Syria: Release of 200 Kurdish political prisoners demanded

It is the third anniversary of the bloody crushing of spontaneous demonstrations of Kurdish civilians in Syria (12^th March 2004) and the Society for Threatened Peoples (GfbV) called on Monday for the release of more than 200 Kurdish political prisoners and the restoration of citizenship of about 200,000 Syrians of Kurdish nationality, whose citizenship has been withdrawn by Syria. The GfbV begged Foreign Minister Frank-Walter Steinmeier in an urgent letter to use his good relationship with Syria to secure the immediate release of the 15 Kurdish and Arab politicians who were arrested last Saturday at a vigil in front of the Palace of Justice in Damascus. Among them is Muhammad Musa Muhammad, a leading Kurdish politician.

The GfbV criticised that Syrian courts are still pronouncing inhuman terror sentences even against young people. As an example: the two Kurds Kawa Muhammad Said and Hussein Dib Khalil, 16 and 17 years old, were sentenced on 12^th February 2007 in a summary process to six months imprisonment and fined 76 million Syrian pounds (some 1.3 million US dollars) because they took part in demonstrations three years ago. In a telephone conversation with the GfbV Near East correspondent Kamal Sido the Kurdish human rights worker Mashal Tamo (Kamishli/Syria) confirmed this information.

The situation of the 200,000 stateless Kurds, from whom in the course of Arabianisation in 1962 Syrian citizenship was withdrawn is unbearable, reported the GfbV. 49 Kurdish academics from the province of al-Hasakeh were excluded from the selection process for an appointment at the Syrian Ministry of Health because they did not have Syrian papers. The names of these persons are known to the GfbV.

Background information:

On 12^th March 2004 Syrian security forces took action against Kurdish fans after a football match between Kurdish and Arab clubs. In the bloody crushing of the following demonstrations throughout the country at least 42 Kurdish civilians were killed, over 1000 injured and more than 2,500 arrested. More than 200 of them are still in custody.

The Kurds make up with about two million people some twelve percent of the total population of Syria. They are denied rights of language and culture.

EDITORIAL DESKS PLEASE NOTE: 25 Kurds intend to demonstrate in front of the Syrian embassy in 10787 Berlin, Rauchstrasse 25 to draw attention to the third anniversary of the bloody crushing of the Kurdish demonstrations in Syria three years ago (Start at 1 p.m.)