Description of the situation :
The Observatory has been informed by the Committees for the Defence of Human Rights and Democratic Freedoms in Syria (CDF) about the sentencing of Mr. Ahmed Al Haji Al Khalaf, a member of the Syrian branch of the Arab Organisation for Human Rights (AOHR).
According to the information received, on April 22, 2008, Mr. Al Khalaf was sentenced to a 10 days imprisonment sentence by the Military Tribunal of Raka (in the North-east of Syria) for "defamation" and "weakening the moral of the State", after having published an article criticising the lack of transparency and democracy in the functioning and the decision-making process of the Department of Education in Raka. Mr. Al Khalaf appealed the sentence.
The Observatory expresses its deepest concern about the sentencing of Mr. Ahmed Al Haji Al Khalaf, as it seems to merely aim at sanctioning his activities in favour of human rights.
The Observatory also fears for Mr. Rassoul’s physical and psychological integrity as an increasing number of human rights defenders have been subjected to torture or ill-treatments by the authorities over the past years.
Actions requested:
Please write to the Syrian authorities, urging them to:
i. Put an end to the judicial harassment against Mr. Al Khalaf, as it merely aims to hinder his human rights activities;
ii. Ensure that Mr. Al Khalaf be granted a fair and impartial trial by the military Court of appeal;
iii. Put an end to the harassment against all human rights defenders in the Syrian Arab Republic;
iv. Conform with the provisions of the UN Declaration on Human Rights Defenders, adopted by the General Assembly of the United Nations on December 9, 1998, especially its Article 1, which states that "everyone has the right, individually and in association with others, to promote and to strive for the protection and realization of human rights and fundamental freedoms at the national and international levels", and Article 12.2, which provides that "the State shall take all necessary measures to ensure the protection by the competent authorities of everyone, individually and in association with others, against any violence, threats, retaliation, de facto or de jure adverse discrimination, pressure or any other arbitrary action as a consequence of his or her legitimate exercise of the rights referred to in the present Declaration";
v. Ensure in all circumstances respect for human rights and fundamental freedoms in accordance with international human rights standards and international instruments ratified by the Syrian Arab Republic.
Addresses:
· President, His Excellency Bashar al-Assad, Presidential Palace, al-Rashid Street, Damascus, Syrian Arab Republic, Fax: + 963 11 332 3410
· Minister of Defence, His Excellency General, Hassan Ali Turkmani, Ministry of Defence, Omayyad Square, Damascus, Syrian Arab Republic, Fax: +963 11 223 7842
· Minister of Justice, His Excellency Muhammad al-Ghafari, Ministry of Justice, Al-Nasr Street, Damascus, Syrian Arab Republic, Fax: +963 11 666 2460
· Minister of Foreign Affairs, His Excellency Walid Mu’allim, Ministry of Foreign Affairs, al-Rashid Street, Damascus, Syrian Arab Republic, Fax: + 963 11 332 7620
· Ambassador Faysal Khabbaz Hamoui, Permanent Mission of the Syrian Arab Republic to the UN in Geneva, 72 rue de Lausanne, 1202 Geneva, Switzerland, Fax: +41 22 738 42 75, Email: mission.syria@ties.itu.in
· Embassy and Mission to the European Union of the Syrian Arab Republic in Brussels, 1 avenue F.D. Roosevelt, 1050 Brussels, Belgium, Fax: + 32 2 648 14 85.