YASA report August 2009

YASA monthly report – August 2009 PDF

• Ali Hassan Hossein’s whereabout still is unknown
  The family of the teenager Ali Hassan Hossein born in Xezyane Jorin, Afrin and living in Aleppo is missing its son since Sunday July, 27th, 2009. He had been questioned many times before his missing. Ali Hassan Hossein is the only earner of his old mother and the children of his dead brother.  http://www.yasa-online.org/yasa-en/reports.html

• Kurdish activist Rojiin Remo arrested and abducted
  The Kurdish activist Rojin Remo was arrested by political security forces in the Kurdish City of Kobani where she visited relatives on July, 27th, 2009 at 8 p.m. She is born in 1970 in the City of Qamishili. She was arrested and abducted to an unknown place through the use of force. Her whereabouts is still unknown.

• Shams Al Din Hamo released
  Shams Al Din Hamo was released after 4 days in prison. He was arrested by political security forces on 29th July, 2009 and had had no contact to relatives or family members since then.

• Felek Naz and Afret Mohmed arrested in Damascus
  Political security forces stormed a house in the Zorava district in Damascus and arrested two women on August 3rd at 1 p.m. Felek Naz born October 30th, 1968 in Derik and Afret Mohamed born 1975 in Al Hasaca. Nobody knows about the whereabout of the two women.

• Ibrahim Biro before court
  Ibrahim Biro, member of the political committee of the Kurdish Yekiti party who was arrested on April 28th, 2009 is before court now. Security forces had arrested Biro in Qamishili and was deported to the “Al Fayhaa” department of political security forces authority. Then he was brought to the military security in Aleppo which deported him back to prison. During the hearings he admitted his membership in the political commitee of the party. Furthermore he confirmed organising poilitical and cultural events.

• Break up of Kurdish students party
  The syrian police broke up the party of the Kurdish students union “Juanen Kurd”. The young people celebrated their graduation from high school and their A-Levels.

• Kurdish party leader sentenced to prison

Nasr Al Din Berhek, Faisal Nasso and Fender Jamil were sued in the military court in Al Qamishili on August, 9th, 2009. They were accused of beeing members in political organisations pursuant to § 288 of the Syrian criminal code. All three were sentenced to three months prison. The court case against Hasan Salih his group and Ibrahim Biro were postponed to October 10th, 2009.

• Again Kurdish conscript killed
  The family of the Kurdish soldier Hogir Hiso was informed of his death on August 8th, 2009. Hogir Hiso was 22 years old and was doing military service for 8 months. The authority said, that he died due a electric shock. His family received the dead body on August 9th, 2009, which will be buried in Al Qamishli. He is the 26th Kurdish soldier who died under mysterious circumstances since 2004. The families couldn’t see the dead bodies in all cases. Reporting of the killings were ignored by the authorities. Another case of a Kurdish soldier is that of Hozan Ferhad Dreie who was hunted and finaly shooted in the streets of Al Qamishli.

• 4 Kurds released after 6 months of prison
  After the decision of the military judge the following persons were released from prison on August 8th 2009: Jihad Aladdin Hossein, Reber Nuraddin Ibrahim Gulo, Fermez Seid Saadoun, Abdul Qadous Abulatif Hissein. The persons come from the “Al Hilaliya” district in the City of Al Qamishli and were arrested by the internal security. The were accused of taking part in protests and of beeing members of the democtratic union party. Durin their stay in prison they were tortured with electro shocks and beated with tiles. They were deported to Al Hassaka and then to Al Qamishli after the torture. They were brought before military judge. They were accused of beeing members of illegal political organisations and of stiring up hatred between religious groups.

• Kurdish Secretary of the Syrian left party Mohamed Moussa Mohamed arrested
  The police of the city of Dirbasiya arrested the secretary of the Kurdish left party in Syria in his residence in the village “Shur Ost” on August 9th, 2009. He was brought to court by the police. The military judge sentenced Moussa Mohamed to prison. He was released on August 31st, 2009.

• Kurdish journalist Amjad Osman released from prison
  Amjad Abdul Rahman Osman born 1982 was released from prison on August 10th, 2009. He was arrested in the immigration office in Al Hasaka on May 17th, 2009 and was missed since then.

• 27th Kurdish Soldier killed during military service
  The Kurdish soldier Ahmad Moustafa Ibrahim born 1989 was buried in his birthplace the village of Kura near Jindeires-Afrin. His parents were told to pick up the dead body of their son in Damascus. The authorities claimed that he had commited suicide by shooting himself in the head during his guarding service. But it is assumed that also Ahmad Moustafa Ibrahim was killed.

• Syrian Kurd with order to stay away from a city released
  The Kurdish citizen Khalil Yousef Osman was released from prison on August 16th, 2009. He and 4 othere Kurds: Salar Hossein, Souriya Hossein, Jamil Hiso and Jalal Yousef were sentenced to one year prison in July 2008. In addition, they got the order to stay away from a city for a total of one year. Salar Hossein and Souriya Hossein were released from prison on July 27th, 2009.

