Accelerating the trial of Seif, al-Homsi
Syria, Politics, 2/8/2002

A date was set for next week to resume trial of the Syrian independent parliament member for Damascus city Riad Seif, in a remark to accelerate the process of the trial.

Meantime, judge Muhammad Jasem stressed refusal of requests made by the defendant commission to re-interrogate Seif and to summon witnesses already refused earlier. For the first time, the defendant asked for a new witness who is the Syrian vice President Abdul Halim Khaddam.

It was clear that the two trials of Wednesday for ( parliament member Ma'moun al-Homsi) and of Thursday were only postponed for just one week after it was to be postponed to at least two weeks.

The defendant lawyers considered this as revealing the desire to give the sentence, questioning at the same time that any of the eight "opinion detainees" held at the state security court have not been legally questioned, though they have been held for more than 5 months, according to the defendant lawyer Anwar al-Bonni.

The defendant commission called for a new testimony by the Syrian vice President Abdul Halim Khaddam, under the pretext that Khaddam had met with Seif months before his arrest for three hours in which Khaddam stressed to Seif, according to the memorandum, that he can propose principles for a dialogue on the ground of the desire to establish a political party, in preparations to release a new law for parties in Syria.

The memorandum quoted Khaddam as saying that Syria will maintain an openness at all levels and that a new law on parties in Syria will be issues very shortly and then they can establish a political party instead of a "people's society." A matter which Seif intended then to do. The defendant considered that Seif had done so then.

Previous Stories:
  Syrian judiciary refuses to summon witnesses to Seif's trial   (1/25/2002)
  Al-Assad gets messages from UAE president, Khatami   (1/21/2002)
  Damascus: summoning on Qaddoura to witness in Seif's case   (11/30/2001)
  Al-Homsi trial postponed   (10/31/2001)
  Seif- al-Homsi to be tried on Tuesday, Wednesday   (10/29/2001)
  Syrian member of parliament calls for human rights   (6/28/2001)

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