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SHRC Calls the 8th of March 2004 a National Day Against Emergency Laws
SHRC
Syria has been suffocating over the past 41 years as a result of the Emergency Laws which were imposed on the 8th of March 1963 following the coup de tat which brought the Ba'th Party to power. Despite the approval of a permanent constitution in 1973, which itself consisted of grave faults and shortcoming, Article 153 thereof stopped any of its contents being implemented, as it stipulated the continuance of the state of emergency, and legitimised all exceptional laws, tyrannical measures and on-site court trials that followed, all of which continue to be practiced and in effect under the pretext of countering the foreign enemy.
Throughout those 41 years, the state of emergency has expanded to include many more oppressive, arbitrary and tyrannical laws that have been enacted and many courts, both special and exceptional, have been held. Under the pretext of the martial laws, prison cells have been filled and thousands have been detained and inhumanely tortured. 17,000 political prisoners remain unaccounted for and are thought to have died under torture or have been killed in one of the many massacres committed in the prisons of Palmyra and Al-Mazza as well as in the various Intelligence and Security Force bureaus throughout Syria, following fictitious trials which lacked the most basic principles of justice and impartiality.
It goes without saying that all sections of the political, social and racial array have suffered immensely from these oppressive and arbitrary measures, and many continue to linger in Syrian prison cells because of their political views, ideas, stands, affiliations or tendencies. One of the main consequences of the imposition of Emergency Laws, was that authority and power were concentrated in the hands of a small group who took advantage of this, exercised oppression and tyranny across the board, and committed a number of massacres which claimed the lives of tens of thousands of innocent citizens.
The totalitarian authority governing Syria has proved its absolute failure in solving any of the country's political, social, economic or ethnic problems and resorted to exercising extreme oppression instead, and referred all problems through security and intelligence channels in accordance to the mandate granted by the Emergency Laws and the exceptional regulations that followed.
Furthermore, the regime failed in dealing with critical issues, ranging from the occupied Syrian lands to Syria's presence in Lebanon and many other issues no less threatening to the country and its future.
The continuation of Emergency Laws over a number of decades has resulted in the country reaching a state of total political and social collapse, economic stagnation and malfunction, widespread corruption, siphoning of national wealth and the transgression of security forces in respect to all sectors of Syrian life.
As a result of the regime's continued insistence to pursue the same oppressive means through the persistence of the state of emergency and martial laws throughout the country despite all the appeals and calls from human rights groups and civil society organisations, the Syrian Human Rights Committee has declared the 8th of March 2004 a national day of protest against the state of emergency and calls for a total upheaval and reform of political, social, cultural, ideological and economic areas, following 41 years of such an abnormal state of affairs. SHRC also calls on Syrians as well as Syria's friends and those who uphold human rights all over the world, to hold a peaceful vigil in front of Syrian Embassies on the 8th of March 2004, and call for the following:
The lifting of the state of emergency and martial laws.
The annulment of all exceptional courts and trials.
Ceasing all oppressive and exceptional laws which were issued under the state of emergency.
Stopping all tyrannical detentions and pursuits outside the realms of the law and justice.
The release of all political prisoners and prisoners of conscience, and the compensation of all those who spent years in prison and suffered immensely on all levels.
Reinstating the civil rights and liberties to all those whom were stripped thereof and compensating them for the harm that came unto them as a result.
Allowing the return of those exiled and deported whether voluntarily or forcibly and offering them legal guarantees of a safe passage.
Opening the cases of those who have disappeared and are unaccounted for and reinstating their or their relatives' rights and offering them compensation.
Reinstating the Syrian citizenship to those whom were stripped of it without due right and in contradiction of the Constitution.
Allowing public freedoms including the freedom of expression and the formation of political parties and civil organisations in order to steer the country towards a democratic future.
Accordingly, the Interim Executive Office of the Syrian Human Rights Committee in London, has decided to hold a peaceful vigil in front of the Syrian Embassy in London on Monday the 8th of March from 1.00 pm until 3.00 pm, demanding the lifting of the state of emergency and achieving the demands listed above.
The Syrian Human Rights Committee appeals to Syrian citizens in other capital cities to arrange for similar vigils on the aforementioned date.

