A major crackdown against members of the National Council of Damascus Declaration (NCDD) is going on in the forms of arrests, threats and through the exertion of pressure. The intelligence of State Security Apparatus started the year 2008 by arresting the NCDD member Rachid Sattouf on 2nd January from the city of al-Rakkah, and transferred him to Damascus. Before his release on 5th January, another member Fayez Sarah (writer and journalist) was arrested on 3rd January.

The crackdown is intensifying, and is serving as a warning of massive and collective arrests at any moment. All 220 members of NCDD have been demanded to present themselves at the intelligence branches of State Security in the Syrian Provinces without official notification or legal warrants according to judical measures.

Mr. Mohammed Hajji Darwich was arrested yesterday (7/1/2008), while Mr. Talal Abu-Dan in Aleppo was summoned to the intelligence branch and nobody knows about his situation up until this moment. A security squad today raided the house of Engineer Ghassan Najjar to re-arrest him, having released him a couple of weeks ago because of his serious medical situation. Mr. Najjar is seventy years old and suffers from many grave diseases.  When they failed to find him at his home, threats and menaces to arrest members of his family in lieu were given if he does not surrender himself. Dr. Abdul Aziz al-Kayer, NCDD vice-president was summoned and nobody knows about his situation up until this moment. 

Adding to the abovementioned new arrests and incidents, are those who had been arrested after 9th December 2007: Dr. Fidaa al-Hourani, Dr. Ahmad To’mah, writer Akram al-Bunni, writer Ali al-Abdullah, Mr. Jabr al-Shoufi, Dr. Walid al-Bunni, Dr. Yaser al-Iti and writer Fayez Sarah.

In this unfair security attack, it is most likely that the number of detainees could multiply to double or triple the existing number. All detainees are being subject to interrogation associated with ill treatment and torture, cast in narrow and dim cells away from the outer world against their will. They could be presented before unjust courts with ready made charges. Their actual crime is that they are advocating free expression of viewpoints, democratic and peaceful changes in Syria They stand for the real participation of Syrian citizens in deciding and making the future of their country and to repeal the 45 year old despotic rule.
The Syrian Human Rights Committee unequivocally condemns the unfair crackdown against members of NCDD, and against the random and arbitrary arrests. It asks the Syrian authorities headed by president Bashar al-Asad to immediately release the detainees and stop this arrest campaign.

SHRC also appeals to all faculties and influential bodies in the Syrian society to act immediately to release the detainees and to stop the wave of arrests. It also appeals to the UN secretary General and global Human Rights organisations to support the NCDD and the Syrian people in this trial and to demand the release of the detainees.
SHRC lastly asks the Syrian citizens and other philanthropists to participate in signing the International Campaign to release the detainees which was initiated by SHRC on 24th  December.  

Syrian Human Rights Committee
8/1/2008