Far From Justice - Human Rights Watch

IV. The SSSC’s Recent Activities: Ongoing ViolationsHuman Rights Watch compiled information about 237 cases decided by the SSSC betweenJanuary 2007 and June 2008 (Annex I lists these cases). While the degree of informationobtained for each case varies, the cumulative evidence paints a bleak picture: 33defendants alleged before the SSSC that members of Syrian security services extracted theirconfessions under torture. To Human Rights Watch’s knowledge, the court took no steps toinvestigate these allegations. The court sentenced 153 defendants on the basis of vague oroverbroad charges that criminalize freedom of expression and association; it sentenced tendefendants for posting information online that was critical of the authorities. Eightdefendants were referred to the SSSC because they “insulted the Syrian president orcriticized `Alawites;” 90 and the court sentenced at least 16 Kurdish activists for advocatingfor Kurdish rights.A. Reliance on Coerced ConfessionsHuman Rights Watch’s review of trial notes prepared by foreign diplomats as well asstatements issued by defense lawyers and Syrian human rights groups shows that at least33 defendants who appeared before the SSSC between January 2007 and June 2008 claimedthat the Syrian security services extracted their confessions using torture. In none of the trialnotes reviewed is there information to suggest that the judge undertook any steps toinvestigate the torture allegations.Examples of some of the allegations made by the 33 defendants include:• On November 11, 2007, Ali al-Kurdi, a Syrian Kurd living in Qamishli, told the SSSCthat his interrogators had tortured him and made him sign a confession withoutreading it. 91 He alleged that he only learned later that he had confessed to planningto commit terrorist acts. He repeated his torture allegations at the following sessionon February 24, 2008. 92• On November 18, 2007, Ibrahim Kabaro told the SSSC that the Palestine Branch ofthe Military Intelligence held him incommunicado during nine days and during that90 `Alawites are a sect of Shi`a Islam that is prominent in Syria. The ruling Asad family is `Alawite and `Alawites are widelyrepresented among the top military and intelligence officers in Syria.91 “Trials before the SSSC in Damascus for the week of November 15, 2007,” SHRO- Swasiah statement, November 15, 2007,http://www.shro-syria.com/2007/modules.php?name=News&file=article&sid=520 (accessed November 02, 2008).92 Trial notes by European diplomats, February 24, 2008 (on record with Human Rights Watch),27 Human Rights Watch February 2009