Concluding observations of the UN Committee against Torture SYRIAN ARAB REPUBLIC

Committee against Torture
Forty-fourth session
26 April – 14 May 2010
Consideration of reports submitted by States parties under article 19 of the convention
ADVANCE UNEDITED VERSION
Concluding observations of the Committee against Torture

SYRIAN ARAB REPUBLIC
1. The Committee against Torture considered the initial report of Syrian Arab Republic (CAT/C/SYR/1) at its 937th and 939th meetings (CAT/C/SR.937 and 939), held on 3 and 4 May 2010, and adopted, at its 951st meeting (CAT/C/SR.951), the following concluding observations.

A. Introduction
2. The Committee welcomes the submission of the initial report of Syria, which, while generally following the Committee’s guidelines for reporting, lacks statistical and practical information on the implementation of the provisions of the Convention and relevant domestic legislation. However, the Committee regrets that the report was submitted 5 years late which prevented the Committee from conducting an analysis of the implementation of the Convention in the State party following its ratification in 2004. Read more

Kurds in Syria sentenced for between five years and life imprisonment for political activity – November 2009.

The Supreme State Security Court in Damascus sentenced five political activists to between seven and a half years and twelve years in prison, on 3 November 2009, according to reports from Syrian Human Rights Committee – MAD.

The following people were accused of the offence of membership of a banned political organisation – the Democratic Union Party [PYD] – and attempting to annex part of Syrian territory and append it to a foreign State, in accordance with Article 267 of the Penal Code of Syria:

• Shukri Khaled Omar, born 1988, who was arrested on 19 December 2006 was sentenced to five years.
  • He was also accused of carrying out acts intended to provoke civil war in accordance with Article 298, and was sentenced to hard labour for life.  The sentences are to run concurrently.  The life sentence was reduced to twelve years with hard labour due to mitigating circumstances.  Read more

Further detention of Kurds in Syria – 23 October 2009

On 5 October 2009  a young Kurdish man, Kefkhesh Yassin Adnan, was sentenced to three months in prison and a fine of 100 Syrian pounds for inciting sectarianism – because he was wearing a necklace ‘suspected of being similar to the Kurdish flag’,  according to Kurdish Committee for Human Rights – al-Rasd/Monitor at http://kurdchr.com

Bahjat Mohammed Ali Baki,  a man in his fifties who was married in Amouda town was arrested by Political Security on 20 October 2009. He has been called in several times this year to talk with Political Security according to his family.

Manal Ibrahim Ibrahim, born in Qamishli in 1981 was arrested on 15 October 2009 by Political Security forces.  She has been active in the women’s movement Setar. Read more