Damascus: demonstrators detained before the Syrian parliament
Syria, Politics, 3/9/2004

A human rights society association in Syria announced that some 30 persons including the spokesman for the defense committees for freedoms and human rights in Syria, Aktham Nueisa, were arrested during a sit in organized in front of the Syrian parliament in the downtown of Damascus on the occasion of the 41st anniversary of the accassion of the Baath party coming to power.

The sit in was organized by the "the committee in charge of democratic freedoms and human rights in Syria." The text of the petition which was circulated to the news agencies earlier in the day said that on March 8, 2004, the so called the revolution's leadership announced the state of emergency in Syria and that despite the fact that 41 years have elapsed on reasons behind that, the country is still under the control of the emergency law with its consequences extended to cover all walks of life for the Syrian society and citizen and this resulted in besieging the whole society and jailing of thousands of Syrian citizens in prisons over reasons pertaining to their views or political stances or for accusations that are not legal violations."

The petition called on the Syrian authorities to lift the state of emergency and to lift extraordinary and emergency courts and stop "oppressive detention," and the release of all political detainees and detainees of the opinions and "reconsidering citizens who are deprived of their civil rights and returning back the exiled to their home and open the file of the missing" and launching democratic freedoms including the right to establish parties and civil societies.

In a statement, the human rights society said that the "security forces arrested several human rights activist in Syria, as well as several citizens as 100 persons observed a sit in, in front of the Syrian parliament." The statement continued that "Aktham Nueisah, the spokesman for the defense committees for democratic freedoms and human rights in Syria is among the detainees." It said "as we condemn this aggression on the right to peaceful gathering and the freedom of expression as well as detaining human rights in Syria, we call for their immediate release and halt to these security practices and flagrant violations of human rights in Syria."

Witnesses said that the security forces detailed also three foreign correspondents, They are " Him Kim Ghattas from the BBC, Nil Mackfer Kohar of the " New York Times " and the Egyptian photographer working with him. It added "they were released one hour later and treated properly." In London, scores of Syrian opposition members carried out a peaceful demonstration in front of the Syrian embassy demanding political reforms in the country. The demonstrators, who responded to an appeal by the Syrian committee for human rights, were carrying banners saying " yes for freedom, no for dictatorship " and " end the state of emergency in Syria."

Previous Stories:
  Dialogue session for public, private banks in Damascus   (2/23/2004)
  Analysts: reforming Syria's economy needs acceleration and revitalization   (2/21/2004)
  More than 1,000 Syrian intellectuals call for political reforms   (2/6/2004)

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