The Syrian Human Rights Committee (SHRC) has learnt that the body of Mr. Salih Fawzi al-Madani (25 years) was found murdered and mutilated in a street of Baghdad.

On 15/7/2006, Iraqi interior Ministry forces arrested Salih al-Madani, and a group of his colleagues, for the mere reason of his being Syrian. One of his colleagues who was released thereafter said, "Salih was detained in an Interior Ministry Iraqi Prison. He was then transferred to the hospital due to the inhumane torture he was subjected to, and disappeared shortly afterwards. His body was found in a street in Baghdad at the beginning of August 2006."

SHRC severely condemns the disregard for human life and killing based on nationality, practised by forces stripped off their humanity, with no values or principles. SHRC calls upon the international community, particularly the UN High Commission for refugees which has not acted in response to this event although they have been contacted and called upon many times in order to work to protect the exiled Syrians in Iraq from such practises which have killed tens of Syrians, whether through prisons, killings or "disappearances".

SHRC also holds the Syrian Authorities responsible for the danger their citizens in Iraq are being subjected to due to their decline and refusal of allowing them to return safely to their homes, and their insistence on arresting and sentencing them if they were to return.

It is worth to mention that Mr. Salih al-Madani, from the city of Hama, was born and lived outside of Syria due to the Syrian Authorities' pursuit of his father who has been living in exile since 1980.

Syrian Human Rights Committee
11/9/2006