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ACTION REQUEST

Syria: Father of Human Rights Defender put in Police Custody


URGENT ACTION -OBSERVATORY


SYR 002/ 9712 / OBS 020
Harassment Syria
1 December 1997



The Observatory for the Protection of Human Rights Defenders a joint
programme of the FIDH and the OMCT requests your URGENT intervention
in the following situation in Syria.

Description of the facts:

The Observatory for the Protection of Human Rights Defenders has just
been informed that Mr. Youssef Nasser, lawyer and father of the
internationally recognised human rights defender Haytham Manna, former
Vice-President of the FIDH, in charge of international issues in The
Committee for the Defence of Human Rights and Democratic Liberties in
Syria, an organisation affiliated to both FIDH and OMCT, has been 
placed in police custody in Daara, on November 26th 1997. 

He was questioned for over 7 hours concerning the activities of his
son. He was then released after having been informed that his
grandchildren were no longer allowed to leave the country. Mr. Youssef
Nasser was imprisoned from 1979 to 1985. Since that time he and all
his family have been forbidden to leave Syria.

Both Mr. Youssef Nasser and his wife  have already been interrogated
concerning the activities of their son in exile, in particular his
relations with the OMCT and his contacts in the United Nations. 

The Observatory is particularly concerned at these events which fall
within the framework of a persistent pattern of repression practised
by the Syrian authorities against human rights defenders in Syria 
(see Urgent Action by the Observatory SYR 001/9709/ OBS 009) and their
families.

Action requested

Write to the Syrian authorities urging them to:

i.	guarantee the safety and freedom of movement of Mr. Youssef Nasser
and his family, including the right to leave the country:

ii.	put an and to all forms of discrimination and repression against
defenders of human rights or their families and adopt with the utmost
urgency every measure liable to guarantee effectively to
non-governmental human rights associations and their members the means
to act freely and without impediment for the promotion and defence of
fundamental rights and liberties.

iii.	publicly proclaim their dedication to the rights of individuals,
non-governmental organisations to promote and protect human rights and
fundamental liberties ;

iv.	more generally to abide by the provisions of the Universal
Declaration of Human Rights and of the international Conventions
ratified by Syria;

Addresses:

His Excellency President Hafez al-Assad, Presidential Palace, Abu
Rummaneh, Al-Rashid Street, Damascus, Syrian Arab Republic. Telex :
419160 PRESPL SY

His Excellency Mahmud al-Zu'bi, Prime Minister, Office of the Prime
Minister, Abd al-Rahman Shahbandar Street, Damascus, Syrian Arab
Republic

His Excellency Hussain Hassun, Minister of Justice, Ministry of
Justice, Al-Nasr Street, Damascus, Syrian Arab Republic.

The Syrian Embassy in your respective countries.

Paris - Geneva, 1 December 1997

Kindly inform the Observatory of any action undertaken quoting the
code number of this appeal in your reply


The Human Rights Actions Network

Human Rights in Syria


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The Human Rights Action Network, a part of Derechos Human Rights, distributes appeals on behalf of victims of human rights violations. You are invited to join the network. Please check the date of the present action and do not write if it's over a month old.