Syria: Ensure the immediate release of Mazen Darwish and SCM members

20 Aug 2013
FreeMazen-darwish
Update - The hearing of Mazen Darwish and four of his colleagues before the Syrian Anti-Terrorism Court was postponed to 2 October 2013. 
Tomorrow, 21 August 2013, marks the resumption of the trial of Mazen Darwish, Hussein Ghrer, Hani Al Zheitani and two of their colleagues from the Syrian Center for Media and Freedom of Expression (SCM) in front of the Syrian Anti-Terrorism Court. The five men are accused of "promoting terrorist acts". If pronounced guilty, the men may be sentenced to three to fifteen years of imprisonment and hard labour.

Mr Darwish, Mr Ghrer and Mr Al Zeitani are currently held in detention, while their other two colleagues have been released on bail awaiting the outcome of the trial. The five men are members of the SCM, a Syrian human rights NGO. It is reported that the victims' human rights activism is the reason behind their arrest and prosecution.

The five men were arrested on 16 February 2012 as part of a raid on the SCM offices by Air Force Intelligence. Sixteen persons were arrested that day, including 14 SCM staff and 2 visitors with no search or arrest warrant provided. For the first months, the victims were imprisoned without contact with the outside world. In addition, the victims were reportedly subjected to severe torture and ill-treatment while in detention. It is believed that these acts were carried out with the aim of coercing the victims to sign confessions to be used against them in court. It was only on 26 November 2012 that the victims were able to contact their families and lawyers for the first time in more than nine months.

Mazen Darwish Mazen Darwish

Other members of the total 16 have been released, but the five men were charged before an investigating judge of the Anti-Terrorism Court on 5 February 2013, who decided to release two of the men on bail, while maintaining the other three in detention. The written indictment dated 27 February 2013 explicitly refers to the men's work to promote and protect human rights - actions which are held against them as part of an attempt to promote terrorist acts and to "stir the internal situation in Syria and so provoke international organizations to condemn Syria in international forums". There were requests made on consecutive hearings for the three detained men to be released on bail but all were refused.

Alkarama has condemned the trial process since the Anti-Terrorism Court does not afford defendants basic due process rights according to international fair trial standards. That includes the right to a fair and public hearing by a competent, independent and impartial tribunal, access to legal counsel and guarantees that statements established to have been extracted under torture are not held against the defendant. The Court has also been multiply condemned by numerous international and national NGOs, governments, and UN mechanisms, most recently, being condemned by the UN General Assembly. However, the Syrian authorities continue to disregard these calls and keep on targeting independent journalists, human rights defenders, humanitarian workers and medical personnel. Alkarama thus calls on the Syrian authorities to undertake steps to ensure the immediate and unconditional release of the five men.
Syria