|
A |
FREEDOM TO |
|
COMMENTS |
|
1 |
Travel in own country |
yes |
Restrictions in frontier areas, Security check posts stationed between cities occasionally. |
|
2 |
Travel outside own country |
no |
Exit permit required, strict requirements to youth , graduates and those requested to military service. |
|
3 |
Peacefully associate and assemble |
NO |
Permits required, Nothing against the government |
|
4 |
Teach ideas and receive information |
NO |
Most seats of learning government controlled. No teachings contrary to official policy. |
|
5 |
Monitor human rights violations |
NO |
Not allowed to monitor. Human Rights groups arrested in 1980, 1989, 1992. International organizations informed that human rights are the government’s concern only. |
|
6 |
Publish and educate in ethnic language. |
NO |
Kurds not allowed to learn in ethnic language. Many restrictions |
|
|
|
|
|
|
B. |
FREEDOM FROM |
|
COMMENTS |
|
7 |
Serfdom, slavery, forced or child labour |
yes |
Regional child labour, occasional forced transfer from job. |
|
8 |
Extra-judicial killings or disappearances. |
NO |
Summary executions and disappearances. Thousands killed in 1980, 1981,1982 during actions against Muslim Brotherhood. Some 15000 disappeared in prisons. |
|
9 |
Torture or coercion by the state |
NO |
Torture widely practiced with official approval. Burns, electric shocks, broken bones, etc. |
|
10 |
Compulsory work permit or conscription of labour |
YES |
|
|
11 |
Capital punishment by state |
NO |
Hanging and shooting. Sometimes in public. For treason, murder, robbery with violence, rape, verbal attack on the leadership and party Muslim Brotherhood membership. |
|
12 |
Court sentences of corporal punishment |
no |
The extent of torture with official approval must be regarded as corporal punishment by the state. |
|
13 |
Indefinite detention without charge |
NO |
Many opponents held incommunicado since 1970s and 1980s. Number unknown. |
|
14 |
Compulsory membership of state organizations or parties. |
yes |
Membership of Ba’ath party essential to major posts and scholarships. |
|
15 |
Compulsory religion or state ideology. |
no |
Wide compulsory instruction of party dogma. |
|
16 |
Deliberate state policies to control artistic works. |
yes |
Some restrictions on illustrations. |
|
17 |
Political censorship of press |
NO |
Total censorship. |
|
18 |
Censorship of mail or telephone-tapping. |
NO |
Wide surveillance followed arbitrary arrests. |
|
|
|
|
|
|
C |
FREEDOM FOR OR RIGHTS TO |
|
COMMENTS |
|
19 |
Peaceful political opposition |
NO |
Death penalty of Muslim Brotherhood under State of Emergency, decree 49/1980 |
|
20 |
Multi-party elections by secret and universal ballot |
NO |
Ba’ath Party has absolute power, People’s council includes a small politically accepted National Progressive Front parties, and few acceptable independent members. |
|
21 |
Political and legal equality for women |
no |
Position of women improving but restricted by a dominant military regime. |
|
22 |
Social and economic equality for ethnic minorities |
no |
Kurdish minority suffers discrimination |
|
23 |
Independent Newspapers |
NO |
Mostly government controlled. Others forced to follow strict guidelines |
|
24 |
Independent book publishing |
NO |
All works subject to prior monitoring and should observe state’s criteria. |
|
25 |
Independent radio and television network |
NO |
Wholly owned and run by government. |
|
26 |
All courts to total independence |
NO |
Military may take over all cases under states of emergency. Courts controlled by executive authority. |
|
27 |
Independent trade unions |
NO |
Strikes illegal. Ba’ath Party controls unions since April 1980. |
|
|
|
|
|
|
D |
LEGAL RIGHTS |
|
COMMENTS |
|
28 |
From deprivation of nationality |
yes |
Thousands opponents and children denied passports and ID documents |
|
29 |
To be considered innocent until proved guilty |
NO |
Summary executions on inadequate evidence, particularly against dissidents |
|
30 |
To free legal aid when necessary and counsel of own choice |
no |
Counsel unaccepted if it involves defending accused against the state. No official free legal aid. |
|
31 |
From civilian trials in secret |
NO |
Political offences tried by military in secret. |
|
32 |
To be brought promptly before a judge or court |
NO |
No time limit. Thousands of detainees. |
|
33 |
From police searches of home without a warrant. |
NO |
Homes of political dissidents raided frequently |
|
34 |
From arbitrary seizure of personal property |
no |
20000 properties of political dissidents seized or frozen. |
|
|
|
|
|
|
E |
PERSONAL RIGHTS |
|
COMMENTS |
|
35 |
To inter-racial, inter-religious or civil marriage. |
yes |
few restrictions. |
|
36 |
Equality of sexes during marriage and for divorce proceedings. |
yes |
Improvements in laws, more rights to women. |
|
37 |
To practise any religion |
YES |
|