Amnesty International 26-April-2012
Concern is growing for three human rights defenders being held incommunicado at a military base near Damascus, amid reports they may be facing ongoing torture, Amnesty International said. Hani Zitani, Abd al-Rahman Hamada and Mansour al-Omari are being held in the town of al-Mo’damiya outside the capital, at a base run by the Fourth Armoured Division, under the de facto command of the Syrian president’s brother Maher al-Assad.
The Observatory has been informed by reliable sources about the continued incommunicado detention and deterioration of heath conditions of Mr. Mazen Darwish, President of the Syrian Center for Media and Freedom of Expression (SCM), and his colleagues, blogger Mr. Hussein Ghareer, Mr. Abdelrahman Hamada, Mr. Mansour Al Omari and Mr. Hani Zetani, as well as the arbitrary detention of journalist Ms. Yara Bader, the wife of Mr. Darwish, blogger Ms. Razan Ghazzawi, Ms. Mayadah Khaleel, Ms. Sana Zetani and Messrs. Bassam Al-Ahmad, Joan Farso and Ayham Ghazzou, all also SCM members, and a visitor to the SCM, Ms. Hanadi Zahlout.
Amnesty International 27-April-2012
Human rights lawyer Abdullah al-Khalil was released on 28 March, Following his release, he sent Amnesty International a message saying, "Best wishes to everyone."
Joint Press Release
23 April 2012. The undersigned organizations strongly condemn the ongoing secret detention of Mr. Mazen Darwish, President of the Syrian Center for Media and Freedom of Expression (SCM), and four of his colleagues, more than 65 days after they were arrested in violation of domestic and international law.
20 April 2012 Amnesty International
A peaceful advocate of democratic reform in Syria, Dr Mohamed al-Ammar , went missing on his way home from work in the southern city of Dera’a, on 19 March. He is believed to be held at the Military Intelligence branch in Dera’a in conditions amounting to enforced disappearance, putting him at risk of torture or other ill-treatment.
20 April 2012 Amnesty International
Syrian cardiologist Dr Mahmoud Al Refaai was arrested at al-Mouwasat hospital in the capital, Damascus, on 16 February 2012. He is believed to have been tortured and otherwise ill-treated.
14 April 2012
The resolution voted today by the UN Security Council endorsing the implementation of Kofi Annan’s plan to end the violence in Syria is a positive but belated development that must be followed up with vigorous monitoring in order to ensure the human rights of Syrians are protected, Amnesty International said.
April/12/2012 Amnesty International
Kamal Saloum was released on bail on 26 March. He had been arrested on 11 February 2012 and held incommunicado since then. He is now on trial on charges related to his contacts with international media outlets and speaking out against the Al-Assad government.
April 10, 2012
Summary Executions by Syrian Security Forces and Pro-Government Militias
This 23-page report documents more than a dozen incidents involving at least 101 victims since late 2011, many of them in March 2012. Human Rights Watch documented the involvement of Syrian forces and pro-government shabeeha militias in summary and extrajudicial executions in the governorates of Idlib and Homs.
April 9, 2012
(New York) – Syrian security forces summarily executed over 100 – and possibly many more – civilians and wounded or captured opposition fighters during recent attacks on cities and towns, Human Rights Watch said in a report released today.