URGENT ACTION
HEALTH OF ARRESTED SYRIAN MAN AT SERIOUS RISK
Mohammed Hasan al-Labwani has been held incommunicado since
his arrest by General Intelligence, commonly referred to as State Security, on
18 August in the town of al-Zabadani, near Damascus, Syria. His family fear for
his safety as he suffers from a serious medical condition. He is also at grave
risk of torture and other ill-treatment.
According to a human rights activist from al-Zabadani, the
whereabouts of 47-year-old Mohammed Hasan al-Labwani were unknown until the
head of al-Zabadani’s local council enquired about him with the town’s State
Security branch on 18 August. The head of the local council was informed that
“Mohammed Hasan al-Labwani was wanted by Damascus State Security and is in
their custody”. However, he was not informed of the reason for his arrest.
Mohammed Hasan al-Labwani suffers from a pituitary tumour
and, according to medical advice given to Amnesty International, his detention
will place his health at serious risk if, as is likely, he does not have access
to proper medical care and if he is not able to take necessary medication.
As far as Amnesty International is aware, the Syrian
authorities have not disclosed Mohammed Hassan al-Labwani’s legal status or
wellbeing. However, according to a detainee who was held with him and released
on 24 August, Mohammed Hasan al-Labwani was beaten on one occasion. The
detainee did not know if Mohammed Hasan al-Labwani had been allowed to access
his medication, which the family passed through contacts to Damascus State Security
on 18 August.
Please write immediately in Arabic, English, French or your
own language:
Expressing
concern that Mohammed Hasan al-Labwani has been held incommunicado since 18
August and has allegedly been subjected to torture or other ill-treatment, and
calling for these allegations to be investigated promptly and for anyone
responsible to be brought to justice;
Urging
the Syrian authorities to ensure that Mohammed Hasan al-Labwani is protected
against further torture and other ill-treatment, provided with any medical
attention he requires and allowed immediate contact with his family and a
lawyer of his choice;
Calling
for him to be released unless he is to be charged with a recognizable criminal
offence and brought promptly to trial in accordance with international
standards for fair trial.
PLEASE SEND APPEALS BEFORE 14 OCTOBER 2011 TO:
President
Bashar al-Assad
Presidential Palace
al-Rashid Street
Damascus, Syrian Arab Republic
Fax: +963 11 332 3410
Salutation: Your Excellency
Minister of Interior
His Excellency Major General Mohamad Ibrahim al-Shaar
Ministry of Interior
‘Abd al-Rahman Shahbandar Street
Damascus, Syrian Arab Republic
Fax: +963 113110554
Salutation: Your Excellency
And copies to:
Minister of Foreign Affairs and Expatriates
Walid al-Mu’allim
Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Expatriates
al-Rashid Street
Damascus, Syrian Arab Republic
Fax: +963 11 214 62512/3
Also send copies to diplomatic representatives accredited to
your country. Please insert local diplomatic addresses below:
Name Address 1 Address 2 Address 3 Fax Fax number Email
Email address Salutation Salutation
Please check with your section office if sending appeals
after the above date.
URGENT ACTION
HEALTH OF ARRESTED SYRIAN MAN AT SERIOUS RISK
ADDITIONAL INFORMATION
Pro-reform demonstrations began in Syria in February 2011
and evolved into mass protests in mid-March. Since then, the protests, which
are generally calling for greater rights and freedom and an end to the regime
of President Bashar al-Assad, have spread nationwide on an unprecedented scale
and with a momentum that shows no sign of abating despite severe government
repression which has seen many hundreds of people killed. The protests have
been largely peaceful, yet the Syrian authorities have responded in the most
brutal manner in their efforts to suppress them. The security forces have
repeatedly used grossly excessive force, using snipers to shoot into crowds of
peaceful protesters and deploying army tanks to shell residential areas while
seeking to justify such force on the pretext that the government is under
attack by armed gangs. Amnesty International has obtained the names of more
than 1,900 people reported to have died or been killed during or in connection
with the protests since mid-March; many are believed to have been shot by
security forces using live ammunition while participating in peaceful protests
or attending funerals of people killed in earlier protests.
Thousands of other people have been arrested, with many held
incommunicado at unknown locations at which torture and other ill-treatment are
reported to be rife. In and around al-Zabadani, according to a local human rights
activist, at least 450 people, between the ages of 13 and 74, have been
arrested since the outbreak of mass protests in mid-March. The activist told
Amnesty International that those detained were arrested during house-to-house
raids, at security checkpoints, individual arrests from places of work or
randomly as part of sweeping arrests from the street.
According to the human rights activist, Mohammed Hasan
al-Labwani had stopped participating in the pro-reform protests following his
release on 12 May. He was previously held within the context of the popular
protests by the State Security in Damascus for around 10 days, during which he
was reportedly tortured (see UA 87/11 Index: MDE 24/019/2011 Syria and
follow-up).
Name: Mohammed Hasan al-Labwani
Gender m/f: Male
UA: 266/11 Index: MDE
24/047/2011 Issue Date: 2 September 2011