers.
    [Show full text]
  • A Wasted Decade RIGHTS Human Rights in Syria During Bashar Al-Asad’S First Ten Years in Power WATCH
    Syria HUMAN A Wasted Decade RIGHTS Human Rights in Syria during Bashar al-Asad’s First Ten Years in Power WATCH A Wasted Decade Human Rights in Syria during Bashar al-Asad’s First Ten Years in Power Copyright © 2010 Human Rights Watch All rights reserved. Printed in the United States of America ISBN: 1-56432-663-2 Cover design by Rafael Jimenez Human Rights Watch 350 Fifth Avenue, 34th floor New York, NY 10118-3299 USA Tel: +1 212 290 4700, Fax: +1 212 736 1300 [email protected] Poststraße 4-5 10178 Berlin, Germany Tel: +49 30 2593 06-10, Fax: +49 30 2593 0629 [email protected] Avenue des Gaulois, 7 1040 Brussels, Belgium Tel: + 32 (2) 732 2009, Fax: + 32 (2) 732 0471 [email protected] 64-66 Rue de Lausanne 1202 Geneva, Switzerland Tel: +41 22 738 0481, Fax: +41 22 738 1791 [email protected] 2-12 Pentonville Road, 2nd Floor London N1 9HF, UK Tel: +44 20 7713 1995, Fax: +44 20 7713 1800 [email protected] 27 Rue de Lisbonne 75008 Paris, France Tel: +33 (1)43 59 55 35, Fax: +33 (1) 43 59 55 22 [email protected] 1630 Connecticut Avenue, N.W., Suite 500 Washington, DC 20009 USA Tel: +1 202 612 4321, Fax: +1 202 612 4333 [email protected] Web Site Address: http://www.hrw.org July 2010 1-56432-663-2 A Wasted Decade Human Rights in Syria during Bashar al-Asad’s First Ten Years in Power Executive Summary ............................................................................................................ 1 I. Repression of Political and Human Rights Activism .........................................................
    [Show full text]
  • Information and Liaison Bulletin N°323
    INSTITUT KURD E DE PARIS Information and liaison bulletin N°323 february 2012 The publication of this Bulletin enjoys a subsidy from the French Ministry of Foreign Affairs (DGCID) aqnd the Fonds d’action et de soutien pour l’intégration et la lutte contre les discriminations (The Fund for action and support of integration and the struggle against discrimination) This bulletin is issued in French and English Price per issue : France: 6 € — Abroad : 7,5 € Annual subscribtion (12 issues) France : 60 € — Elsewhere : 75 € Monthly review Directeur de la publication : Mohamad HASSAN Numéro de la Commission Paritaire : 659 15 A.S. ISBN 0761 1285 INSTITUT KURDE, 106, rue La Fayette - 75010 PARIS Tel. : 01-48 24 64 64 - Fax : 01-48 24 64 66 www.fikp.org E-mail: bulletin@fikp.org Information and liaison bulletin Kurdish Institute of Paris Bulletin N° 323 February 2012 • IRAQI KURDISTAN: A FLOOD OF SYRIAN KURDISH DESERTERS. • TURKEY: THE SECRET SERVICES AT THE HEART OF A CLASH BETWEEN THE GOVERNMENT AND THE LEGAL SYSTEM. • IRAN: AN ELECTION CAMPAIGN THAT IS A DISASTER FOR FREEDOM. • LEBANON: THE KURDS STILL FEEL THEY ARE “SECOND CLASS CITIZENS”. • PARIS: AN INTERNATIONAL CONFERENCE ON SYRIA. • CULTURE: DEATH OF DENGBÊJ ELI TICO. IRAQI KURDISTAN: A FLOOD OF SYRIAN KURDISH DESERTERS ver since 2003, Iraqi Irbil with his brother and three Berxwedan indicated that there Kurdistan has been other Syrians, one of whom had were splits within the Army, acting as a country of also deserted. Enrolled into the which is a reflection of all the E asylum for many 15th Brigade, stationed in elements that divide Syria.
    [Show full text]
  • Syria=S Tadmor Prison
    April 1996 Vol. 8, No. 2 (E) SYRIA===S TADMOR PRISON DISSENT STILL HOSTAGE TO A LEGACY OF TERROR SUMMARY ...............................................................................................................................................................2 RECOMMENDATIONS............................................................................................................................................3 PRESSURE ON POLITICAL PRISONERS PRIOR TO RELEASE: THE PRACTICE CONTINUES..................5 ABUSES AT TADMOR MILITARY PRISON: ATHE KINGDOM OF DEATH AND [email protected] Arbitrary Arrest and Long-Term Detention ...................................................................................................9 Torture.........................................................................................................................................................10 Summary Justice: Military Field Court Trials..............................................................................................13 Executions ...................................................................................................................................................14 Burial of Victims: Mass Graves...................................................................................................................16 Isolation of Inmates......................................................................................................................................16 THE NEED FOR ACCOUNTABILITY..................................................................................................................18
    [Show full text]
  • URGENT Lebanese Prisoners Detained in Syria: a Priority Question to Raise Before the Syrian Authorities
    URGENT Lebanese prisoners detained in Syria: A priority question to raise before the Syrian authorities Paris, 8 July 2005 Mouvement franco-libanais SOLIDA (Soutien aux Libanais Détenus Arbitrairement) Membre du Réseau Euro-Méditerranéen des Droits de l’Homme 28, Avenue des Princes – 93460 – GOURNAY SUR MARNE / France Tel/Fax : (33) 01 43 05 68 67 e-mail : [email protected] site Internet: www.solida.org Dear Madam, Dear Sir, You will soon examine the report presented by the Syrian Arab Republic in accordance with the article 40 of the pact. In this document, we are taking the liberty of bringing you some precisions in the absence of relevant answer from the Syrian government about point 13 of the list of issues. “13. Please provide information on steps taken to establish an independent commission of inquiry on the alleged disappearances of Syrian nationals and Lebanese nationals arrested in Lebanon by Syrian forces, then transferred to Syria (concluding observations of March 2001, paragraph 10)” (Syrian Arab Republic 28/04/2005. CCPR/C84/L/SYR) The SOLIDA movement (Support for Lebanese Detained Arbitrarily) feels sharply concerned by the situation of Lebanese detained in solitary confinement in the Syrian prisons. Since 1976, Syria resorts to kidnapping on the Lebanese territory. Nowadays, we assess that at least 200 Lebanese are still detained in Syria without having been judged, in solitary confinement and suffering from inhuman conditions. To give one example of conditions of detention suffered by these prisoners: in 1998, a Lebanese released from of a Syrian prison declared that he blinded himself in the eyes in order to be released and to escape his torturers.
    [Show full text]