اللجنة العربية لحقوق الإنسان

ARAB COMMISSION FOR HUMAN RIGHTS

COMMISSION ARABE DES DROITS HUMAINS

International NGO in special Consultative Status with the Economic and Social Council of the United Nations

 A Joint Press release Denouncing the Arbitrary Arrest and Detention of Hussein Aloudat and Ali Al-Abdallah by the Syrian political security forcs

 بيان مشترك عن اللجنة العربية للدفاع عن الصحافيين واللجنة الدولية للدفاع عن علوني واللجنة العربية لحقوق الإنسان

The Arab Commission for Human Rights (ACHR), the International Committee for the Defense of Taysir Alony (ICDTA) and the Arab Committee for the Defense of Journalists

(ACDJ) are very concerned for  the arbitrary arrest and detention of the 68 year old Syrian journalist and academic Hussein ALOUDAT. Director of Al Ahali Publishers,

 founder and director of SANA(1966-1970), author of many books about women and religion, Mr. ALOUDAT is an adviser of the Arab Commission for Human Rights (ACHR)

 and member the directoryboard of  Jamal Atassi’s Forum. 

 On Tuesday May 25 a group of security officers (political police) encircled Mr. Aloudat house in Damascus at around 6AM and arrested him.

 Seven Syrian citizens members of the directoryboard of Jamal Atassi Forum were also arrested the same day: Soheir Atassi, Nahed Badawiya, Youssof Jahmani,

 Abdelnasser Kahlous, Hazem Nahar, Jihad Massouti et Mohamed Mahfoudh. 

The Syrian authorities arrested Ali Al-Abdallah, a Syrian journalist and member of the authorized Atassi Forun, on May 15th 2005. 

               The ACHR is still unaware of his whereabouts or the reasons for the arbitrary arrests. ACHR, ICDTA and ACDJ are deeply concerned for the safety of Mr. Aloudat,

 Mr. Abdallah and theieother colleagues. We call on the Syrian authorities for the prompt and unconditional release of  all journalists detainees in Syria.

               The declared reasons by the Syrian authorities on complicity with the Muslim Brotherhood cannot explain the recent campaigns against  many members of the 

Syrian civil society. Mr. Aloudat isone of the vocal critics of the authoritarian power in Syria and has frequently called for genuine democratic reforms. A few weeks ago

 he was interviewed along with a group of other members of the Syrian civil society in Al Arabia TV Station, where he voiced his deep criticism of the undemocratic discourse

 and actions of the Syrian authorities and called for meaningful change and oppeness. 

Paris,Doha,Geneva 26/05/2005            

C.A. DROITS HUMAINS

5 Rue Gambetta - 92240 Malakoff - France

Phone: (33-1) 4092-1588  * Fax:  (33-1) 4654-1913

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