Syria releases scores of detainees
Syria, Politics, 1/31/2004

Activists in the area of human rights in Syria announced that the Syrian authorities are releasing scores of Syrians, with some of them having been detained for more than 20 years.

Amid having no official comment on this decision, information of specialized legal sides are contradictory over the political identity of the released persons and the reason why the release decision was taken at this time.

The committees in charge of defending democratic freedoms and human rights in Syria welcomed this step considering it as "positive and promising." It was described by lawyer Anwar al-Bunni of "very late," noting that most of the released are in a "bad health situation or their sentence period expired since a long time."

He rejected the idea that the taken step is a result of "a presidential pardoning." He said that confirmed information indicate that 30 persons were released by Friday evening ( yesterday). However, those who left the prison said a list of 120 persons are governed by the decision, and the majority of them belong to the Islamic trend, like the Islamic Brothers and al-Tahrir ( liberation ) Parties, in addition to the Iraqi Baathist party and a group of pilot officers who are accused of a coupe attempt on the regime by the beginning of the 1980s.

It is however, not confirmed if the decision includes member of the Arab Communist organization, Fares Murad, who is the oldest Syrian detainee. He had been detained with his colleague, Imad Sheiha, since 29 years, under the charges of damaging attempts against American interests in Syria. Identical sources notes that the list includes the name of one member of the Palestinian Fatah movement, known as "Abi Ta'an."

Aktham Nueisah, a member if the defense committee for freedoms said that "this step is sign of political and legal implications on the possibility of the Syrian authority return to the path of political detente." He called for releasing all political detainees in Syria without exception and to end the emergency law." N.

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