Syrian authorities target prominent dissident
and teenage son
Syrian
authorities are feared to be torturing a prominent dissident and his teenage son
for their involvement in peaceful protests, their lawyer has told Amnesty
International.
Walid al-Bunni
has been detained incommunicado since he was arrested from his Damascus hiding
place on 6 August along with his 18-year-old son Mu’ayad, who is not believed
to have taken part in the demonstrations.
"I’m
very worried that they may be keeping Mu’ayad in prison with his dad just to
cause Walid pain by watching his son being tortured," Walid’s lawyer told
Amnesty International.
Walid al-Bunni,
aged 46, is one of hundreds of Syrian activists detained amid the government’s
bloody crackdown on protesters who have been calling for reforms since March.
An
outspoken and fearless critic of President Bashar al-Assad’s regime, Walid al-Bunni
has paid a steep price for speaking out for democracy and political reforms.
Having been
imprisoned twice before, he and two of his sons went into hiding on 5 May 2011
after security forces broke down the front door of his flat.
"Mu’ayad
is the apple of his dad’s eye, I don’t believe he took part in the
protests," said the lawyer.
Walid al-Bunni
has been missing since he was arrested by armed men believed to be members of
Syria’s Political Security forces along with his two sons, Iyad and Mu’ayad.Cool
Iyad, aged
19, was later released. The whereabouts of his brother and father have not been
disclosed by the Syrian authorities, while the family is too afraid to ask the
authorities for information
Walid
a-Bunni has served lengthy prison sentences twice before. He spent five years in jail from 2001 until
2006 for his activities during the "Damascus Spring", a period
following President al-Assad’s rise to power.
He was also
jailed for two and a half years from December 2007 to 16 June 2010 for his
involvement in a coalition of opposition groups calling for peaceful reform and
respect for human rights.
Amnesty
International spoke to an emotional Walid al-Bunni on 22 June 2010, shortly
after his most recent release from detention.
"During
my imprisonment I sometimes felt melancholy for not being present for my
children when they need me," he said tearfully.
"But
then I remember that I am man of a cause and that our people should live a
dignified and free life.”
More than
1,800 people have been killed since mass protests began in mid-March, according
to a list of names compiled by Amnesty International. Many of them were
reportedly killed by live ammunition used by the Syrian army and security
forces during generally peaceful protests.
The Syrian
authorities have arrested thousands and held many incommunicado at unknown
locations where torture and other ill-treatment are reported to be rife.
Amnesty
International has called for the immediate release of Walid al-Bunni and Mu’ayad
al-Bunni as they are prisoners of conscience,.
Walid
al-Bunni is detained solely for exercising his rights to freedom of expression,
association and assembly, while .Mu’ayad al-Bunni appears to be detained solely
to put pressure on his father.