Address of Syrian Embassy in London
8 Belgrave Square
SW1X 8PH
London

Nearest Underground Stations:
Hyde Park Corner (Piccadilly Line)
Knightsbridge (Piccadilly Line)
Victoria (Victoria, District and Circle Lines)






PLF: Abu Abbas to be buried in Syria; autopsy may prove his assassination
Omar Shibly, deputy secretary-general of the PLF, revealed to Al Bawaba that the body of Abu Abbas will now be buried in Syria. The late PLF leader was supposed to be buried in the West Bank but the Israeli government refused the request.
Shibly was thankful to the Syrian government for accepting to have Abu Abbas buried in Damascus.
"The Americans did not hand over the body yet. They accepted to hand it over to us...but they did not set a date yet." Shibly added.
Regarding whether he thinks that Abu Abbas' death was of natural causes, Shibly commented, "Personally, I am convinced that he was assassinated. He was in very good health. The last letter we got from him was a week before his death...in it he assured us that he was in good heath and spirits."
Shilby also asserted that the PLF is holding the US responsible for the death of their leader.
"An Arab and Palestinian panel will be formed to try to get to the bottom of the issue. Also, we will be asking for an international panel to investigate the incident. The most obvious proof that Abu Abbas was assassinated is because he died in US custody." Shibly added. (albawaba.com)


Arab human rights group holds Syrian government responsible for Friday's riots
Haitham Al Manaa', spokesperson for the Arab panel for human rights, told Al Bawaba Sunday that the panel has invited various Arab and Kurdish parties to meet in Paris to discuss Al Qamishli riots that took place last Friday. Al Manaa' added that the panel is also stressing the urgent need for reform.
The panel held the Syrian security apparatus responsible for the tragedy. Reports said that at least 15 people were killed in the riots that interrupted a soccer match between Syria's Jihad and Fatwa teams.
"The Syrian security apparatus are the ones to blame; they were the ones who opened fire on innocent civilians. We ask all Syrians to rise above the calls for sectarianism and to listen to the voice of reason in order to solve this issue" Manaa' told Al Bawaba.
"We are demanding a local yet independent panel to investigate the incident. In the case that such a panel is not formed, we would be willing to cooperate with the human rights organizations in Syria [within the scope of the investigation] to try to establish the parties responsible," Manaa' concluded.
Ghazi Al Deeb, director general of the Syrian Arab News Agency - SANA, (the official government news source), explained to Al Bawaba that what had happened in Qamishli was very sad indeed, however "many parties are trying to exaggerate the incident for their own political gain. A mere sporting riot was exploited to get people to leave the stadium and street-riot," Deeb added.
Syria's state-run newspapers and news agencies generally act as mouthpieces for the government.
"Kurds are an essential part of Syrian society. The Syrian government does not differentiate between its citizens, especially within its official institutions. Syria had a Kurdish prime minister in the past and the current grand mufti of Syria is a Kurd...serving his post as a Syrian rather than a Kurd," Deeb explained.
Deeb also confirmed that the Syrian government has already formed an investigative panel to look into the incident. The panel is expected to conduct a thorough investigation and bring those responsible to justice. (Albawaba)



More Kurds, Arabs reported killed in northern Syria
At least 17 Kurds were killed in northern Syria in clashes with Arabs, as unrest among the Kurdish population spread to more towns and villages, an official of a Kurdish party told reporters on Wednesday.
Mashaal Timo, a member of the political bureau of the Kurdish People's Union, said nine people were killed in the Asharafiye and Sheikh Maksud districts of Aleppo, the main northwestern city.
Another six were killed in the village of Ifrin, 40km northwest of Aleppo and two others in Ras al-Ain, on the Turkish border to the northeast, he told the AFP.
The clashes started on Tuesday and continued overnight, and followed police suppression of rioting in the city of Qamishli, in which at least 19 Kurds were reported killed at the weekend following disturbances during a football match.
Timo conveyed Arabs had also been killed at Qamishli and Arab tribesmen seeking revenge had attacked Kurdish villages along the Turkish border, including Amuda, Derik, Ain Diwar, Malkiye and Derbassiye.
According to Timo, Syrian authorities made efforts to restore calm and had held a meeting with leaders of both sides. (Albawaba.com)





