Syrian Human Rights Defender Detained and Harassed

The Euro-Mediterranean Human Rights Network (EMHRN) is deeply concerned about the detention and harassment of Mr. Aktham Naisse, EMHRN individual member, President of the Committees for the Defense of Democratic Liberties and Human Rights in Syria (CDF), a member organisation of the EMHRN.

In the late afternoon of 11 February, Mr. Naisse was summoned to report at the military secret service station, branch “al-Mintaqa” in Damascus. Mr. Naisse was detained and interrogated by two high ranking military officers until after midnight. Mr. Naisse was released in the early afternoon today.

According to our information, the military secret services accused Mr. Naisse and CDF of having illegal contacts and being “the workers of Europe, USA and Israel”. They built their accusations on conversations tapped from Mr. Naisse’s telephone, which clearly seems to be under surveillance by the Syrian authorities. The arrest follows the latest petition “To end the state of emergency in Syria” (published on-line in the end of January[1]). The military secret service officers said that the number of signatories, today numbering more than 3500, was a sign of CDF having illegal international contacts.

During the detention the high ranking officers verbally harassed Mr. Naisse who is due to travel abroad in a couple of days. The officers threatened not to allow him to leave Syria, or if he does, that he might not be allowed to return. They also hinted at other things or accidents “that might happen”.

The EMHRN finds the detention and harassment very alarming in the context of Syrian authorities’ disrespect for human rights.

The EMHRN calls upon

the Syrian authorities to put an end to harassment, intimidation, threats, and deliberate attacks on human rights defenders, and to respect its human rights commitments according to international standards and as expressed in the Barcelona Declaration to which Syria is a part as well as the UN Declaration on Human Rights Defenders (of 9 December 1998)

the European Union to put pressure on Syria to respect international human rights and international laws, particularly now that the EU is in the process of negotiating an Association Agreement with Syria

the international community to express their concern about the situation for human rights defenders and human rights organisations in Syria, and to continue supporting them.

For further information please contact:
Marit Floe Joergensen, Information Officer
Tel: +45-32 69 89 12 / Fax: +45-32 95 65 54
E-mail: info@euromedrights.net



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[1] www.petitiononline.com/1000000/petition.html