URGENT ACTION APPEAL
---------------------------------- 13 December 2004 UA 333/04 Fear of death penalty/Fear of torture and ill-treatment/Medical concern SYRIA Khaled Yahya al-Ra'i (m), aged 55, businessperson Businessperson Khaled Yahya al-Ra'i is now known to have been forcibly returned to Syria from Egypt in July 2004, and since then has been held incommunicado at various Military Intelligence branches in the capital, Damascus. He is at serious risk of torture, and is liable to be sentenced to death for his membership of an outlawed political party. There are also concerns for his health as he reportedly suffers from severe inflammation of the colon and related bleeding in cold weather. Khaled Yahya al-Ra'i was formerly an active member of the Muslim Brotherhood, which at the time was advocating a strict interpretation of Islamic Shari 'a as a means of governance. Its members took up arms against the government in the 1970s, and in 1980, after an attempt to assassinate President Assad, membership of the party was made punishable by death. At the end of 1980 Khaled Yahya al-Ra'i fled to Jordan with his family, as did most other members of the Muslim Brotherhood, in the face of a government crackdown. He lived there for over 23 years, running a small business, but came under increasing pressure from the authorities to leave, apparently as Jordan's relations with the Syrian government improved. In January 2004 he left Jordan to live in Turkey, but reportedly did not have the correct travel or residency papers: in July 2004 he flew to Egypt, but was reportedly arrested upon arrival in Cairo and sent on the next available flight to Damascus. His wife, Mu'eyna Muhammad Yusef Sa'adu, returned to Syria on 14 January 2004, after the Syrian embassy in Jordan apparently gave her a passport and permission to return. She was reportedly threatened and physically abused, and denied the medication she needed for a heart condition, while held by Military Intelligence, but released without charge on 19 February. She was able to rejoin her family in Jordan on 29 February. (UA 50/04, issued10 February 2004, and re-issued 3 March 2004) BACKGROUND INFORMATION Most political parties have been banned in Syria since 1958. After the Ba'th party came to power in a coup in 1963, the Muslim Brotherhood continued to function underground, but its members were subject to arrest and imprisonment. From the late 1970s the Muslim Brotherhood was involved in armed clashes with government forces, and in July 1980 Law 49 was passed, which made membership of the organisation punishable by death. Many supporters and sympathisers, and their families, fled the country. The leader of the organisation formally renounced violence in 1986, and in the past few years, particularly since the Jordanian government have become less hospitable to them, many Muslim Brotherhood members and sympathisers have returned to Syria. Dozens have been forcibly returned, from several countries, after their applications for asylum were rejected. Many have been arrested on their return to Syria, even after receiving consent from the Syrian authorities. Many of these detainees have reportedly been tortured; several have ''disappeared'', and at least one died in custody in March 2002, while held incommunicado. In the 1980s, many Muslim Brotherhood detainees were extrajudicially executed in custody. More recently, they have been sentenced to death but immediately had the sentence commuted, typically to 12 years' imprisonment. RECOMMENDED ACTION: Please send appeals to arrive as quickly as possible: - expressing concern at the reports that Khaled Yahya al-Ra'i has been held incommunicado since July 2004; - urging the authorities to ensure that Khaled Yahya al-Ra'I is treated humanely in custody, and not tortured or ill-treated, pointing out Syria is a state party to the Convention Against Torture; - urging them to allow him access to legal assistance of his own choosing, his family and any medical attention he may require; - asking that he be promptly charged with a recognisably criminal offence, or else released immediately and unconditionally. APPEALS TO: His Excellency President Bashar al-Assad President of the Republic Presidential Palace Abu Rummaneh, Al-Rashid Street Damascus, Syrian Arab Republic SYRIA Fax: 011 963 11 332 3410 Salutation: Your Excellency His Excellency General Ghazi Kan'an Minister of Interior Ministry of Interior Merjeh Circle Damascus, Syrian Arab Republic SYRIA Fax: 011 963 11 222 3428 Email: [email protected] Salutation: Your Excellency COPIES TO: Ambassador Dr Imad Moustapha Embassy of the Syrian Arab Republic 2215 Wyoming Ave. NW Washington DC 20008 Fax: 1 202 234 9548 Please send appeals immediately. Check with the Colorado office between 9:00 am and 6:00 pm, Mountain Time, weekdays only, if sending appeals after January 24, 2005. Amnesty International is a worldwide grassroots movement that promotes and defends human rights. This Urgent Action may be reposted if kept intact, including contact information and stop action date (if applicable). Thank you for your help with this appeal. Urgent Action Network Amnesty International USA PO Box 1270 Nederland CO 80466-1270 Email: [email protected] http://www.amnestyusa.org/urgent/ Phone: 303 258 1170 Fax: 303 258 7881 ---------------------------------- END OF URGENT ACTION APPEAL ----------------------------------