Gains made by Kurds raise hopes, spur riots
By Nicholas Blanford
The Christian Science Monitor
BAGHDAD, Iraq -- It's the worst domestic unrest in Syria in two decades. Over the weekend and into Monday, Kurds rioted in several Syrian towns adjacent to Iraq and Turkey, prompting swift intervention by Syrian troops.
At least 14 Kurds died in riots, which began Friday in Qamishli during a brawl between Kurdish and Arab soccer fans. The violence reportedly began when Arab fans began chanting support for Saddam Hussein. According to diplomats in Damascus, Syrian security forces fired on the crowd, killing six people. Three children were trampled to death in the ensuing panic. Rioting the next day killed five people in Hasake, a town of Arabs and Kurds 50 miles south of Qamishli.
Violent outbursts by Syria's Kurdish minority reinforces concerns that recent political gains by Kurds in Iraq will embolden Kurds in neighboring lands to seek greater recognition. Some analysts see Kurdish ambitions for independence as a regional powder keg. Kurds have been a significant minority in Syria, Iraq, Turkey and Iran since the early 1900s, when Kurdish lands were divided as the Ottoman Empire disintegrated.
The U.S.-led war in Iraq was opposed by Syria and Iran, in part due to the potential ramifications of a resurgent Kurdish community in Iraq's north. Turkey, a regional ally of Washington, also was worried about the way the war's aftermath would impact its own Kurdish population.
Kurds in Iraq have enjoyed near autonomy for the past 12 years under a U.S. and British protective umbrella. Iraq's interim constitution, passed last week, formally recognized Kurdish control over three provinces in northern Iraq, prompting jubilant Kurds to take to the streets in Iranian cities.
The growing influence of Iraqi Kurds has apparently struck a chord with Syria's Kurdish population. Violent demonstrations such as the one over the weekend rarely happen in Syria, where the ruling Baath party maintains tight control over signs of dissent.
In the early 1970s, thousands of Arabs settled in Kurdish villages along the Turkish frontier. Kurdish place names were replaced by Arab names and the Kurdish language was banned from schools.
Restrictions on the Kurds gradually eased under Syrian President Hafez al-Assad who died in 2000.

Copyright ? 2004 The Seattle Times Company


Bashar Arriving Today for Talks
Staff Writer
RIYADH, 17 March 2004 -- Syrian President Bashar Assad will arrive here today for talks ahead of an Arab League heads of state summit later this month, an Arab diplomatic source said yesterday.
During his one-day visit, Bashar will discuss "the Arab situation, namely in Iraq and the Middle East, as well as recent developments in Syria," the source said requesting anonymity.
The reference to "recent developments in Syria" concerned the Kurdish riots which swept through several towns and villages in northeast Syria over the weekend, and which the Kingdom denounced on Monday.
Bashar's meetings in Saudi Arabia will also focus on the Arab summit in Tunis opening March 29, the source said.
Foreign ministers of the Arab League's 22 members held talks earlier this month in Cairo to draw up a blueprint for radical reform of their organization, to be submitted to the two-day summit at the initiative of Saudi Arabia, Syria and Egypt.
Egyptian Foreign Minister Ahmad Maher earlier responded to criticism of the Saudi-Egyptian-Syrian initiative saying the door was open for any other countries to join, according to Al-Watan Arabic newspaper.
He was speaking ahead of a possible further meeting between the three countries' foreign ministers to prepare for the Tunis summit.
Maher denied suggestions the three countries were forming an "axis", and said the three-way meeting was owing to nothing more sinister than the friendly relations between them.
Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak met Bashar on Sunday in Damascus and discussed the need for Arab reform to come from within and not from outside the region, Egypt's state television reported Monday.
The Arab foreign ministers earlier this month also covered a US plan for democratic reform in the Middle East, an issue the ministers decided to refer to their heads of state to discuss in Tunis.
The "Greater Middle East Initiative" has been widely rejected by Arab states, who insist that any reform cannot be imposed and must be internal.
Washington hopes to launch the scheme, which it says will bolster democracy in the Middle East, during a summit of the Group of Eight (G-8) industrialized nations in June.
The US says its initiative aims to encourage democratic reform and economic opening in the Arab world and other Muslim countries.
Seven Arab countries have presented written proposals for the reform of the Arab League, including Libya and Yemen, both of which suggest changing it into an "Arab Union".
All of the written submissions agreed on the need for a collective will to implement League commitments, reform relations between Arab states, and ensure respect for each country's sovereignty.
The most intriguing procedural issue is whether to do away with the consensus required on every decision taken and getting nations to abide by what does pass by majority vote.
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The Massacre of the Military Artillery School at Aleppo - Special Report


SHRC


On 16th June 1979, in collaboration with a number of the Combatant Vanguard (Attali'a el-Moukatillah) headed by Adnan Uqla, Captain Ibrahim el-Yousuf, the officer on duty (in charge of moral and political steering and head of Ba'ath Party Unit) at the Military Artillery school, located at el-Ramouseh district in Aleppo province, committed a massacre, killing 32 cadets and wounding 54 others. The culprits targeted cadets from the Alawite sect, however the then minister of information Mr. Ahmad Iskander Ahmad stated that they included Christians and Sunni Muslims.

