The Syrian Organization for Human Rights (Swasiya)
Nobody should be subjected to torture nor cruel, inhumane or humiliating treatment or punishment.
Paragraph VII of the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights
Press Release
In the presence of many interested people, and of professors and lawyers, among which were Daad Moussa, Noura Ghazi, Sireen Khouri, Barjas Fanad, Anwar Bunni, Khalil Maatouq as well as the lawyer Mohannad Hosni, president of the Syrian Organization for Human Rights. The group of intellectuals that were arrested in front of the Hassan Mosque 5 days ago were transferred to the public prosecuter in Damascus this morning and charged with conducting illegal demonstrations. The detainees are : The lawyer Majdoleen Hassan, Mai Sakkaf, Ghayfara Nemr, Yam Mashhadi, Reema Fleihan, Dana Baqdounes, Sarah Taweel, Rana Shalabi, Nahleh Malas, Ahmad Malas, Mohammad Iyad Sharbaji, Abdul Rahman Hosni, Khaldoun Fyoumi (WHAT IS ALSHAHEER BEL KHATEEB), Salem Hajjo, Nidal Hassan, Fadi Zeydan, Abdul Hadi Bazer Basha, Basel Shhadeh, Fadi Hussein, Abdul Aziz Doreid, Rami Asheq, Mohannad Mansour, Bland Hamza, Mozaffar Salman
The attorney general in Damascus, Mr. Marwan AlLouji, prevented lawyers appearing from claiming the judicial mandate or being with their clients during the questioning until they organize a judicial mandate document, despite the existence of a legal provision allows the lawyer to claim the judicial mandate and be with his client before the courts until the organization of the judicial mandate, and therefore a binding legal text had been initiated for the benefit of the accused was disabled by Mr. attorney General in Damascus.
By the end of the interrogation the attorney general issued an ordered to the police to invoke the defendants to meet them in his room, and prevented lawyers from entering, and he warned the defendants of the consequences to demonstrate again, he ended the interview once a detainee asked him a question if the prohibition of publicly gathering and peacefully demonstrating is forbidden to everyone or that prevention targets only opposition demonstrations and the pro-government are welcomed to demonstrate.
After coming out of his office, one of the mothers tried to film her son with her mobile phone, and was arrested because of this and sent back to the Attorney General office in a humiliating manner. The latter addressed her using inappropriate words and inspected her mobile phone with the police. The mother started begging and pleading after she was threatened of being arrested; after which Attorney General decided to release her, and issued orders to police not to allow lawyers to follow their clients while going out of the palace of justice using the back door ..!!
Most judiciary statements confirmed that arrests were random and without evidence. The detainees haven’t violated the law before the arrests and most arrests were done by Shabiha (regime’s armed thugs) who had beaten the intellectuals, kicked and slapped them before handing them over to security services. Some detainees were tortured by criminal division agents . Some of the detainees had bandages, wounds and bruises.
On the other hand, a group of Shabiha surrounded the Justice Palace in Damascus, and started an unauthorized demonstration while waiting for detainees to come out. Their goal was to complete was they had started at the time of the arrest. When the judge asked policemen to dismiss them, chief of police section in Justice palace came in and asked him to wait until they finish the demonstration and go away by their own even if the demonstration wasn’t authorized.
The Syrian Organization for Human Rights believes that inciting Syrians on each other because of ideological differences, covering them and releasing their hands against those having a different opinion is a blatant form of discrimination and is far from civilized behavior.
Syrian authorities should treat all Syrians equally and respect the right of peaceful protest and freedom of speech and expression before speaking about any prospective reform.
The Syrian Organization for Human Rights (Swasiya)
16/07/2011
Board of Directors
