The Syrian Human Rights Committee (SHRC) has welcomed the release of the Sheikh Salah Kiftaro following 14 months spent in prison without guilt. SHRC congratulates the sheikh on his safe release on this occasion of his innocence being cleared of all false accusations directed against him. Indeed, the Syrian law has lost its reverence and become under the direct influence of the intelligence and security apparatus.
Sheikh Salah Kiftaro, the son of the late Syrian Mufti Ahmed Kiftaro, was arrested on 29/6/2009 and transferred to the criminal court falsely accused of embezzling public money, practising his profession without a license, and establishing unlawful relationships with external organisations. However, when it became clear that these accusations did not correspond with the truth, he was left in prison 14 months, in order to rearrange the transfer of the Abu Noor institute’s management of which he was the manager, to others who are closer to the intelligence apparatus. He was released on the 26/8/2010 after the accusations were dropped.
SHRC considers the act of arresting Sheikh Salah Kiftaro by certain wings of the Syrian authorities, and their accusations of him, as revealing of their intention to false criminalise others. The perpetrators of this act should be trialled at court and punished for their ill use and manipulation of the Syrian authorities.
SHRC also condemns the continuous practice of repressive arrest and the imprisonment of citizens for long periods without trial and without proof of the accusations directed against them.
Syrian Human Rights Committee
28/8/2010