A Letter to President of the Republic of Turkey Abdullah Gul

Your Excellency President Abdullah Gul
President of the Republic of Turkey
Ankara

The Syrian president Bashar al-Asad is scheduled to visit Turkey tomorrow 16/10/2007 upon an invitation from your Excellency. The Syrian Human Rights Committee would like on this occasion to put at your disposal titles of the serious human rights violations in Syria hoping that this issue be present in the environment and contents of the visit.

The regime of President Bashar al-Asad forbids any peaceful expression of viewpoint, political parties and free independent press, as well as discussion forums, lectures and all other peaceful democratic activities. Thousands of peaceful detainees are still being held in the Syrian prisons, and the number is on the increase because of the lack of freedom of expression. The unconstitutional Supreme State Security Court issues on weekly basis unfair sentences on the background of peaceful expression, creed and even more because the opinion of other members of the family. In the prisons of the regime of president Bashar al-Asad, there are seventeen thousand missing detainees, arrested in the early eighties of the past century, despite all appeals and calls none of their fates and whereabouts were revealed. About Quarter of a million of deportees have been still living in exile denied their right to return to their country. The regime of president Bashar al-Asad is still adopting and applying laws that condemn people to death for mere intellectual or political affiliation.   

The internal tension in Syria and the ongoing intelligence pressure on the Syrian democratic movement in addition to prohibiting the peaceful and democratic activities and arresting influential elements have an adverse effect on the Syrian national security and consequently the neighbouring countries including Turkey

The Syrian Human Rights Committee looks forward to using your good offices to highlight the issue of the aforementioned freedoms and human rights in Syria with president Bashar al-Asad, and would like to comment that interests without values will soon convert to hostility.

Walid Saffour
President of Syrian Human Rights Committee
15/10/2007