A call for the Release of Mohammed Mustafa Bayram
and to lift the Curfew imposed upon Wadi al-Masharee'

Kurdish sources have informed the Syrian Human Rights Committee (SHRC) that the Kurdish youth, Mohammed Mustafa Bayram, was arrested by a patrol belonging to Dummar Police Station in rural Damascus on 17/12/2006. He was later transferred to the Syrian Security Branch in Damascus (al-Misat Square), and remains detained to this day and moment. Mohammed Mustafa Bayram has not committed any crime, yet nobody knows anything about his situation and his family is not allowed to visit him.

The citizen Mohammed Mustafa Bayram (33 years) lives in Wadi al-Masharee' in Rural Damascus and is self-employed. He is married with four girls.

The sources also reported that in the past month, Wadi al-Masharee' has been subject to many Syrian Security police patrols, apparently due to trying to follow up trouble-making youths. Using this excuse, families either entering or exiting the neighbourhood are stopped and searched, especially those who work in hotels and restaurants. Some individuals were stopped for hours, or even days, and were beaten up and humiliated although they hadn't committed any crime.

SHRC requests the Syrian Authorities to immediately release the youth Mustafa Bayram and to put an end to torture and arbitrary arrests. SHRC also calls for an end to the curfew imposed on the Wadi al-Masharee' neighbourhood by the Syrian Security, and to stop violating the freedoms of citizens.

Syrian Human Rights Committee
2/2/2007