Some 14 civilian, political activists sentenced in Aleppo
Syria, Politics, 4/2/2004

Human rights organizations in Syria announced the release of prison sentences against 14 civilian and political activists in Aleppo for periods ranging between one year and three months over their preparations to take part in a political lecture about the emergency law in the country.

Lawyer Khalil Matouk, one of the defendant lawyers in the case, said that the military judicial court sentenced for three months imprisonment 13 political and civilian activists among 14, while the political activist Fateh Jamous was sentenced for one year imprisonment. Jamous had spent 18 years in prison under the charges of being a member in the banned communist labor league. He described the sentence as " illogical and personal."

Matouq said that the sentence was issued according to the two penalty clauses (327) and (328) which state imprisonment penalty for the one who joined or started the formation of a " secret society," while article 307 of the sanctions law which speaks of " provoking sectarianism" was ruled out. He stressed that the tried persons " do not belong to any secret society." He also explained the " Attorney General has to prove that but did not." He said the group will " appeal and many of them will submit interjections."

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