Relatives of Syrian prisoners of conscience give news conference at French parliament

Relatives of two Syrian prisoners of conscience, journalist and writer Michel Kilo and lawyer and human rights activist Anwar Al Bunni, talked about their conditions of detention and the harassment of their families at a news conference today at the French national assembly. It was hosted by Green Party deputy Noël Mamère and organised by Reporters Without Borders, the Damascus Declaration Committee and the Association of Friends of Samir Kassir. “The doors of the national assembly, the heart of French democracy, are permanently open, especially for those who are not allowed to speak elsewhere,”said Mamère, who is also deputy mayor of Bègles (Gironde) as well as a former TV journalist. “The state of emergency in effect for the past 43 years has been used to arrest many Syrian journalists and activists,” said Reporters Without Borders secretary-general Robert Ménard. “We have registered an average of 10 arrests of journalists a year since the start of the 1990s. The state controls the media and still makes it difficult to access information.” Ménard added: “It is also impossible to access certain opposition websites. Three cyber-dissidents are currently in prison for calling for democracy and respect for human rights, making Syria the Middle East's biggest prison for Internet users.” Kilo's son, Ayham Kilo, said his father's prison conditions were not bad. Aged 67, he is able to receive regular family visits at Adra prison, where he has been held since 17 May. The family is alarmed by the recent refusal to execute a provisional release order issued by a judge, but hopes his conditions of detention will continue to be acceptable. The Bunni family has been targeted by the Baathist regime since soon after Hafez al-Assad took power. Other members of the family were imprisoned and tortured in Syrian jails before Anwar Al Bunni. Added together, they have spent more than 60 years in prison. “But as good Syrian citizens, we have to render thanks to Allah that they were not killed,” said Kamal Al Bunni, his brother. He said Anwar was beaten for two days following his arrest on 17 May. After being placed with ordinary detainees in Adra prison, he staged a hunger strike from 28 October to 4 November with other political prisoners in protest against their illegal detention and the harassment of their families. He is now defended by a group of lawyers, some of whom he helped get released in the past. Kamal said the governor of Adra prison was taking personal revenge on Anwar for his frequent past criticism of its mistreatment of detainees. Writer Farouk Mardam-Bey, another of the news conference's participants, voiced concern about the fact that the situation of government opponents is deteriorating as the regime now feels protected. Repression takes various forms, he said, including torture, arbitrary arrests, abduction of the relatives of government opponents and sham trials. He also mentioned the revival of Law 49 targeting Muslim Brotherhood members and supporters, and the zero tolerance displayed for Syria's Kurdish minority. Ménard concluded: “The Baathist regime is now regaining room for manoeuvre thanks to changes in the geopolitical situation and the resulting calls for dialogue to be reestablished with Damascus and Tehran. This increased room for manoeuvre results in more repression of government opponents.” Bashar al-Assad, who has been president since 2001, is regarded by Reporters Without Borders as one of the world's 35 press freedom predators.