Articles for Syria

Aladdin Al Doori, a Syrian social media activist, was shot and arrested by soldiers at a military barrier close to Bab Al Taqa near Qalaat Al Madiq on 14 April 2012. His family was not provided with any information about his state of health or his whereabouts for the two days following his arrest.

 

On 6 May 2012, Youssef Al Ghantawi, a Syrian national was arrested at his home in Meshary Al Qaa, Lebanon. The 21-year-old was then transferred to the General Security's retention centre in Adlieh district, Beirut.

On 1 June 2012, the Committee against Torture published the concluding observations of its special review of Syria held two weeks before, on 16 May 2012. Most notably, the Committee "requests that the Syrian Arab Republic submit a special follow-up report to the Committee" on the measures taken to implement the recommendations resulting from the special review by 31 August 2012.

On 1 June 2012, the Human Rights Council held a Special Session to discuss the further deteriorating situation in Syria [1]. A particular focus was the events in Al Houla, north-west of Homs, which, according to preliminary investigations, resulted in the killing of at least 108 persons, including 49 children, on 25 and 26 May 2012.

Alkarama is deeply concerned about the situation of seven Syrian nationals who had served sentences in Lebanese prisons and of whom three were already expelled to Syria following the expiry of their prison terms. These three men are now believed to be held by the Syrian Military Intelligence in its Palestine detention centre, a detention centre known for systematic torture and ill-treatment of inmates as well as exceptionally inhumane detention conditions.

Alkarama is deeply concerned about the situation of seven Syrian nationals who had served sentences in Lebanese prisons and of whom three were already expelled to Syria following the expiry of their prison terms. These three men are now believed to be held by the Syrian Military Intelligence in its Palestine detention centre, a detention centre known for systematic torture and ill-treatment of inmates as well as exceptionally inhumane detention conditions.

For the first time since 1997, the Committee against Torture will review a State outside of its normal reporting obligations, with Syria scheduled to be reviewed by the UN Committee against Torture this week. Syria was last examined two years ago in 2010 and would under normal circumstances have been again reviewed in 2014, according to the four-year periodicity of the review process.

Moaz Al Khatib, a well-known and widely respected Syrian Islamic scholar, was arrested by the Syrian Military Intelligence in Damascus on 27 April 2012.

Today, Alkarama informed the United Nations Special Procedures that Mr Yacoub Shamoun, a Syrian national aged 48, was finally released on 14 March 2012, after almost 27 years of arbitrary detention.

Today, Alkarama informed the United Nations Special Procedures about the recent development in the cases of two Syrian nationals, Mr Fady Khalous and Mr Mohammad Tawfiq Anjileh, who disappeared on 19 February 2012.