Where is my brother Tahsein Mamo?

Aiysha Mamo has asked International Support Kurds in Syria Association – SKS for assistance to discover the circumstances and whereabouts of her brother Tahsein Mamo who has disappeared in the Syrian prison system. Aiysha who lives in Germany said, ‘I would do anything to find my brother. I think about him every day, I miss him so much’.

Tahsein’s cousin, Yaseen Mamo has also expressed his deep concern about what may have happened, and spoke of how their lives had been affected by his disappearance.

Tahsein, born 1980 in Afrin is married with one son. He lives in Aleppo.  He was arrested with four other people at the end of January 2007 during a raid by a patrol of military security officers, and they were taken to the branch of military security in Aleppo, and then on to the Investigation Branch of the military security in Damascus. Read more

Amnesty International report 2010/Syria – The state of the world’s Human Rights

Head of state: Bashar al-Assad

Head of government: Muhammad Naji al-’Otri

Death penalty: retentionist

Population: 21.9 million

Life expectancy: 74.1 years

Under-5 mortality (m/f): 21/16 per 1,000

Adult literacy: 83.1 per cent

The government remained intolerant of dissent. Critics, human rights defenders, alleged opponents of the government and others were detained, often for prolonged periods; some were sentenced to prison terms after unfair trials. Torture and other illtreatment remained common, and were committed with impunity; there were several suspicious deaths in custody. The government failed to clarify the circumstances in which prisoners were killed at Sednaya Military Prison in 2008 and, again, took no steps to account for thousands of victims of enforced disappearances in previous years. Women faced legal and other discrimination and violence. The Kurdish minority remained subject to discrimination, and thousands of Syrian Kurds were effectively stateless. At least eight prisoners were executed. Read more

Amnesty International – Two Kurds at IMMINENT risk of execution, Iran

Hossein Khezri, a 28-year-old man, and Zeynab Jalalian, a 27-year-old woman, both members of Iran’s Kurdish minority, are feared to be at imminent risk of execution. Both were convicted of “enmity against God”, in separate cases, for membership of the Party for Free Life of Kurdistan.

Hossein Khezri was arrested in Kermanshah in 2008, held in detention facilities under the control of the Ministry of Intelligence and Revolutionary Guards, and was later sentenced to death by the Revolutionary Court in Oromieh, north-west Iran, for “enmity against God” (“moharebeh”). His sentence was upheld in or around August 2009. He said he was tortured and asked for an investigation, but his request was denied in March 2010. On 11 April 2010, he was moved from Oromieh Central Prison to an unknown location, raising fears that his execution may be imminent. Read more

Briefing to the Committee Against Torture – Amnesty International

1. INTRODUCTION
This briefing is submitted to the Committee against Torture (hereafter the Committee) in connection with its consideration of Syria’s first periodic report on its implementation of the Convention against Torture and Other Cruel, Inhuman or Degrading Treatment or Punishment (hereafter the Convention). It details Amnesty International’s concern about a persistent pattern of torture and other ill?treatment of political detainees while held in often prolonged incommunicado detention for interrogation by Syria’s security and intelligence agencies (notably, Military Intelligence, Political Security and State Security); unfair trials, including the acceptance by courts of “confessions” allegedly obtained under torture or other ill-treatment; beatings and other ill-treatment of inmates by prison guards; and the failure of the authorities to ensure that all allegations of torture and other serious violations of human rights are independently investigated and that those responsible for abuses are brought to justice.
This briefing which covers the period from 2004 to date, describes laws and practices in Syria which lead to or amount to human rights violations and contravene Syria’s obligations under the Convention.

Read the report here

See all reports at http://www2.ohchr.org/english/bodies/cat/cats44.htm

URGENT ACTION – Hospital patients held incommunicado in Syria

Dozens of Syrian Kurds injured in clashes with law enforcement officials are being held incommunicado in hospital in the city of Ar Raqqah, northeastern Syria. They are at risk of torture or other ill-treatment.

On 21 March, violence broke out between Syrian law enforcement officials and members of the Kurdish minority, an estimated 5,000 of whom had gathered in Ar Raqqah to celebrate Nawrouz, the Kurdish New Year. The gathering was organized by the Democratic Union Party (PYD), a Kurdish minority political party unrecognized by the Syrian authorities. The violence broke out when law enforcement officials objected to those holding up PYD flags and pictures of the ‘Abdullah Ocalan, leader of the Kurdistan Workers’ Party in Turkey (PKK), who is imprisoned in Turkey. Police used tear gas and pumped water at the crowds then opened fire with live ammunition when some of the participants threw stones at them, killing a 14-year-old boy and possibly other people, and injuring scores of others. Read more

Call to Action: KURDISH POLITICAL ACTIVISTS DETAINED IN SYRIA

Four Kurdish political activists were detained on 26 December in Syria, and have been held incommunicado since then. They are at risk of torture and other ill-treatment.

Hassan Saleh, Muhammad Ahmed Mustafa and Ma’rouf Mulla Ahmed – all senior members of the unauthorized Syrian Kurdish Yeketi Party in Syria – and Anwer Naso, also a member of the Yeketi Party, were arrested on 26 December by members of Political Security, one of Syria’s security agencies. Political Security regularly detains individuals perceived as opposing or being critical of the Syrian regime. Their detention came around three weeks after the men attended a Yeketi Party conference that called for autonomy in the Kurdish areas in Syria. Read more

Kurdish man at imminent risk of execution in Iran 23 January 010

LONDON,— The Iranian authorities must not execute a Kurdish man on death row whose transfer to solitary confinement last week raises fears that his execution could be imminent, said Amnesty International.

Habibollah Latifi was sentenced to death in July 2008 after he was convicted of moharebeh (enmity against God) in connection with his membership of and activities on behalf of the Kurdish Independent Life Party (PJAK), a banned armed group.

He was transferred to solitary confinement at Sanandaj prison, Kurdistan province, north-western Iran on 16 January. Read more

Iran: Halt executions of Kurdish and other political prisoners

AMNESTY INTERNATIONAL Public Statement 12 January 2010

Amnesty International is calling on the Iranian authorities not to execute at least 17 members of Iran’s Kurdish minority, including one woman – Zeynab Jalalian -  who are on death row after their conviction of political offences.  The organization fears that they could be executed at any time, particularly in light of the execution of two other Kurds in Iran in recent months, most recently Fasih Yasmini in Khoy on 6 January 2010. Read more

Amnesty International Syria: Kurdish lawyer detained, risks torture

Kurdish lawyer Mustafa Ismail was detained on 12 December, and has been held incommunicado since then. He is at risk of torture and other ill-treatment.

Mustafa Ismail, who writes about the treatment of Kurds in Syria and Turkey for a number of foreign-based websites, was detained when he went to the Air Force Security Branch in the northern city of Aleppo, in response to an order from the local security office in his home town of Ain Arab. His family went to the same Air Force Security Branch on 17 December to find out what had happened to him, but they were told that he was not there and they were ordered to leave. Read more

Amnesty International calls for Syria’s Supreme Security Court to be abolished

Amnesty International called for Syria’s Supreme State Security Court (SSSC) to be abolished as the trial of five members of the Kurdish minority resumed on Tuesday.
“The trial is likely to be a parody of justice as the SSSC has shown itself to be grossly unsatisfactory as a court of law,” said Malcolm Smart, Director of Amnesty International’s Middle East and North Africa Programme. “It is neither independent nor impartial and it does not operate in accordance with international standards of fair trial. It should be abolished without further ado.” Read more

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