Syria

Syria has recently made some progress by releasing hundreds of political prisoners in 1998. However, Syrian law still criminalizes peaceful expression and association and censors newspapers and other media. Emergency law granting widespread powers to the government remains in effect and opposition groups are essentially barred from political activity. Hundreds more political prisoners remain in prisons where torture is sometimes used and medical treatment is inadequate. Many prisoners have been held past the expiration of their sentences after refusing to sign loyalty oaths. Some prisoners detained since the 1970s have yet to be charged or tried. The government has failed to provide information about scores of people who were "disappeared" in previous years.

Actions | NGOs | Reports | UN | News | Government & Politics | Links

Actions

• Actions from the World Organization Against Torture on Syria
• Save "Doha 'Ashur al-'Askari"
  Student prisoner of conscience. AI action.
• Imprisoned Syrian Human Rights Activist at Risk of Death
  HRW Campaign

Organizations

• The Kurdish Human Rights Project
• Syrian Human Rights Committee
• National Organization for Human Rights in Syria
  UK based group

Reports & Articles

• US State Department Human Rights Reports
  1998 - 1997 - 1996
• SHRC Reports
• Amnesty International Reports
• AIUSA Page on Syria
• Human Rights Watch Reports
• Committee to Protect Journalists: 1998 Report on Syria
• Scientists and Human Rights in Syria
  National Academy of Sciences
• Lebanese Detainees in Syria
  Detainee Action Campaign
• Refugee Information - Syria - UNHCR
• Lebanon and Syria: The Geopolitics of Change
  Merip, Spring 1997

UN

• On the Record: UN Human Rights Activities
  1998 | 1997
  
  
• Documents from the UN Human Rights System on Syria
  Treaty Body Documents | Charter Body Documents

News
There is no independent press in Syria. The papers below are controlled by the government.

• Syrian Times
• Links to Syrian Newspapers
• Syrian Arab News Agency - government owned
  Mostly Arabic-language

Government & Politics

• Syrian Constitution
• Pro-Assad Website
• Ministry of Information
• Syrian Embassy in Washington
• Syrian Social Nationist Party

Links

• Syria Links
  MENIC, U. of Texas
• Syria: A country Study
  USLOC
• CIA Factbook: Syria
• Syria Net - directory
• Human Rights in the Middle East
  Links to websites that include human rights information on various Middle Eastern Countries
• Human Rights Around the World
  Links to reports & sites with info on many countries

Español

• Acciones de la Organización Mundial Contra la Tortura

Human Rights in the Middle East