Stop the planned treaties with Syria.

Dear Sir or Madam:

On October 26th 2009, the European Union plans to sign a treaty of association with Syria. Even in the case that a supplementary statement from EU member states was to be added to the text of the treaty, we still urge you strongly to prevent the signing of the treaty to the last minute. The dictatorial regime of Syria, on a day-to-day basis, treats democratic oppositions and minority groups with utmost severity and cruelty: the Kurdish people – and in particular, the Kurdish-speaking Yezidi religious community – are denied civil liberties and oppressed culturally and linguistically, while the Christian population is not even recognized as a minority.

The Asaad regime continuously commits the most grievous human rights violations, and is responsible for numerous arbitrary arrests of its critics, inhumane use of torture in prisons and full-fledged massacres of innocent civilians. People disappear again and again with trace. Accordingly, a treaty of association between the EU and Syria directly challenges the international human rights movement, giving the regime, despite its inhumane policies against opposition and minority groups, international approval and legitimacy. We will send you in a few days a short round up of only a small part of the Syrian dictatorship’s numerous human rights offences.

In the light of such grievous human rights violations, it would be a disgrace for the European Union to sign a treaty of association with Syria. Therefore we appeal most ardently to you to help make sure that the treaty is not signed.

Yours faithfully,

Tilman Zülch, President of the Society for Threatened Peoples International

Sabrina Bussani, Vice-president of the Society for Threatened Peoples International