Urgent: Syrian detainees in Iraq threatened to be deported to Syria

A well trusted source in Baghdad has contacted and informed the Syrian Human Rights Committee (SHRC) of the presence of Syrian detainees in Iraq, whose sentences will expire within a number of days or months. These detainees were informed that they will be immediately deported upon the expiry of their sentences, and handed over to the Syrian authorities. The following names of detainees who may be deported to Syria in the near future include:
1- Mohammed Tahir (Aleppo), whose sentence ends in a number of days
2- Khalil Hassoun al-Hassoun (Idlib), whose sentence ends 1/11/2012
3- Yasir Subhi Musa al-Ibrahim (from the village of al-Baara, Jabl al-Zawiyah, Idib), whose sentence ends 13/1/2012

It is also important to note that the Iraqi authorities began a large campaign in 2003, in which it has targeted Syrians forced exiles from the 1980s and who lived in Iraq since, casting a large number of them into prison. These Syrians are sentenced either to severe terms or to law 49/1980 in Syria, which condemns all members and sympathisers of the Muslim Brotherhood to death. SHRC has documented many incidents of arrest and arbitrary killings which exiled Syrians in Iraq have been subjected to since the attack on Iraq began in 2003.

On another note, SHRC has also learnt of a number of defected soldiers that fled to Iraq and were arrested. Two amongst them, from Hama, are in the deportation department in Baghdad and will be shortly deported to Syria and handed to the Syrian forces, where they will be killed immediately.

SHRC calls upon the Iraqi forces to put an immediate stop to the deportation of Syrians to Syria, as this will lead to their immediate death at the hands of the Syrian authorities. SHRC also reminds the Iraqi forces that this conflicts with the international conventions which decree that deportees are given the chance to choose which country they will be deported to. In addition, SHRC calls upon all human rights organisations to act immediately to stop the deportation of prisoners whose sentences have finished as well as defected soldiers who are seeking refuge in Iraq, as this poses a dangerous threat on their individual safety, in which there is a clear violation of international agreements and conventions.

Syrian Human Rights Committee
6/9/2012