Damascus - 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 suspects were accused of the offence of membership of a banned political organization – the Democratic Union Party [PYD] which has ties to the PKK – 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.
The sentenced Kurds were Shukri Khaled Omar, Jeger Mohammad Akram Sheikho, Safqan Rashid Khalo, Farhad Mohammed Mohammed and Rashid Rashid Khalo. According to the International Support Kurds in Syria Association (SKS) the sentenced were ‘unjust and disproportionate’. “As can be proven by the life sentence with hard labour given to the 21 year old, Shukri Khaled Omar.”
According to the Co-Chair of the SKS Sheila Mosley the discussions between Syria and the West encourage the Syrian government to abuse the rights of the Kurdish population. She called on the West to support human rights in Syria.
© Rudaw
