Help stop the bloodshed in Syria

Dear all,

Syria’s longstanding poor human rights situation has
deteriorated sharply since mid March with the rise of largely peaceful
protests, which similarly to elsewhere in the region have called for more
political freedoms, an end to corruption and increasingly for President Bashar
al-Assad to stand down.

Amnesty International received numerous reports on how the
Syrian authorities used excessive force against protestors and others resulting
so far in the death of more than 400 people. The authorities also arbitrarily
detained several hundred others of whom many reported after their release that
they were tortured while detained. These apparently widespread and systematic
human rights violations are a shocking manifestation of Syria’s disregard of
its people’s rights and its obligations under the international law. They
amount to "crimes against humanity" and therefore must stop
immediately.

You can help stop the bloodshed in Syria by signing the
attached petition and circulating it to as many people as possible:

http://amnesty.org/en/appeals-for-action/help-stop-bloodshed-syria

An Arabic version of the petition will be sent to you in the
next few days.

Many thanks,

East Mediterranean Team

Amnesty International, International Secretariat

Peter Benenson House, 1 Easton Street

London WC1X 0DW

United Kingdom

E-mail: Eastmed@amnesty.org

Tel:       +44 (0)20
7413 5500

Fax:      +44 (0)20
7413 5719