SYRIAN HUMAN RIGHTS COMMITTEE REPORT ON THE HUMAN RIGHTS SITUATION IN SYRIA OVER A 20-YEAR PERIOD 1979-1999 Copyright ©2001 by Syrian Human Rights Committee(SHRC) No part of this publication may be reproduced, transmitted, or translated in any form or by any means, electronics, mechanical, manual, optical or otherwise, withought the priror written permission of SHRC. July 2001, First Edition. Not available on hardcopy format, but the full report can be downloaded from SHRC web site on http://www.shrc.org Visit Syrian Human Rights Committee web site on: http://www.shrc.org Postal Address: Syrian Human Rights Committee (SHRC) BCM Box: 2789, London WC1N 3XX, UK Fax: +44 (0)870 137 7678 Email: [email protected] 1 Report on the Human Rights Situation in Syria Over a 20-year Period FOREWORD The Syrian Human Rights Committee has issued its report on the human rights situation in Syria over a twenty-year period, at a time which coincides with rapid global changes and proper international developments, in favour of respecting democratic freedoms and safeguarding human rights. While the international trend is heading progressively towards promoting respect for human rights, the Syrian regime is moving against history and the spirit of the age, in a direction contrary to the Syrian, Arab, and international public opinion. Thus, the repressive nature of this regime represents the utmost setback to values and principles acknowledged by international legitimacy. This report, which is issued by the Syrian Human Rights Committee, deals with the human rights situation in Syria over a twenty-year period as of 1979, in which the Syrian people’s groups, parties, and sects moved and called for respecting human rights. The Syrian Government repressed this movement using all the force it had, and was not satisfied with employing the internal security forces to thwart this movement. In fact, the Syrian army troops, heavy weapons including air fighters, tanks, artillery and rocket launchers were used by the government as if it was fighting a hostile state. Repression, persecution, murder, torture, detention, and taking hostages have continued until this report was issued. To maintain objectivity in the publications addressed to its readers, our Committee has depended on the reports issued solely by International Human Rights Organizations. However, the Committee refrained from publishing a great deal of information attained through its own sources but was not confirmed by an international organization. 2 Report on the Human Rights Situation in Syria Over a 20-year Period TABLE OF CONTENTS FOREWORD.................................................................................................................................................. 2 TABLE OF CONTENTS................................................................................................................................ 3 INTRODUCTION .......................................................................................................................................... 6 INTERNATIONAL ORGANIZATIOINS AND THE HUMAN RIGHTS VIOLATION IN SYRIA......................................... 9 Amnesty International Organization, headquartered in London ................................................................. 9 Human Rights Watch Organization, headquartered in New York ............................................................... 9 The United Nations Human Rights Committee issued the following reports on the human rights violations in Syria....................................................................................................................................................... 10 International Committee for Defense of Human Rights in Syria, headquartered in Brussels...................... 11 CHAPTER I - RIGHT TO LIFE ................................................................................................................. 16 SECTION (1) MASS SLAUGHTERS.......................................................................................................... 17 TADMUR JAIL SLAUGHTER........................................................................................................................... 17 What is the legal description of the Tadmur Jail Slaughter?..................................................................... 19 First: Tadmur Slaughter Crime according to the Agreement for the Prevention and Punishment of the Genocide Crime Against the Human Race ............................................................................................... 21 Second: Tadmur Slaughter, an international crime, according to the rule of international responsibility .. 25 Statement made by Isa Ibrahim Hamid Fayyadh...................................................................................... 26 Statement made by Criminal: Akram Bishani........................................................................................... 30 Statement made by the criminal: Taha Al-Khaldi..................................................................................... 34 Information about the Tadmur Jail.......................................................................................................... 35 Names of participants in planning and carrying out the Tadmur Slaughter .............................................. 35 SLAUGHTERS COMMITTED AGAINST THE HAMAH POPULATION ...................................................................... 37 First Part: Minor and similar slaughters (1976-1981) ............................................................................. 37 Second Part: The Major Slaughter .......................................................................................................... 46 SLAUGHTER CARRIED OUT IN ALEPPO CITY .................................................................................................. 90 “Sunday Market” Slaughter.................................................................................................................... 90 Hananu (Masharqah) Slaughter.............................................................................................................. 90 SLAUGHTERS IN THE IDLIB GOVERNORATE ................................................................................................... 92 Shaghur Bridge Slaughter ....................................................................................................................... 92 Sarmada Slaughter ................................................................................................................................. 93 Al-Raqqah Slaughter............................................................................................................................... 94 SECTIONS (2) EXECUTIONS ACCORDING TO REPRESSIVE LAWS AND QUASI TRIALS........... 95 1. REPRESSIVE LAWS................................................................................................................................... 95 Syrian Government’s legal obligations according to Article (2) of the International Pact on Civil and Political Rights ....................................................................................................................................... 95 The Syrian Constitution gives the Government a justification for continuing to apply repressive laws....... 97 The State of Emergency and its negative impact on the human rights ....................................................... 97 Legislative Decree No. (6) issued on 7th Jan. 1965..................................................................................105 Law No. (49) issued in July 1980 considers every member of the Moslem Brethren Group as a criminal punishable by death ...............................................................................................................................106 2. NOMINAL TRIALS....................................................................................................................................111 1. Higher State Security Court................................................................................................................111 2. Military Field Courts .........................................................................................................................113 Authority Supervising Extraordinary Penal Courts.................................................................................113 Extraordinary Courts Measures and the Extent of Actual Guarantees for Exercising the Right to Self- Defense Before these Courts...................................................................................................................115 3 Report on the Human Rights Situation in Syria Over a 20-year Period Impermissible Challenge of Resolutions by Extraordinary Courts is a Common feature between these Courts....................................................................................................................................................118 Actual Implementation of the Extraordinary Penal Courts and their Repression of Freedoms in Syria.....120 Illegitimacy of the Resolutions taken by Extraordinary Penal Courts a Human Rights Perspective ..........122 The Position of the Legitimate Bar Association in Syria and Scientific Associations’ Solidarity with it Towards Cancellation of Extraordinary Courts ......................................................................................123 Arab Non-Governmental Organizations (NGOs) Attitude Towards Extraordinary Courts