The then Syrian minister of the interior, Mr. Adnan Dabbagh accused, in an official statement on 22nd June 1979 the Muslim Brotherhood Organisation for being behind the killings. He said: " The latest of their (Muslim Brotherhood) assassinations was that in the artillery school in Aleppo, where they were able to bribe a member of the armed forces, Captain Ibrahim el-Yousuf, who was born in Tadif, a village in the Governorate of Aleppo. They utilised his presence and his powers on the day when he was duty the officer at the school. On the evening of Saturday 16 June, el-Yousuf was able to bring a number of criminals of the Muslim Brotherhood organisation into the school. He then called the cadets to attend an urgent meeting in the mess hall. When they rushed from their beds in response to his orders and came to the hall, he ordered his criminals accomplices to open fire. Automatic weapons were fired and hand grenades were thrown. In a few moments, 32 unarmed young cadets were killed and 54 wounded."

On their part, the Muslim Brotherhood Organisation denied any knowledge of the carnage prior to its occurrence, they also denied any involvement in a statement distributed two days later, on 24th June 1979. The statement was entitled: A Statement from Muslim Brotherhood about facts finding and history testimony regarding the artillery school incident in Alepp "The Muslim Brotherhood organisation was surprised, exactly as the others were surprised at the campaign launched against them by Adnan Dabbagh, the Syrian minister of the interior, accusing them of treason and treasury ..., charging them with things which he is well aware that they have nothing to do with. He blamed them for the carnage committed at the artillery school and also the assassinations that took and are still taking place in Syria."

In their statement, Muslim Brotherhood made clear that the group that committed the carnage, including Ibrahim el-Yousuf are well known to the Syrian authority, and that they have nothing to do with Muslim Brotherhood: "a- Captain Ibrahim el-Yousuf who committed the carnage at the artillery school in Aleppo is known as an active member of the (ruling) Syrian Ba'ath Party. He has not any connection with Muslim Brotherhood. So, why his actions are imputed to Muslim Brotherhood ? "

In the aforesaid statement, the Brotherhood challenged the Syrian authority to give any evidence about their involvement in the massacre: " The Muslim Brotherhood challenges any authority in the world to prove, via neutral inquest, whether their leadership or members have ever committed violence; nonetheless the Syrian rule have found many adversaries who believe in the use of violence."

Twenty years later, the present leader general of the Syrian Muslim Brotherhood Mr. Ali Sadruddin al-Bayanouni defended his organisation's innocence when interviewed by " No Frontiers" programme transmitted by Aljazeera satellite channel on 7th July 1999: "the Syrian authority made us responsible for incidents which we have nothing to do with, like the artillery school massacre, despite the fact that we issued a statement revealing our position. Those who committed the carnage left their statements", he said Mr. Husni Abo, the leader of the "Combatant Vanguard" who was arrested after the massacre and executed in prison in 1980, said in a televised interview (while still in custody) broadcasted by the Syrian TV in 1980 that he had not approved the massacre. It is said also that Mr. Abdusattar el-Zaim who was killed by the authority near Damascus (1979) and who led the Vanguard after the death of Marwan Hadid in prison (1975) was also against executing the massacre. In the meanwhile Adnan Uqla was very determined to carry out the action. He planned for the massacre and committed it in collaboration with Captain Ibrahim el-Yousuf.

Immediately after the massacre, a country-wide campaign was started to uproot the Muslim Brotherhood organisation. In two weeks time, the authority had already arrested about 6000 citizens. Fifteen Muslim Brotherhood members already in prison were executed. The decree issued by the supreme state security court on 27th June 1979, some of whom had been in jail since 1977 all of them have nothing to do with this issue.

Cairo radio commented on the Syrian authority's executions on 10th July 1979: " The Syrian authorities have tried to put the blame for the massacre on the Muslim Brotherhood so as to divert attention from the covert conflict between Alawis and Sunnis within the Syrian party... The members of the Muslim Brotherhood who were executed recently had been detained in Syrian prisons since 1977 and had no connection with the artillery school incident."

