{"id":220,"date":"2011-04-23T00:00:00","date_gmt":"2011-04-23T00:00:00","guid":{"rendered":""},"modified":"-0001-11-30T00:00:00","modified_gmt":"-0001-11-30T00:00:00","slug":"","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/dchrs.org\/?p=220","title":{"rendered":"Announcement of incomplete reforms while repression is ongoing"},"content":{"rendered":"

\nSYRIA: Announcement of incomplete reforms while repression
\nis ongoing<\/a><\/strong>\n<\/p>\n

\nClick Here to Read and Download File – PDF<\/a><\/strong>\n<\/p>\n

\nCopenhagen, April 21, 2011. The Euro-Mediterranean Human
\nRights Network (EMHRN) denounces the attitude of the Syrian authorities who
\nclaim to meet the demands of protesters by proclaiming incomplete reforms,
\nwhile continuing repression at the expense of severe human rights violations.\n<\/p>\n

\nOn April 21, the official Syrian press agency SANA announced
\nthat President Bashar Al Asad has promulgated: decree 161 on the lifting of
\nstate of emergency (in force since 1963), decree 53 abolishing the Supreme
\nState Security Court and decree 54 enacting a law recognizing the right to
\npeaceful demonstration.\n<\/p>\n

\n"We can not take for granted the declarations from the
\nSyrian authorities as we have been used to their practice of double
\ndiscourse" said EMHRN president Kamel Jendoubi, adding that "the
\nannounced measures are meaningful only if the repression ceases immediately and
\nthat genuine democratic reforms are initiated."\n<\/p>\n

\nThe announcement comes as the repression caused in one month
\nat least 220 deaths among the protesters and hundreds of arbitrary arrests. The
\ntestimonies of those released and the videos posted on social networks and in
\nthe media demonstrate that people arrested have been systematically submitted
\nto ill treatments and acts of torture. Despite government’s claims, the slogans
\nchanted in a vast majority of demonstrations indicate that the protest movement
\nis spontaneous, unitary, peaceful, and non sectarian.\n<\/p>\n

\nThe EMHRN stresses that the lifting of the state of
\nemergency is not an end in itself but a claim which seeks to ensure legal
\nprotection and physical integrity of the population, while putting an end to
\nthe impunity of perpetrators of serious human rights violations. Kamel Jendoubi
\nstated "we are concerned that the Syrian authorities may pass alternative
\nmeasures that would lead to further human rights violations under the pretext
\nof preserving stability."\n<\/p>\n

\nThe EMHRN is also concerned about the decision to transfer
\nthose convicted by the Supreme State Security Court (an exceptional court used
\nsince its creation in 1963 to conduct unfair trials against opponents or human
\nrights defenders), to ordinary criminal courts, fearing that these legal
\nprocedures may be unfair in the absence of reforms to ensure in practice the
\nseparation of powers.\n<\/p>\n

\nThe EMHRN also considers that the adoption of a law that
\nwould enable the Ministry of Interior to regulate the right to peaceful
\ndemonstration should be accompanied by urgent measures that will allow the
\nrespect of freedom of expression, freedom of association and to create
\npolitical parties, which are essential corollary of freedom of assembly.\n<\/p>\n

\nThe EMHRN urges the Syrian authorities:\n<\/p>\n

\n    <\/span>* To pursue their
\nclaimed will to meet the expectations of the people by immediately releasing
\nall those detained for peacefully participating in demonstrations, putting an
\nend to arbitrary arrests and ill-treatments, and opening an independent
\ninvestigation with the participation of Human Rights organizations in regards
\nto all events which occurred since March 15 in Deraa, Homs, Lattakieh, Banyas
\nand the other Syrian towns.\n<\/p>\n

\n    <\/span>* To immediately
\ninitiate a process of democratic reform in line with the announcements made by
\npresident Al Asad including: the repeal of article 8 of the Constitution which
\nstates that the Baath Party "leads the society and the state”, as well as
\nthe Presidential decree 69 of September 30, 2008 which guarantees the impunity
\nfor members of the security services, to dismantle the security services and
\nlift all restrictions to freedom of movement.\n<\/p>\n

\nFor more information, please contact:\n<\/p>\n

\nCommunication Officer, Henriette Irminger Sonne, +45
\n30828337\n<\/p>\n

\nShaima Abou Alkheir: +20 101077207<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

\nSYRIA: Announcement of incomplete reforms while repression
\nis ongoing<\/a><\/strong>\n<\/p>\n

\nClick Here to Read and Download File – PDF<\/a><\/strong>\n<\/p>\n

\nCopenhagen, April 21, 2011. The Euro-Mediterranean Human
\nRights Network (EMHRN) denounces the attitude of the Syrian authorities who
\nclaim to meet the demands of protesters by proclaiming incomplete reforms,
\nwhile continuing repression at the expense of severe human rights violations.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":28,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-220","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/dchrs.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/220","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/dchrs.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/dchrs.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/dchrs.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/28"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/dchrs.org\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=220"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/dchrs.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/220\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/dchrs.org\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=220"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/dchrs.org\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=220"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/dchrs.org\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=220"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}