Syria: Haithem Al-Maleh denied medicine inside prison – His son, Iyas, calls for action during a visit with Alkarama

Last Friday, 19 March 2010, Alkarama met with Iyas Maleh, son of Haithem Al-Maleh, the 78 year-old Syrian lawyer and human rights defender who was abducted by the Syrian authorities on 14 October 2009 and then brought before a military court. Haithem Al-Maleh faces a possible sentence of up to 15 years, in a court which violates many of the guarantees to a fair trial. He has been denied his prescription medications for over a month now, causing a serious decline in his health. His son calls for people around the world to keep putting whatever pressure they can to ensure his father's release.

As a result of Haitham Al-Maleh's deteriorating health, Alkarama submitted his case to the Special Rapporteur on Health and the Special Rapporteur on Torture on 12 March 2010 - reporting the worsening in Mr Al-Maleh's health since his incarceration. Alkarama also submitted updated information to the Working Group on Arbitrary Detention which is following the case very closely.

Son calls for action

Iyas Maleh, the son of Haithem Al-Maleh, has come to Geneva in order to bring his father's case before the Human Rights Council. He met with Alkarama to discuss further actions that both Alkarama and other NGOs could undertake in order to keep up the pressure on the Syrian authorities, while also emphasizing the need for people in every country to take action on this crucial case for Syria.

If Haithem Al-Maleh could ask people for one thing, it would be for "people to learn their rights and then learn to defend them... that would be the best gift that they could give to my father." Iyas emphasised that in order to help his father, people must continue the human rights work that his father demonstrated.

"Those fighting for their rights are also fighting for my father's rights and the rights of everyone else who remains arbitrarily detained."

Iyas called for people, each in their own way and their own specific field, to keep the public attention on Haithem Al-Maleh's case. "The main focus," he said "should be how to keep that message alive - how to keep my fathers case in the media, for people not to forget".

Alkarama calls for the immediate release of Haithem Al-Maleh, and hopes that he will soon be able to rejoin his family and return to good health.

Background on the case - State of health and detention conditions

When Haithem Al-Maleh was abducted on 14 October 2009, he was taking prescribed medication for his diabetes and overactive thyroid gland. Mr Al-Maleh has not been given his medication for nearly a month now, and his health condition is seriously deteriorating.

According to observers present at Mr Al-Maleh's hearing before the Military Judge on 22 February, he was so weak that he could hardly speak. He also fainted in his prison cell earlier in February. Failure to be provided with the appropriate medication for his diabetes and overactive thyroid gland can lead to severe weight loss, falling into a coma and heart and kidney failures.

Prison conditions in Adra prison are also particularly difficult. Mr Al-Maleh is detained with both political and criminal detainees. The cells are overcrowded and contain no beds, simply mattresses on the floor, shared by several detainees. In Haithem Al-Maleh's current cell there are about 60 people. Detainees are forced to sleep on the bare ground, some in the hallways. The water in the prison is often cut off, meaning the detainees cannot wash for long periods and have to use the toilet without any water - leading to serious health risks.

These conditions of detention are in violation of the Standard Minimum Rules for the Treatment of Prisoners (UN Economic and Social Council resolution 663 C (XXIV), July 31, 1957 and resolution 2076 (LXII), May 13, 1977) and are particularly worrying for a person of Mr Haithem Al-Maleh's age.

For this reason, Alkarama has bought his case to the attention of the United Nations Special Rapporteur on Health for him to intervene with the Syrian authorities on behalf of Mr Haithem Al-Maleh.

Alkarama had previously submitted the case of Mr Haithem Al-Maleh to the Working Group on Arbitrary Detention, on 27 October 2009 and an update was sent on 12 March 2010 including information about the trial and the detention conditions.

On 23 December 2009, Alkarama also called on the Secretary General of the United Nations to intervene with the Syrian authorities to ensure the release of Mr Al-Maleh.

The video of the conversation with Iyas Maleh is also available on Youtube