The first trial session of Dalila, Saleh trial
Syria, Politics, 5/10/2002

The first session of the trial of both the Syrian economy researcher Arif Dalila and the founder the "dialogue forum" in Tartous Habib Saleh started on Thursday amid an absence for the representatives of Arab and foreign media and foreign diplomats accredited in Damascus from the events of the trial.

The session dedicated for trying Habib Saleh lasted for half an hour while for Araf Dalila lasted for ten minutes and the two sessions were postponed until June 3rd.

The request to interrogate Dalila on what was stated in the accusation decisions was postponed until photocopying the whole file and meeting with the defendant commission at Adra prison before the next session, while Saleh was interrogated on the ground of accusations addressed to him.

The two men face accusations of "provoking armed unrest," and "undermining the sovereignty of the country" and "provoking sectarianism." Accusations rejected by the latter and stressed his commitment to the "Taking oath" speech delivered by President Bashar al-Assad, noting that there are "certain elements, which do not want this speech to be implemented." He also denied accusations addressed to him on "provoking armed unrest."

SANA's correspondent attended the events of the session. Lawyers quoted the chairman of the state's higher security court Fayez al-Nouri as saying "that the trial will in open." Thereby noting that SANA attended the session.

The chairman of the court also announced that those journalists who covered events of trying lawyer Riad al-Turk last week were not precise, when saying that was the first declared and open trial in the history of the court.

The chairman of the defendant commission Hassan Abdul Azeem said that preventing journalists from attending was decided after those journalists gave "distorted information" on the trial of Riad al-Turk, noting that this "gave a negative impression on the lack of accuracy and led to tightened measures" by the court on the press, looming, simultaneously to a talk with this commission to encourage it reconsidering its decision.

He asked western diplomats to show a written memorandum from the Syrian foreign ministry authorizing them to attend. Despite the fact that a memorandum of that sort was previously asked for through the western diplomatic corps from the ministry to attend the trial of both member of parliament Riyadh Seif and Mamoun al- Homsi; a permission that never materialized, yet, these western diplomats have always attended without it. The chairman of the court was quoted as saying that "the European Union does not care more for the detainees than we do."

Previous Stories:
  Syrians Aref Dalila, Habib Saleh to be tried today   (5/9/2002)
  Abyad- Aswad the first political periodical in Syria   (5/9/2002)
  Berri today in Damascus   (5/9/2002)

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