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Page 1 of 4  Mr. Maarof Mullah Ahmed
Defend
International (DI) has been informed by reliable sources of the case of Mr.
Maarof Mullah Ahmed, a leading member of Yeketi Party in Syria.
DI
believes that he is a prisoner of conscience, detained solely for his peaceful
political activities.
Result
of DI Action:
- On March 5, 2008,
the Syrian authorities released Mr. Maarof Mullah Ahmed.
Information about the campaign:
Name: Maarof
Mullah Ahmed
Sex: Male
Age: 54
Authorities: Syrian
Category: Fear
of torture or ill-treatment / incommunicado detention / prisoners of conscience
The case:
According
to information received from Syria
and Norway, Mr. Maarof Mullah Ahmed,
leading
member of the Kurdish Democratic Unity Party in Syria
(or Yeketi Party), was arrested on August 12, 2007, while travelling to Lebanon
to visit friends. He was detained by Syrian State Security at a checkpoint near
the country's border with Lebanon.
He was believed to be detained incommunicado
at Amn Al-Dawla, in the capital, Damascus,
but now he has been transferred to Al-Fayhaa branch which puts him at grave
risk of torture and/or other forms of ill-treatment.
Defend International believes that he may be a
prisoner of conscience, detained solely for his peaceful political activities.
DI
Demands:
Defend International calls upon the Syrian
authorities to release Mr. Maarof Mullah Ahmed immediately and unconditionally
unless he is charged with a recognizable criminal offence and given a fair and
prompt trial.
As a state party to the Convention against
Torture and other Cruel, Inhumane or Degrading Treatment or Punishment, Syria
must uphold its obligations as defined in the Convention, including ensuring
that Mr. Maarof Mullah Ahmed will not be subjected to torture or cruel, inhuman
or degrading treatment or punishment.
Defend International urge the Syrian
authorities to make immediate arrangements for Mr. Maarof Mullah Ahmed to get access
to a lawyer of his own choosing, his family and any medical treatment he needs.
DI campaign:
Please copy the
following appeals, add your signature and address and send them to arrive as
soon as possible.
With thanks and
appreciation
Defend International
His Excellency President
Bashar Al-Assad
President of the Republic
Presidential Palace
Al-Rashid Street
Damascus, Syrian Arab
Republic
Fax: +963 11 332 3410
Your
Excellency,
By this letter, I wish to draw your attention
to the case of Mr. Maarof Mullah Ahmed, who was reportedly detained on 12 August
2007 at a checkpoint near the country's border with Lebanon.
I
am concerned that he is detained incommunicado, where torture is most
frequently practiced according to the UN Special Rapporteur on Torture. I urge
you to ensure that Mr. Maarof Mullah Ahmed is not tortured.
Furthermore
I would like to point out that Mr. Maarof Mullah Ahmed is a possible prisoner
of conscience, arrested solely for the peaceful expression of his opinions.
He must
get a fair hearing in accordance with international standards for fair trial,
including the right to a hearing by an ?independent and impartial tribunal? in
accordance with the International Covenant of Civil and Political Rights, to
which Syria
is a state party, or to be released.
I
wish you to remind the authorities in Al-Fayhaa Branch that Mr. Maarof Mullah
Ahmed has the right to immediate and unrestricted access to his family, a
lawyer, and any medical treatment he may need.
I
hope for your urgent attention to this matter.
Yours
respectfully,
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