Al-Turk's trial postponed
Syria, Politics, 4/29/2002

The Syrian state security court on Sunday held a session during which the accused Syrian politician Riad al-Turk was tried. This was, however the first session on considering the case filed against him by the court's attorney general.

At the request of the defendant lawyer the session was postponed until May 19, 2002, so as the defendant lawyer will be able to photocopy papers of the case in order to prepare his defense to this effect, according to statements made by defendant lawyers to the press and to relatives of the accused.

Several lawyers were assigned to defend al-Turk. Several of his supporters gathered before the door of the court and he was welcomed by great applause as he entered and left the court's building.

For his part the defendant representative lawyer Khalil Matouk asked for the postponement of the session and to have the file of al-Turk's case and to meet with his client ( al-Turk) before the next session, while al-Turk asked for at least one month to be acquainted with the file and to prepare the defense.

The judge commented that one month is a long period of time, to which al-Turk replied that he is "not in a hurry" to have the sentence. The judge asked if three weeks are enough and the reply was positive from the defendant. The second session was then set to be on May 19th.

Matouq warned that the health conditions of al-Turk (71 years old) -- who has been jailed since 8 months -- is deteriorating on the ground "his body is ailing and can no longer stand the Ansolin and is suffering of pains because of diabetics." This was in spite of the confirmation made of the health care he received at Adra prison ( in the outskirts of Damascus) where he is held together with his other seven colleagues.

Matouq explained on Saturday that al-Turk's trial starts with summoning on several witnesses by the state security court. This is, however, an indication on trials of the other seven "detainees of opinion" whose cases are considered in the same court. They are Aref Dalila, Habib Saleh, Habib Issa, Walid al-Bunni, Fawaz Tello, Kamal Labwani and Hassan Sadoun. This is however, the first session in the history of the court to be attended by diplomats and the press. In 1992, a delegation representing the Amnesty International attended the trial of members of the " Communist Labor League," besides the Syrian TV photographers recorded confessions by members of the banned Syrian Muslim Brotherhood gangs by the beginning of the 1980s.

Previous Stories:
  Additional three private publications licensed in Syria   (3/16/2002)
  Two important developments in Syria, paper says   (3/5/2002)
  Damascus: The court listens to witnesses in the case of Seif on March 18   (2/15/2002)
  Several political detainees released in Syria   (11/27/2001)
  Seif- al-Homsi to be tried on Tuesday, Wednesday   (10/29/2001)

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