Syria: Men imprisoned for discussing democracy

Seven men aged between 25 and 34 have been jailed after an unfair trial. Their 'crimes' were to develop a youth discussion group and publish pro-democracy articles on the internet. That's why we believe these seven men are prisoners of conscience, imprisoned solely for the peaceful exercise of their right to freedom of expression.

Maher Ibrahim and Tareq Ghorani were sentenced to seven years' imprisonment, while Husam 'Ali Mulhim, Ayham Saqr, 'Alam Fakhour, 'Omar 'Ali al-'Abdullah and Diab Sirieyeh received five years each. All denied the charges and claimed 'confessions' had been extracted under torture. The court nevertheless accepted the confessions and they are held in Sednaya Military Prison, near Damascus, where conditions are harsh.

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Background information

Freedom of expression and association have been severely restricted in Syria for decades, aided by the "state of emergency" laws that have been in force since 1964. There are no authorized opposition parties or human rights organizations in Syria. Peaceful critics of the Syrian authorities, members of human rights organizations and others suspected of being political opponents risk arrest, harassment and persecution.

There are hundreds of prisoners of conscience and political prisoners that have been convicted by the Supreme State Security Court, in proceedings which fall far short of international standards for fair trial.

The Syrian Constitution and national legislation prohibit torture and ill-treatment, and Syria became a state party to the UN Convention against Torture in August 2004. However, torture and other ill-treatment are widespread in Syrian detention and interrogation centres, and committed with impunity.

Amnesty International has documented 38 distinct methods of torture and ill-treatment inflicted on detainees in Syria and has received hundreds of reports of detainees being tortured, but has not found a single case in which suspected torturers have been brought to justice.

Seven men aged between 25 and 34 have been jailed after an unfair trial. Their 'crimes' were to develop a youth discussion group and publish pro-democracy articles on the internet. That's why we believe these seven men are prisoners of conscience, imprisoned solely for the peaceful exercise of their right to freedom of expression.

Maher Ibrahim and Tareq Ghorani were sentenced to seven years' imprisonment, while Husam 'Ali Mulhim, Ayham Saqr, 'Alam Fakhour, 'Omar 'Ali al-'Abdullah and Diab Sirieyeh received five years each. All denied the charges and claimed 'confessions' had been extracted under torture. The court nevertheless accepted the confessions and they are held in Sednaya Military Prison, near Damascus, where conditions are harsh.

Send an appeal to the Syrian authorities now

Call on the Syrian authorities to release ‘Maher Ibrahim, Tareq Ghorani, Husam ‘Ali Mulhim, Ayham Saqr, ‘Alam Fakhour, ‘Omar ‘Ali al-‘Abdullah and Diab Sirieyeh immediately and unconditionally

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