The Brotherhood's statement we quoted, regarded the accusation as a pre-arranged plot made by the authority to trap and condemn the Muslim Brotherhood: " Numerous Muslim Brotherhood's leaders and members have been detained for months, and some of them for years. Is the announcement issued by the authority yesterday no more than a plot to condemn them (Muslim Brotherhood) with something they have not done ?"

The Syrian authority linked between the artillery school massacre and the external opposition supported by the Egyptian president regime of Anwar Sadat, because of the former refusal to sign a peace treaty with the Zionists as the latter did: " These people moved immediately after the (Egyptian-Israeli)Sinai agreement (signed in September 1975). Their criminal actions escalated following al-Sadat's visit to Jerusalem (in November 1977), and again following the signing of the shameful and humiliating agreements with the Zionist enemy. They began a series of assassinations in Syrian cities, in Aleppo, Hama and Damascus. The victims included innocent citizens in various walks of life and of diverse employment."

The brotherhood's response was very critical : " It is incredible to accuse the Brotherhood of dealing with Israel, however , their struggle on the land of Palestine is known to all, meanwhile the others (Syrian authority) bear the responsibility of the successive defeats." " The (Syrian authority) claims that the Brotherhood are acting in favour of Camp David treaty is refuted by the fact that they are the only party who sincerely and insistently refuse a Jewish state on even a foot of the Palestinian land."

The Combatant Vanguard members (Attalia Almoukatilah) wrote their organisation's name on the board in the mess hall, recording their responsibility for the operation, leaving literature that confirmed their liability and disclosed their motives behind the massacre. Moreover, a year later on 11th June 1980, Adnan Uqla confirmed the Vanguard's responsibility for all military actions taken, including the massacre at the artillery school. He stated: " The Combatant Vanguard has its independent leadership since its conception in 1975, the Combatant Vanguard is the only party responsible for the historical confrontation resolution with the ignorance (Syrian regime)..."

Names of the main figures who planned and executed the massacre of the artillery school in Alepp

1- Adnan Uqla : born in 1953, an architect, resident of Aleppo, his family come from southern Syria. His membership in Muslim Brotherhood was terminated either in 1974 or 1977 because of his opinions regarding the armed confrontation with the Syrian regime.

2- Captain Ibrahim el-Yousuf: An active member in the Ba'ath Arab socialist party and the officer of moral and political steering at the artillery school. He was born in Tadif village in the governorate of Aleppo. It was said that his brother was killed by the Syrian authorities and he determined to avenge him. Other sources said that Adnan Uqla convinced him to work for the Combatant Vanguard.

References:

1- Statement of the Minister of the Interior, Adnan Dabbagh. Radio of Damascus, 22/6/1979

2- Islamic parties and movements: edited by Faysal Darrage & Jamal Barout. (Arabic)

3- Statements of Muslim Brotherhood in Syria (24th June 1979 - 1st October 1979) (Arabic)

4- The struggle for power in Syria. Nikolas Van Dam (English)

5- Islamic struggle revolution in Syria : Omar abdul-Hakim (Arabic)

6- Without Frontiers programme 7th July 1999, Aljazeera Channel (Arabic Video)





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Pro-reform Saudi scribe arrested
by
Wednesday 17 March 2004 4:25 PM GMT
Saudi security services have arrested a journalist who criticised the arrest a day earlier of a group of Saudi reformers, three of whom have since been released.
Speaking to Aljazeera on Tuesday, Abderrahman al-Lahem, who is based in Saudi, had said the arrest of the reformers was "contrary to the law".
He advocated "freedom of expression, a priority for economic reform" envisaged by the authorities.
Sources close to the reformers on Wednesday said Saudi security forces had arrested some 10 reformers since Tuesday, including academics who were among 116 signatories to a petition to the government in December calling for transforming the kingdom into a constitutional monarchy.
Release
The sources added that three of the reformers had been released on Wednesday while the rest were still in detention.
They named the three as Khaled al-Hamid and Adnan Al-Shakhs, both academics, as well as Abdul Rab Abu Khamseen, an activist.
An official with the Saudi interior minister confirmed the arrest "of a limited number of individuals for questioning about statements they issued that do not serve national unity and the social fabric built on the rules of Islam," said the official SPA news agency.
The official provided no further details of the number or identity of those arrested.
AFP
By
You can find this article at:
http://english.aljazeera.net/NR/exeres/2579DBB0-414D-4360-B913-FAB54A47673F.htm