The military prosecution yesterday (21/10/2009) issued a decree, detaining the prominent Syrian lawyer and human rights activist Haytham al-Maleh. He was transferred to Damascus central prison (Adra prison) awaiting his referral to the examining magistrate next Thursday. Haytham al-Maleh is formally accused of spreading false news which weakens the nation’s moral and causes insult to the president of the republic and judiciary in Syria.

Mr al-Maleh (78 years), who was summoned to the political security branch in Damascus on 13/10/2009 and did not attend, was arrested in the afternoon of Wednesday (14/10/2009) upon leaving his office. It is strongly believed that his arrest happened as a result of a telephone interview with Barada TV which broadcasts its programmes from abroad.

 Al-Maleh’s interrogation was focused on his media interviews and a number of recent articles he wrote, such as an open letter to the president, in which al-Maleh reflected on the president’s press interview regarding the issue of human rights in Syria.

Following the two hour interrogation the military judge spent with al-Maleh, he ordered that al-Maleh should be detained in Damascus central prison in Adra whilst the military prosecution lodged a case against him of spreading false information that weaken the nation’s morals and making insults to the president and the Syrian judiciary.

 The Syrian Human Rights Committee (SHRC) requests that the accusations against Mr. al-Maleh should be dropped as they are unjustifiable and they are only lodged against him to condemn him and to cast him into prison. This escalating step comes in the course of eliminating all callers for democracy, reform and human rights in Syria and casting them in prison.
SHRC also requests the Syrian authorities to release all those who have been detained due to expressing their views, and to repel the state of emergency upon which the authorities depend to practice the stifling of freedoms and casting reformers and human rights activists in jail.
Syrian Human Rights Committee
22/10/2009