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SYRIA Sheikh Muhammad Ma'shuq al-Khiznawi (m) aged
48, Kurdish imam and Islamic scholar
Sheikh Muhammad Ma’shuq al-Khiznawi, an imam or
Islamic religious leader, is reportedly being
detained incommunicado at an unknown location and
may be tortured or ill-treated in detention. The
Syrian authorities have reportedly denied that they
are holding him. If his detention is confirmed,
Amnesty International will consider him to be a
prisoner of conscience, imprisoned solely for
expressing his
beliefs.
Sheikh Muhammad Ma’shuq al-Khiznawi “disappeared”
after leaving the Centre for Islamic Studies in the
capital Damascus on 10 May. He reportedly received a
telephone call asking him to visit a sick man, and
has not been seen since setting off to see him.
A well-known religious scholar, Sheikh Muhammad
Ma’shuq al-Khiznawi is a critic of violence and
terrorism and an outspoken and popular figure within
the Kurdish community. He is an imam in the
predominantly Kurdish city of Qamishli, in
northeastern Syria, and recently called for reforms
in Syria and for more dialogue between religious
groups. In February and March 2005 he travelled to
Norway, Brussels and Germany, apparently in
connection with his work on building relations
between the EU and the Kurdish community. During his
visit he was interviewed by several TV channels.
BACKGROUND INFORMATION
More than 2,000 people, almost all of them Kurds,
are believed to have been arrested in the wake of
March 2004 clashes (see Amnesty International
report, Syria: Kurds in the Arab Republic one year
after the March 2004 events, MDE 24/002/2005, March
2005). Most of these were held incommunicado at
unknown locations, and about 100 remain in detention
in spite of the Presidential Amnesty issued at the
end of March 2005 when 312 Kurds were ordered
released. Amnesty International has documented
widespread reports of torture and ill-treatment of
detainees, including children. At least five Kurds
have reportedly died as a result of torture and
ill-treatment in custody since March 2004.
RECOMMENDED ACTION: Please send appeals to
arrive as quickly as possible, in English, Arabic,
French or your own language:
-expressing concern that Sheikh Muhammad Ma’shuq al-Khiznawi
is reportedly being held incommunicado at an unknown
location; - calling for his whereabouts to be
disclosed, and for assurances that he is not
being subjected to torture and other ill-treatment;
-reminding the authorities that torture is, as
stated by the UN’s Special Rapporteur on Torture,
“most frequently practised during incommunicado
detention [which] should be made illegal, and
persons held incommunicado should be released
without delay”; - reminding the authorities that as
a state party to the Convention Against Torture,
Syria is obliged to review all of its legislation
and practices in line with the requirements of the
Convention, and ensure that all its provisions are
fully implemented;
- urging that Sheikh Muhammad Ma’shuq al-Khiznawi be
allowed visits from his
family, a lawyer of his choosing and any medical
treatment he may require;
-calling for Sheikh Muhammad Ma’shuq al-Khiznawi’ to
be released immediately
unless he is to be charged with a recognizably
criminal offence.
APPEALS TO:
His Excellency President Bashar al-Assad
President of the Republic
Presidential Palace
Abu Rummaneh, Al Rashid Street
Damascus, Syrian Arab Republic
Fax +963 11 332 3410
Salutation: Your Excellency
His Excellency General Ghazi Kan’an
Minister of Interior
Ministry of Interior
Merjeh Circle
Damascus, Syrian Arab Republic
Fax: +963 11 222 3428
Email: somi@net.sy
Salutation: Your Excellency
COPIES TO: diplomatic representatives of
Syria accredited to your country.
PLEASE SEND APPEALS IMMEDIATELY. Check with
the International Secretariat, or your section
office, if sending appeals after 30 June 2005.
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