• Four Kurds arrested in Al Qamishli
  The Kurdish Taxi-driver Dilsher Khati Ahmed was arrested by the political security authority in his residence in Al Qamishli and was deported to the head quarter in Al Hasaka. Dilsher Khati Ahmed is married and has three children. On the same day, the Kurd Anwar Abdul Rahman Ali born 1975 was arrested by polices officers of differnt security authorities. Furthermore, the Syrian internal security forces arrested two other Kurds, Mohammed Hasan Sheikhmous and Lokan Souleiman Khudr on the same day. The two were deported to the internal security forces office. The reasons for the arrestment are unknown. None of the arrested persons were politicaly active or commited any crime.

• Activist and novelist Abdul Qadir Masoum Khaznawi summoned to hearings at the military security service
  The novelist and human rights activists Abdul Qadir Masoum Al Khaznawi was interrogated by the military security service in Al Qamishli between August 10th and August 19th. The reason for the hearing was two articles that the novelist had written. He wrote about the election in Kurdish Iraq in “the Kurds and the lessons of democraty”. In the other article he wrote about the death of the Armenian singer Aram Dikran. The two article were published on diffent websites. Al Khazanawi is teacher but was forced to retire afer he and a large number of Kurdish teachers were transfered to other regions without any reseans. A large number of Kurdish people were interrogated for publishing articles and their opinion in the internet during the last months.

• Ali Mohamed Maasoum Maamo released after 7 months remand
  The Kurdish citizen Ali Mohamed Maasoum Maamo was released by the military judge Ayman Wafiq Iskanar after 6 months remand on August 20th, 2009. Ali Maamo born 1958 in Barkafri – Dirbasiya was arrested by political security forces and deported to Damascus on Feburary 17th, 2009. After that he was deported to a prison in Al Hasaka.

• Kurdish politician Abdul Fattah Duhair interrogated
  Abdul Fattah Duhair secretary of the free national union living in Al Hasaka was summoned to hearings to Damascus in the Falasteen department on August 15th, 2009. Many Kurds were interrogated for publishing their opinion or articles in the internet. The costs caused by the hearings have to be paid by the interrogated persons. In addition to material costs all of the interrogated persons suffer and have psychological problems such as fear and panic.

• Kurdish activist in hospital due to torture
  The Kurdish activist and member of the Sitar Union Rojin Remo was taken to the Al Kindi hospital due to torture in Allepo on August 21st, 2009. Misses Remo was arrested by the political security forces on July 29th, 2009. Her family was informed that no one under the name Rojin Remo was taken to hospital, which let the family assume, that their daughter was in the hospital under a differnt name. Rojin Remo was in a very bad health condition due to the torture. The behaviour of the hospital and of the security forces authority is similar to two other cases namely, that of Al Shaikh Mohammed Maashouq Al Khaznawi and Ms. Osman Souleiman. This two persons were brought to hospital in secrecy after their arrestment. After that they died due to their torture. Two other activists Falak Naz Khalil and Afret Mohammed who were arrested by the political security forces still are missed.

  Information about the reason for the arrestmend and about their whereabout is still missing. The security authorities in Syria are authorized to do anything they want without fearing any punishments. In the torture cellar of the security forces authorities the most cruel and disgusting torture methods are used. Most of the torture victims are disabled and not few die. Many cases of died persons after torture are known. For example the case of Mohamed Hassan Hossein. Member of the council of the democratic union who died in August 2004. Two other Kurds have also died due to the torture methos.  Sheikh Mohammed Maashuq Al Kaznawi died in June 2005 and Osman Souleiman in February 2008. These two cases are well known. Mrs. Nazya Ahmed Kajal, member of the Partei democratic union party is missed since 2004 verschwunden. Experiences with the Syrian state of torture showed that one can fear the worst.

• 4 Kurds in Derik arrested
  The office of political security in Al Hasaka arrested two sisters: Mrs. Amsa Mourad Sami married 8 children and Mrs. Ayhan Mourand Sami married 5 children. The two women were summoned to the office of the political security service and were immadiately arrested. Two other Kurds were arrested by the same security authority on the same day. One of the is Yousef Seifo married, 3 children and the other is Adnan Dimo married. All 4 Kurds were tortured and forced to collaboration with the security authority against other Kurds. The persons were summoned many times to the head quarter of the political security authority in Al Hasaka. They are accused of taking part in Kurdish celebrations. Especially Seifo and Dimo are accused of making activities in the Kurdish folklore and culture areas.

• Arrestment of Fawaz Mihiddin Hasan
  Fawaz Mihiddin Hasan from Amuda also known as Fawaz Al Haddad was arrested in the beginning of August 2009. Fawaz was deported to the Falasteen department in Damascus. His Family tried to get information about his arrestment without success. Fawaz, Mohammed Seid Jouli and Ahmed Souleiman Mamo from Amuda were arrested and deported to Damascus on March 29th, 2009. All three were released after 3 months remand on June 29th, 2009. They were send back to Al Hasaka. Mohammed Sid Jouli was the first one released the two other Kurds were released after 15 days.