Urgent - Syria

Political Activists Under Arrest

The Arab Program for Human Rights Activists follows up the breaking of the State
Security Patrol of Homat Governorate into the house of the human right activist Mr.
Tawfic Omran in Saburra city. The State Security also arrested all the people who
were at the house, without having an arrest warrant to justify the arrest. The
people who were arrested are Hassan Zahra, Abbass Abbass, Ahmed Yousif Al-Nihawy,
Ghassan Hassan Omra .Then, they were transferred from Hamma Governorate to the
Damascus.

The Arab Program believes this sort of security approach which is followed by the
Syrian Authorities, and the continued arbitrary arrest, towards the human rights
activists, represents a realistic interpretation of the emergency law and the
martial laws declared since 1963, in violation of the basic freedoms guaranteed by
the Syrian Constitution.

The Arab Program expresses its full and unlimited solidarity with the five political
detainees, and recalls the Syrian government that these acts are considered a clear
violation of the International Covenants in this regard, especially Article 14 of
the International Covenant for Political and Civil Rights, which has been ratifies
by Syria in April 12, 1969.

Meantime, The Arab Program demands the Syrian Authorities repeatedly to:

1. Immediate release and without restriction of the five detained Political
Activists, and to open a fair investigation to clarify the issue.

2. End the emergency law and the martial laws declared since 1963.

3. Work on respecting its International Covenants related to Human Rights Law.

4. Work on the implementation of Syrian Constitution which protects the
fundamental freedoms of all people.