Far From Justice - Human Rights Watch

February 2009 1-56432-434-6Far From JusticeSyria’s Supreme State Security CourtI. Summary .................................................................................................................................. 1II. Methodology .......................................................................................................................... 8III. Overview of the Supreme State Security Court ..................................................................... 10A. Legal Authority and Procedures ....................................................................................... 101. Restricted Role of Lawyers ......................................................................................... 142. Temporary Suspension of SSSC Trials following Riot in Sednaya Prison ..................... 17B. History of the SSSC ......................................................................................................... 18C. Profile of Current Defendants before the SSSC ................................................................. 21D. International and national Criticisms of the SSSC ............................................................ 25IV. The SSSC’s Recent Activities: Ongoing Violations ................................................................ 27A. Reliance on Coerced Confessions .................................................................................... 27B. Criminalizing Freedom of Expression ............................................................................... 321. Trials of Writers and Bloggers .................................................................................... 332. Trials of Individuals who Insult the President ............................................................ 35C. Overbroad Accusations against Suspected “Salafis” ....................................................... 37D. Criminalizing Kurdish Activism ........................................................................................ 43E. Trial of Minors ................................................................................................................. 48V. Monitoring of the SSSC by the Diplomatic Community .......................................................... 50VII. Recommendations .............................................................................................................. 52To the Syrian Government ................................................................................................... 52To the Arab League .............................................................................................................. 54To the European Union and its Member States .................................................................... 54VIII. Acknowledgments ............................................................................................................. 56IX. Appendices .......................................................................................................................... 57Annex I – List of Judgments Issued by the SSSC (Jan. 07 to June 08) .................................... 57