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Syria sentences eight dissidents to
prison: lawyer
20.3.2006
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DAMASCUS, March
19, 2006 (AFP) - Syria's state security court on
Sunday sentenced six Kurds to prison terms on
charges of either separatism or belonging to illegal
groups, human rights lawyer Anwar Bunni said.
The same court also sentenced two more non-Kurdish
men to lengthy jail terms on charges of aiming to
harm the state's reputation, the lawyer said.
Three of the Kurds were members of the Democratic
Union Party, a banned Kurdish political group. They
received two-and-a-half-year terms for belonging to
a "secret organization," Bunni said.
Two other Kurds were sentenced to seven years each
for seeking to "annex part of (Syrian) territory." A
third man received six months on the same charge.
Damascus views the expression of Kurdish language
and culture as a threat to national unity and Kurds
are frequently arrested for alleged separatism.
The Kurdish population in Syria is estimated at 1.5
million, about nine percent of the population.
Meanwhile, a non-Kurdish Syrian national was
sentenced to 10 years behind bars for aiming to
"modify society and weaken national pride."
A man of Palestinian-Jordanian origin was sentenced
to three years in prison followed by deportation
from Syria for "harming the image of the state,"
Bunni said.
And two students were arrested Saturday for wanting
to "form a democratic gathering of youths to discuss
young people's problems," Bunni said.
At least eight students have been arrested until now
for wanting to form a political group.
Bunni, who heads the Syrian Center for Judicial
Studies, called on authorities to "halt policies
that aim to terrorize society and activists by
punishing any action and using as recourse the state
security court which is an illegal court."
A separate statement signed by five human rights
groups called on the government to "immediately free
all political detainees in Syrian jails and take
urgent and serious measure to introduce democracy."
The text also asked for the "lifting of all
restrictions on free expression and on the formation
of political parties and civil society groups."
Syria's emergency laws, in effect since the Baath
party took power in 1963, have come under regular
fire from rights advocates because the laws limit
free expression, permit state security courts and
so-called "arbitrary arrests."
Despite pledges last year by the regime to allow
political parties, the Baath party said those based
on an "ethnic, religious or regional basis" would
not be allowed.
AFP
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