The Arab Program for Human Rights Activists is following up with deep concern the developments of the deteriorated conditions of human rights activists and civil society in Syria, where the security authorities used to pursue them and accuse them with false charges and under a flimsy and flexible legal texts which enabling it to blast all the rights and freedoms. In this context, the first Criminal Court sentenced Mr. Mash’al Altamo, the member of the civil society revival committees to three and a half years of prison on charges of: the publication of allegations aimed at weakening the nationalism and inciting sectarian and racism, as well as the dissemination of false news that would undermine public confidence in the country. In addition to deprive him of civil and political rights, Mr Altamo is serving his sentence in Adra prison, Syria.
It should be noted that the trial which took place yesterday lacked the standards of fair trials, where the Court did not allow Altamo’s attorney to practice the right of defense and did not respond to his request for hearing the defense witnesses.
On this context, The Arab Program condemns such trials which are intended merely to condemn the civil society activists and scare them and throw them in prisons and detention centers. Meanwhile, the Program confirms the violation of the text of article 14 of the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights that ensuring the right of submitting to a fair trial. Moreover, the Program denounces these procedures that violate the texts and the provisions of the Syrian law itself.
The Arab program believes that the policy of the Iron Fist of the Syrian authorities against human rights activists will increase the activists’ determination to continue the peaceful and legal struggle for the establishment of the rights and freedoms in Syria.
The Arab program calls for the Syrian authorities to amend the legislation to fit the legal provisions of international conventions, which were ratified and thus became an integral part of the national legislation, particularly articles of the Penal Code, and the pace of work to end the state of emergency declared in 1963 until now.
Furthermore, The Arab program for Human Rights Activists stresses on the necessity of releasing all prisoners of Jurists of human rights activists and civil society activists, and calls upon the authorities not to involve the judicial system in political issues and not to make it as a tool in order to eliminate the activists.
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About AHRC: The Asian Human Rights Commission is a regional non-governmental organisation monitoring and lobbying human rights issues in Asia. The Hong Kong-based group was founded in 1984. The above statement has only been forwarded by the AHRC.
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