On the release of Ibrahim al-Hamidi
Syria, Politics, 5/27/2003

The director of the London- based al-Hayat office in Damascus Ibrahim al-Hamidi was released on Sunday at a "guarantee" after he had spent five months and ten days in prison on charge of "false information" according to his lawyer Mustafa Amin yesterday ( Monday).

The lawyer said that keeping him ( al-Hamidi) in prison is no longer necessary because investigations with him was completed. He was freed at a guarantee of 1000 Syrian pounds ( USD 20), but under the condition that he will be brought before the Supreme state security court in Damascus on June 23rd.

Lawyer Anwar al-Bunni, one of the human rights activists said yesterday that releasing Hamidi was "an administrative measure which does not mean that the file of the case was wrapped up." He called for the release of political detainees especially the detainees of the nine "Damascus spring detainees" who were arrested between August and September of 2002 and the two members of the Syrian parliament Riad Seif and Mamoun al-Homsi, the two members of the political bureau of the Kurdish unity party Marwan Othman and Hassan Saleh.

The Sans frontier correspondents had called the European foreign ministers to demand the release of the Syrian journalist Ibrahim al-Hamidi during the Euro-Med conference currently held in Crete May 26 and 27.

A statement issued by the organization which defends the freedom of the press said that Sans Frontier correspondents call on the European ministers to urge the Syrian representative to the conference, who is the prime minister Farouk al-Shara, to release al-Hamidi ( 33 year old).

Al-Hamidi was arrested by the end of December 2002. The Syrian official news agency announced then that Hamidi was arrested and he will be sued under the charge of disseminating untrue news. A crime which is punished by three year- imprisonment.

In a news report issued in al-Hayat on December 20, 2002, al-Hamidi talked about preparations made by Damascus and the UN to receive one million Iraqi refugees in Syria in case a military attack is made against Iraq.

On December 24th, the paper issued a clarification issued by the office of the Syrian prime minister Muhammad Mustafa Miro in which he denied the information.

However, Syria is taking part in the Euro- Med. conference, hosted by Greece at Crete island. Syria is represented by the foreign minister Farouk al-Shara.

Previous Stories:
  Al-Assad Interview with the Kuwaiti Al-Anbaa   (5/26/2003)
  Director of al- Hayat office in Damascus released   (5/26/2003)
  Canada's Deputy FM Lavertu Gaetan on regional issues while visiting Syria   (5/24/2003)
  Syrian parliamentarian calls for a new constitution   (12/11/2002)

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