Akram Kanao, President of MAF died suddenly on Saturday 24 April 2010
It has come to our attention from Kurdish Organization for Defending Human Rights and Public Freedoms in Syria – DAD, Human Rights Organization in Syria – MAF, and Kurdish Committee for Human Rights al-Rased that the human rights campaigner, Akram Kanao died in an unfortunate accident on the evening of Saturday 24 April 2010. He will be mourned by human rights supporters everywhere.
At the time of his accident, Akram Kanao was the President of the Board of Trustees of Human Rights Organization in Syria – MAF. He had been arrested late in 1970 and was detained for one year with others. He was arrested again on 28 February 2009, after the march to protest about Decree 49, along with two of his colleagues on the Board of Trustees of the organization MAF. They were released the same day.
International Support Kurds in Syria Association – SKS wishes to extend condolences to the family, friends and colleagues of Akram Kanao.
Two Board Members of MAF arrested in Syria
A patrol of the military security branch in Aleppo arrested two members of the Board of Trustees of the Human Rights Organization in Syria – MAF:
• the poet and activist Abdul Hafiz Abdul Rahman,
• the activist Nadra Abdo
on 2 March 2010 after a raid on the home of Abdul Hafiz in Aleppo.
The search caused fear in the hearts of family members who were present. His personal belongings were taken including his entire collection of books, with Kurdish and Arabic dictionaries, and some manuscripts, all of his CDs some of which included memories of family celebrations, his mobile phone, the hard drive from his computer, and other publications. They then arrested Nadra Abdo, who was visiting the family, and she was released on 6 March 2010.
Reported by the Kurdish organization for the defence of human rights and public freedoms in Syria – DAD, and Human Rights Organization in Syria – MAF who condemn the arrests and call for the release of Abdul Hafiz Abdul Rahman
6 March 2010
Two Kurdish students from Kobani – arrested and disappeared
Human Rights Organization in Syria – MAF reports that on 22 November 2009 a platoon from the Political Security branch raided the house of Mohammed Amin Kurdi, born 1988, in Kobani. His whereabouts are unknown, and there has been no explanation as to the reason for his arrest. His family has made enquiries with the Political Security office in Kobani and have been told he has been transferred to the Political Security branch in Aleppo. Mohammed Amin, is a Kurdish baccalaureate student. His father died when he was one year old and he has been brought up by his mother as an only child.
Another Kurdish man, Mustafa Nassan, born 1987 was arrested on 9 October 2009 by Political Security platoon in Kobani. He has not been seen since that time. His family have been informed that he is with Political Security branch in Aleppo. The Political Security branch in Aleppo told his family that he is not with them. Mustafa is a first year student at the Beirut al-Arabi University in the School of Law. Read more
More disappearances of Kurds in Syria – 8 November 2009
Nashat Mustafa Hanan, a 45 year old Kurd from Aleppo in Syria who works in the defence industry for the Syrian Government, has been subjected to harassment and was called into many interviews from the time of last year’s Newroz festival in March 2008. Newroz is celebrated around 21 March every year. It is the Kurdish New Year, a festival time when Kurds remember their history, and celebrate their Kurdyeti (Kurdishness) by holding parties in large tents and dancing on the stage. In Syria, the Government threatens Kurdish political parties at this time that their supporters should stay at home, suddenly there are no tents for hire, the stages that have been erected are bulldozed, and many people are arrested. There is clear Government interference in the festival. Read more
