Over the past 18 months, the Syrian authorities have stepped up measures to
restrict freedom of expression, Amnesty International said today as it released a new report documenting how opposition leaders, members of parliament, and activists from civil society including human rights groups have become increasingly targeted for a politically motivated arbitrary arrests.
"This wave of detentions against activists and government opponents raises fears that the Syrian authorities might be trying to turn back the clock to the country's recent past when thousands of people of all political affiliations were imprisoned and often subjected to human rights violations including torture, unfair trials, and judicial and extrajudicial executions," the organization added.
Amnesty International's 15-page report "Smothering Freedom of Expression: the Detention of Peaceful Critics" highlights the cases of 12 people imprisoned exclusively for their peaceful political activities and criticism of the authorities. People like Riad Seif, arrested in September 2001 after organizing a seminar at which a guest speaker called for political reform and democratic elections; or Hussain Daoud, arrested in December 2000 after being forcibly returned from Germany, where his asylum application had been rejected, on charges of involvement with Kurdish groups abroad.
restrict freedom of expression, Amnesty International said today as it released a new report documenting how opposition leaders, members of parliament, and activists from civil society including human rights groups have become increasingly targeted for a politically motivated arbitrary arrests.
"This wave of detentions against activists and government opponents raises fears that the Syrian authorities might be trying to turn back the clock to the country's recent past when thousands of people of all political affiliations were imprisoned and often subjected to human rights violations including torture, unfair trials, and judicial and extrajudicial executions," the organization added.
Amnesty International's 15-page report "Smothering Freedom of Expression: the Detention of Peaceful Critics" highlights the cases of 12 people imprisoned exclusively for their peaceful political activities and criticism of the authorities. People like Riad Seif, arrested in September 2001 after organizing a seminar at which a guest speaker called for political reform and democratic elections; or Hussain Daoud, arrested in December 2000 after being forcibly returned from Germany, where his asylum application had been rejected, on charges of involvement with Kurdish groups abroad.