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.
Jeger Mohammad Akram Sheikho, born 1989 who was arrested on 15 January 2007;
and Safqan Rashid Khalo, born 1990 who was arrested on 30 November 2006.
These two were sentenced to five years imprisonment.
They were also sentenced to imprisonment for ten years with hard labour, accused of carrying out acts intended to provoke civil war in accordance with Article 298. The sentences are to run concurrently, totalling ten years with hard labour.
Farhad Mohammed Mohammed who was arrested on 29 November 2006, was sentenced to ten years in prison.
Rashid Rashid Khalo, born 1958, who was arrested on 19 February 2006. He was sentenced to seven and a half years in prison.
At a court hearing in Qamishli on 1 November 2009 the Individual Military Judge glanced at the paperwork submitted in case no. 2220 and without further investigation sentenced two people to six months in prison and a fine of one hundred Syrian lira. This was supposed to be a hearing at which the lawyer Media Shakker was to present the case for the defence. They were accused of belonging to a banned political organisation, and stirring sectarian strife in the region according to nos. 288 and 307 of the Syrian Penal Code. They were also accused of putting up posters in support of recognition of the Kurdish issue:
Mohammed Seif al-Din al-Kheddo, born 1986, from Derbasieh town
Nader Nawaf Khalil, born 1981, also from Derbasieh town.
These two were arrested on 13 October 2008 by Political Security and remained in isolation in Hassaka Central Prison for six months without trial, until they were released on 13 April 2009. At the hearing on 1 November 2009 the Judge allowed them to remain free saying that they had served their sentences.
International Support Kurds in Syria Association – SKS – wishes to make the following points:
Young Kurdish people are increasingly being detained without trial and held in detention for long periods of time accused of being involved in political groups in a country where all Kurdish political parties are designated to be illegal;
Sentences are wildly unjust and disproportionate as can be evidenced for example by the life sentence with hard labour given to the 21 year old, Shukri Khaled Omar;
The State of Emergency that has been in place since December 1962 is used to victimise Kurds;
There is no pretence of justice in the ‘Supreme State Security Court’, for example:
‘Confessions’ delivered under torture are accepted;
There is no adequate legal representation.
Syria denies that there is a significant population of Kurds who live there, in their ancient homelands;
Imprisonment of political activists is on the increase, and is a technique to frighten Kurds into being submissive;
We are concerned that the recent co-operative developments and the setting-up of the Strategic Security Committee between Turkey and Syria will be used to plan for the continued denial of basic rights to Kurds and their suppression, on both sides of the border;
Discussions between Syria and the international community are encouraging the Syrian Government to continue the abuse of its Kurdish population, because the issue of Kurdish rights is swept under the carpet in the race to utilise Syria’s position in the Middle East.
We call upon the international community to work to bring an end to the State of Emergency in Syria, for the release of all political prisoners, for the abolition of the Supreme State Security Court, to bring about freedom of speech, and for the recognition in the Constitution that Kurds exist as the largest minority ethnic group in Syria.
Sheila Mosley
Co-Chair: International Support Kurds in Syria Association – SKS.
3 November 2009
Email SKS: info@supportkurds.org
Website: http://supportkurds.org
- International Support Kurds in Syria Association
