HRW: Repression of Activists Continues in Syria

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Human Rights Watch released a report yesterday documenting that the Syrian authorities continue to arrest, try, and harass political and human rights activists. Amidst increasing calls in Western countries to increase diplomatic engagement with Syrian authorities, Human Rights Watch urged that “an improvement in the treatment of these activists be at the heart of any future talks with the Syrian authorities.”

According to HRW, The French daily Le Monde reported on June 9, 2008, that President Nicholas Sarkozy of France plans to send two senior envoys, Jean-David Levitte and Claude Gueant, to Syria as early as June 12, as ties suspended last year over Lebanon’s political crisis start to thaw. HRW also reported that US senators John Kerry and Chuck Hagel co-wrote an op-ed in the Wall Street Journal last week calling for increased engagement with Syria following “the recent announcement of peace negotiations between Israel and Syria through Turkey, and the agreement between the Lebanese factions in Qatar.”

As a response, HRW released a statement saying that “Any engagement with Syria must include an open discussion of human rights concerns, including the fate of political prisoners and other Syrians who suffer abuse,” in addition, “The authorities in Damascus are still harassing anyone who dares criticize them.”

In May alone, Syria arrested at least 16 human rights activists, including a 23 year old blogger and a 60 year old writer and political analyst, who was taken to an undisclosed location where he remains in incommunicado detention.

“These activists are in jail because they dared to express their opinions,” said Sarah Leah Whitson, Human Rights Watch’s Middle East and North Africa director. “We hope that Western diplomats talking to Syria will show the same courage and tell the Syrian authorities that they need to release these activists.”

In addition, Syrian authorities continue to restrict hundreds of activists from leaving the country. Seven political and human rights activists were directly affected by these restrictions in May including Radif Mustafa, the chairperson of the Kurdish Committee for Human Rights, who was barred from traveling to Paris to participate in a workshop organized by the Euro-Mediterranean Human Rights Network from May 19-23. Likewise, Zaradasht Muhammad and `Abdel Rahman Ahmad, who are two Kurdish political activists, were prevented from traveling to Iraq on May 12 to meet other Iraqi Kurdish parties.